Winter season is the peak time for colds and flu. Now, amidst a pandemic, there are all sorts of nasty germs floating around. If you do happen to contract a cold or flu virus, you could be more susceptible to catching #COVID-19. Your immune system is low when you’re sick and while it fights the illness, it could be weakened enough to let other viruses in!
Winter, especially winter in isolation, can also affect your mind. People suffer from depression and other mental strain conditions in the winter months. It’s cold, there is no sun to lift your mood, and you’re stuck in the house! Your vitamin and mineral count get depleted!
But, there are loads of precautions you can take to ensure that you keep your body (and mind) in tip-top shape and protected from colds and flu! B12 is one of them!
What is B12?
Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin. This means that when your body gets too much of it, you won’t get any adverse effects. It will use what it wants and eliminate the rest through your urine. It is also known as cobalamin. Vitamin B12 assists in brain function and red blood cell production and is only found naturally in animal foods. The human body
doesn’t produce B12 on its own, though.
We have to get it from our diets; it’s produced by bacteria in the gut. When people eat certain animal products, we absorb the B12 produced by the gut bacteria of those animals.
It is also the most common deficiency, especially for the elderly, and people who eat restrictive diets like vegetarians and vegans. As we age, our body’s ability to absorb B12 declines. Signs of B12 deficiency include memory loss and digestive problems.
Maggie Moon, RD, a Los Angeles–based nutritionist and owner of Everyday Healthy Eating, tells Health that the signs of vitamin B12 deficiency also include exhaustion, rapid heartbeat and brain fog; including dizziness, impaired thinking and confusion.
Healthline reports that, unlike other vitamins, the absorption of vitamin B12 depends on a protein produced in your stomach, called intrinsic factor, which binds to vitamin B12, so that you can absorb it into the blood.
What are the benefits of B12
Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin with many roles in your body. B12 is nicknamed ‘the energy vitamin’ because it assists the body with red blood cell production, and some of the earliest signs of a deficiency include feeling confused and weak. It supports the normal function of your nerve cells. When you’re anaemic, your body doesn’t have enough red blood cells to transport oxygen to your vital organs.
Supplementing vitamin B12 is crucial in pregnancy. According to research, a foetus’s brain and nervous system require sufficient B12 levels from the mother to develop properly. So of course, your reserves deplete pretty fast while the baby steals all of your B12!
Maintaining adequate vitamin B12 levels also helps with bone health and normal bone mineral density. Low blood levels of vitamin B12 have been linked to an increased risk of osteoporosis.
Depression
Many studies have investigated the link between B12 and how it improves your mood and emotional state. There is no conclusive evidence of what the link is, but vitamin B12 deficiency may lead to decreased serotonin production, which may cause a depressed mood, Healthline explains.
One study of people with depression and low vitamin B12 levels found that those who received both antidepressants and vitamin B12 were more likely to show improved depressive symptoms, compared to those treated with antidepressants alone.
So how much B12 should I take?
The amount of B12 every person needs depends on several factors. Your age, weight, ability to absorb and even whether you’re pregnant or breastfeeding should all be taken into consideration. Women over the age of 14 need about 2.4 micrograms of B12 a day.
If you’re pregnant, this could go up to 2.6 micrograms. Men need around two micrograms but should take into consideration their height and weight.
How do I get it?
B12 is unlike other nutrients because it is only found in animal products. So, if you would like to acquire it naturally, you would need to eat animal products like meat, fish, eggs, milk and bone broth. However, if you eat a plant-based diet, you could supplement it.
Many plant-based eaters get a B12 injection to keep up reserves. The injection is pretty inexpensive, and you don’t need a prescription for it.
There are also loads of oral supplements to take for kids and adults. Experts do advise that taking a B12 supplement if you aren’t B12 deficient is a waste of money.
Nowadays, some plant-based products like grains, cereal and non-dairy milk are vitamin B12 fortified. Make sure to check labels when shopping for snacks!
But if you need some expert guidance for how to get some more B12 in your diet, The Medical Society has experts at your disposal to assist you with any dietary changes you may need to make. Remember, do not make any significant changes to your diet without the guidance of a medical professional.
