Overview

Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is a collective term for several vitamin-active, water-soluble compounds that have the same biological function. It can only be produced by microorganisms and is therefore mainly found in animal foods thanks to the food chain. Some plant-based foods contain vitamin B12 analogues, which we cannot utilize and can even worsen the supply of vitamin B12.  

Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is an important coenzyme in human metabolism. This means that many enzymes that carry out various metabolic steps rely on vitamin B12 and cannot function without it. On the one hand, the vitamin is important in regulating the homocysteine ​​concentration in the blood. Homocysteine ​​is an intermediate product in our body that must be broken down quickly because it increases the risk of thrombosis and cardiovascular disease. Vitamin B12 ensures the breakdown of this substance. Another cobalamin is involved in amino acid and fat metabolism. Another key role of the vitamin is to protect the DNA from damage by being involved in regulatory processes and also has anti-oxidative properties and thus protects the DNA from oxidative stress. Vitamin B12 is also necessary for cell division and differentiation, e.g. B. in blood formation and DNA synthesis.  

Vitamin B12 – the most important tasks in brief 

The following vitamin B12-related health claims have been evaluated and approved by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) through scientific studies: 

• Vitamin B12 contributes to normal energy metabolism. 
• Vitamin B12 contributes to the normal functioning of the nervous system. 
• Vitamin B12 contributes to normal homocysteine ​​metabolism. 
• Vitamin B12 contributes to normal psychological function. 
• Vitamin B12 contributes to the normal functioning of the immune system. 
• Vitamin B12 helps reduce tiredness and fatigue. 
• Vitamin B12 plays a role in the process of cell division. 
• Vitamin B12 contributes to the normal formation of red blood cells. 

Vitamin B12 also works closely with folate. Folate also contributes to normal homocysteine ​​metabolism, normal immune system function, reduction of tiredness and fatigue and normal cell division.  

Your daily need for vitamin B12 

The German Nutrition Society recommends an intake of 4 µg per day for young people and adults. Pregnant women have an increased need of 4.5 µg and breastfeeding women, for whom 5.5 µg is recommended.  

Vitamin B12 is mainly found in animal foods, such as: meat, fish and seafood, eggs and dairy products. Even though vitamin B12 is found in some plant foods, such as sauerkraut, seaweed and shiitake mushrooms, it is not accessible to our body and cannot be absorbed.  

It is therefore important for people who eat an exclusively plant-based diet or only consume a small amount of animal foods to take vitamin B12 supplements to ensure sufficient supply. You can have your vitamin B12 level checked by your family doctor.  

Our body has an extensive store of vitamin B12 in the liver if sufficient intake was previously guaranteed, so a deficiency can only become apparent after a few years. If, for example, your diet did not provide enough vitamin B12, deficiency symptoms will appear earlier. People who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet are particularly at risk of a deficiency if they do not take supplements.  

Stomach and intestinal diseases can also disrupt the absorption of vitamin B12 and are therefore a risk of deficiency.  

According to current knowledge, a high intake of vitamin B12, which occurs naturally in foods, is not harmful.  

How a vitamin B12 deficiency can manifest itself  

A prolonged deficiency can lead to disruptions in cell division and DNA synthesis, which can result in anemia because blood cells can no longer be produced properly. Symptoms associated with this include tiredness, paleness and weakness. The breakdown of homocysteine ​​is disrupted in the event of a deficiency and the concentration of this compound is therefore increased. This, together with other substances that are increased due to vitamin B12 deficiency, can lead to neurological damage. Symptoms would be disorders of movement coordination, poor memory, attention deficits and depressive moods.  

Which AgilNature products contain vitamin B12? 

*Nutrient Reference Value = Percentage of the reference value according to Appendix XIII of the Food Information Regulation (EC) No. 1169/2011.  

Literature: 

1. Vitamin B12. DGE. https://www.dge.de/gesunde-ernaehrung/faq/vitamin-b12/#c3450 (accessed on December 15, 2023) 
2. Homocysteine ​​(HCYS). Health portal. https://www.gesundheit.gv.at/labor/laborwerte/blutgerinnung/homocystein.html#:~:text=Homocystein%20ist%20eine%20sulphur-containing%20Aminos%C3%A4ure,and%20Heart%2Dcirculatory%2Ddiseases. (accessed on December 15, 2023) 
3. Halczuk K, Kaźmierczak-Barańska J, Karwowski BT, Karmańska A, Cieślak M. Vitamin B12-Multifaceted In Vivo Functions and In Vitro Applications. Nutrients. 2023 Jun 13;15(12):2734. 
4. Regulation (EC) No. 1924/2006 (Health Claims) 
5. Ankar A, Kumar A. Vitamin B12 Deficiency. 2022 Oct 22. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan–.