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Vitamin B12 Food Sources:
Vitamin B12 is found in eggs, meat, poultry, shellfish , and milk and milk products.
Functions:
Vitamin B12, like the other B vitamins , is important for metabolism . It helps in the formation of red blood cells and in the maintenance of the central nervous system .
Recommendations:
Recommended daily allowances (RDAs) are defined as the levels of intake of essential nutrients that, on the basis of scientific knowledge, the Food and Nutrition Board judges to be adequate to meet the known nutrient needs of practically all healthy persons.
The best way to get the daily requirement of essential vitamins is to eat a balanced diet that contains a variety of foods from the food guide pyramid .
Since all of the vitamin B12 comes from animal products, people following a vegetarian diet and not consuming eggs and dairy products may require B12 supplements. There are some non-animal sources of B12 but because they are highly variable they are not reliable.
Side Effects:
There is no known nutritional deficiency of vitamin B12, but an inability to absorb it can cause pernicious anemia .
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