BY CLAIR WHITTY
There are 13 Vitamins that our body needs to function, 8 of these are the B Vitamins (B-Complex) including the more commonly recognised B12. The B Vitamins are well known for the essential part they play in energy and red blood cell production along with their important role in numerous bodily functions including immune health, the nervous system and healthy skin, hair, and nails.
B Vitamins are water soluble, meaning most cannot be stored in the body and must be taken in through our diet or, if needed, through supplementation. A healthy balanced diet, rich in wholegrains, meat, eggs, fruit, and vegetables can provide you with most of what you need. Stress, worry, and anxiety may put you at more risk of depletion of your B Vitamins and as you reach for coffee or sugar during those stressful times, your requirements for B Vitamins may increase.
Today, I want to focus on B12 as B12 deficiency is extremely common in Ireland. Anyone can become deficient in B12, but as we age our ability to absorb it can be compromised mostly because we produce less stomach acid.
Symptoms of B12 deficiency can include tiredness and fatigue, irritability, digestion issues, loss of appetite, confusion, poor memory, mental tiredness, light headedness, and numbness or tingling in the fingers/ hands. Your doctor can do a blood test to check B12 levels and, if you are low, may prescribe B12 injections.
If you are in the middle of the scale, you might take a supplement to maintain levels and prevent them falling too low. For customers who want to maintain their B12 levels my go-to supplement is Solgar Sublingual Liquid B12 with B-Complex. I like this product as it not only contains an excellent 2000μg dose of B12 per dropper but also a full B-Complex too. Taken on the tongue it absorbs quickly and efficiently.
If you prefer tablets, there’s Solgar B12 Methylycobalamin which contains 1000μg of the ‘body ready’ form of B12, Methylcobalamin, and dissolves under the tongue.
If your B12 levels are sufficient and you just want to top up on B vitamins then one of my favourites is Solgar B-Complex 100, a high strength, one a day capsule.
I hope this information helps as B12 is a very important and versatile nutrient.
Shop online at www.naturalhealthstore.ie where you’ll be able to take a look at these brands.
Natural Health Store, Market Cross Shopping Centre
Phone: 056 7764538
Email: info@naturalhealthstore.ie
