Vitamin b12 plays a key role in your health. It is critical for cellular creation as well as DNA replication. B12 is also important for the creation of many enzymes that are important to your body. A deficiency of b12 will result in very serious neurological issues as well as pernicious anemia. Over time, if nothing is treated the neurological issues can become permanent.
The problem is that many people can experience low levels of b12 without even knowing it. While taking a blood test and getting results that indicate that you have low b12 levels in your body is a good indicator that you have a problem, the reverse is not true. Many people get test results that indicate that everything is fine, which in fact, this is not the case.
The issue is that there are inactive analogues of B12 in your body as well as substances that are chemically very similar to active b12. These substances are not active and do not provide the benefits that your body receives from b12. The vast majority of blood tests that are used do not differentiate between these substances. This means that you could get test results that indicate that your b 12 levels are fine, when in fact you have a major issue.
One example of this is seaweed products that are heavily marketed today. These products contain high levels of inactive b12. Someone consuming them may test showing that they have an abundance of b12 in their bodies when in fact this is not the case at all. There have been numerous studies that indicate that many people with adequate b12 in their bodies according to blood tests still end up with neurological b12 deficiency symptoms.
The solution for this is for people who are at risk of developing a b12 deficiency take regular b12 shots. It would be far more convenient for most people to simply take oral b12, however, most research shows that the body is not capable of absorbing more than a fraction of b12 taken orally. Therefore, a b12 shot is recommended. You can get Vitamin b 12 injections at your doctors office and they are so risk-free that many doctors will give them to you to take at home.
