This One Vitamin is Vital for Your Health and Mental Well-Being

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If you have any type of digestive disorder such as IBD, Crohn’s disease, or Celiac disease, you should seriously consider taking a high quality B vitamin supplement. These types of problems make it difficult, if not impossible, for your body to absorb sufficient amounts of B vitamins from the foods you eat, even if you are eating healthy. Age is another determining factor. If you are 50 or older, your body also has a decrease in its assimilation of B vitamins and you should also consider taking supplements. If you have OCD, PMS, depression, or any other type of emotional or mental issue, consult your doctor before you take B vitamin supplements.

For those of you who do decide to take supplements, you should know that your body does not use synthetic vitamins anywhere near as well as whole, natural vitamins. Ensure that your vitamins come from a high quality source. Oh, and don’t go nuts when your pee turns orange, B vitamins like you to know that they are there and they announce their presence through your pee.

You can find B vitamins in liver, brewer’s yeast, rice, nuts, eggs, milk, fish, leafy green veggies, and many other foods.

For those of you who like to drink, keep in mind that alcohol interferes with the body’s absorption of B1, also known as thiamine. A lack of thiamine can cause serious illness such as anemia, paralysis, and spasms of the leg muscles. Sometimes a thiamine deficiency causes sensitivity in the teeth, gums, cheeks, and severe cracks in the lips. Luckily these can all be reversed simply by ingesting vitamin B1 again.

 

SEE ALSO: How To Fight With Vitamin B-12 Deficiency Infographic

Vitamin B12 is necessary for the body to process carbs, fats, and proteins, as well as making blood cells. B 12 helps to repair our DNA. Now this vitamin cannot be absorbed by or used until it combined with a protein that is made by the stomach called intrinsic factor. After B12 is bound to the intrinsic factor, it moves to the small intestine where it can be used by the body. Strict vegetarians often have deficiencies in B12 unless they take supplements. B12 is the only B vitamin that the body stores and we keep a little storehouse of this vitamin in our livers. However, should we eventually use up this little bank account of B12, a person can develop pernicious anemia, which causes extreme weakness, fever, pallor, numbness in the arms and legs, even brain damage. You should note that B12 is not found in any plant food source. NONE. The best sources of vitamin B12 are egg yolks, poultry, milk, and liver.

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