Vitamin B12 and heart health
Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, in one of the eight B vitamins. While all of the B vitamins help your body convert carbohydrates into glucose to produce energy, B12 is especially important for maintaining healthy nerve cells and in the production of DNA and RNA, the body’s genetic material.1
Another of the benefits of Vitamin B12 is the role that it plays in preventing heart disease. B12, working in conjunction with B6 and B9, controls blood levels of the amino acid, homocysteine. High levels of homocysteine are associated with heart disease. Vitamin B12, along with B6 and B9, work by decreasing homocysteine levels, and therefore, may improve heart health.
Many studies have demonstrated that people with modestly elevated homocysteine levels have higher rates of stroke, heart attack, and death from heart disease compared to those with low or normal homocysteine levels.2 A study conducted by researchers at the University of California — San Francisco (UCSF) found that, among the U.S. population with known heart disease and elevated homocysteine levels, 310,000 fewer heart disease related deaths were projected to occur over a ten year period (2001-2011) if these people added 1mg of folic acid and 0.5mg of vitamin B12 supplement to their daily dose of folic enriched grains rather than consuming folic acid enriched grains alone.3
According to Lee Goldman, MD, senior author of the UCSF study, “for most people, especially those with heart disease, taking a folic acid and vitamin B12 supplement is projected not only to be safe and save lives, but also to save money because it prevents heart disease and the costs associated with expensive medical treatments and procedures.”4
But, wait, there’s more!
In addition to the link between decreasing homocysteine levels, B12 and heart health, some of the other benefits of Vitamin B12 are as follows:
- Helps with red blood cell formation
- Help to prevent anemia
- Helps to prevent brain and spinal cord defects
- May play a role in supporting bone health
- Helps to maintain and support the nervous system
- Supports healthy skin, nails, and hair
B12 also plays a vital role in synthesizing and metabolizing serotonin, a mood enhancing chemical.
One of the most common early signs of a B12 deficiency is lack of energy or fatigue. Taking vitamin B12 supplements may be “energy boosting”. And, B12 could be considered to be a memory retaining vitamin because low-level concentrations of Vitamin B12 may be associated with poorer memory performance.3
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References
1 Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin), Mount Sinai.org.
2 Folic acid, vitamin B12 show potential as heart disease treatments, Gordon, Bill | University of California San Francisco.
3 ibid
4 ibid
3 Vitamin B-12 concentration, memory performance, and hippocampal structure in patients with mild cognitive impairment, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition | Oxford Academic.
NOTE: The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, The Regents of The University of California (UCSF), Oxford University Press, and U.S. National Library of Medicine have not reviewed or approved the above article.