Each week, the Nutrition Center and a different expert answer a pressing question about healthy food. In this episode: vitamin B12. Why you need it and how to get it.
“Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is an important nutrient needed in all cells of the human body,” says Sietske Doorenbos, a medical researcher. He works at the internal medicine department of the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). “Because the body can’t make this substance itself and people have to get it through food (or supplements), we call it an essential nutrient.”
Without vitamin B12, all kinds of biochemical reactions and processes in the body cannot occur. “It is necessary for the conversion of the substance homocysteine into the substance methionine, which is needed as a building block of proteins,” explains Doorenbos. “In addition, vitamin B12 is required, among other things, for turning certain genes in DNA on and off > Vitamin B12 is also required for the production of myelin, which forms an insulating layer around many nerve endings and it is therefore essential for a well-functioning nervous system.”
“Vitamin B12 also plays an important role in the production of DNA in RNA, which ensure the healthy development of red blood cells in the bone marrow. Vitamin B12 is therefore indispensable for humans.”
What does vitamin B12 contain?
People make vitamin B12 in the gut, but the gut doesn’t absorb it. That’s why we need to get vitamin B12 from animal products. “Vitamin B12 is found in products such as milk, dairy products, meat, meat products, fish and eggs,” says Nutrition Center spokeswoman Patricia Schutte.
Vitamin B12 is also increasingly being added to meat and dairy substitutes. This doesn’t always happen and it’s not always in sufficient quantity. The Netherlands Nutrition Center recommends an average daily intake of 2.8 micrograms of vitamin B12. “Vegans are advised to take a vitamin B12 supplement or use products with added vitamin B12,” says Schutte. “Even in older adults, especially older adults with gastrointestinal infections, dietary vitamin B12 absorption may be impaired.”
Thinking about taking a vitamin B12 supplement? So pay close attention to the dosage. “You’ll often find a 1,000-microgram supplement at the store, but that’s not absolutely necessary for most people,” says Doorenbos. “This is much more than the recommended daily amount and rather intended to supplement a pre-existing vitamin B12 deficiency. Supplements with these extremely high doses also make sense for people with pernicious anemia.” This is a form of anemia.
A vitamin B12 deficiency can be caused by an insufficient intake, but also by a problem with its absorption. Doorenbos: “In the elderly, the ability to absorb vitamin B12 in the intestine is reduced. An absorption problem can also be caused by autoimmune diseases or problems in the small intestine.”
What is the consequence of not enough B12?
“Too little vitamin B12 in the body can cause ailments such as numb fingers and toes, tingling, movements are less precise, and you can have problems with balance,” says Schutte. According to Doorenbos, the severity of the consequences of a vitamin B12 deficiency depends on the extent of the deficiency and its duration. “A well-known consequence is also anemia.”
“In the Netherlands, a vitamin B12 deficiency occurs in a small percentage of the population, increasing with age. In the age group of 20-39, it is around 3 percent. It can rise to 10 percent in the age group of age of seventy years and older.”
You can check how much vitamin B12 you consume yourself, to see if you have a deficiency. Schutte: “This is possible with our online food diary The Eater operation My Nutrition Center.”
Important vitamins for children: iIn the Ouders van Nu overview you can see exactly which vitamins and minerals a child needs.
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