Vitamin B 12 is one of the eight B vitamins and is water soluble
. It is essential to the body for its overall functioning. It contains an element in it which is cobalt.
Hence it has the scientific name of cobalamine. One of the features of this vitamin is that it is not produced in the body unlike other vitamins but is generally manufactured by bacteria. The entrance of these bacteria into the body leads to the storage of this kind of vitamin primarily in the liver, which happens when an animal eats or drinks water that is contaminated by these bacteria. There are many natural sources of vitamin B 12 such as animal products like eggs, dairy, meat, and sea foods such as salmon, clams and oysters.If you dont like them then you can always take supplements. Various cereals and other kinds of foods are generally fortified with vitamins that also include vitamin B 12. But there is one sad thing for the vegetarians. Vitamin B 12 does not occur in plants and hence for them the only source for it is supplements.
There are many benefits of Vitamin B12. One of its important functions is to help the body in the production of red blood cells that helps in carrying of oxygen to various parts of the body. It also helps in properly maintaining the nervous system. Along with this it also helps in the production and regulation of DNA, which is present in every cell of the body.
One should regularly get a dose of Vitamin B 12 as it helps in metabolizing the food properly so as to produce energy in the body.