According to the compiled research data, it seems that many from the baby boomer generation whose age may be encroaching on their impending retirement, plan to remain employed beyond the normal age of retirement at sixty five years old. Though most will have enough income to retire, some will not and are going to be forced to carry on working to make ends meet. Upwards of eighty percent of those boomers questioned stated they want to continue on the job. This brings up the point of their health and whether or not they will be strong enough to maintain performance levels employers are expecting.
Given that these boomers will be working through their retirement years and also be expected to maintain the pace of ordinary life as well, supplementation like vitamin B12 will probably become a part of life for many. B12 will be required for maintaining various parts of our health now that we are aging, areas we never once gave a second thought to in our youth.
Vitamin B12 is associated with the B-complex group of essential vitamins and is water soluble. You can find B12 in various foods like meats, dairy items, fish and shellfish, with daily quantities of vitamin B12 at 6.0 mg per day.
What follows are some of the advantages that come from taking Vitamin B12:
- B12 aids in the maintenance of healthy nerve cells.
- It also plays a large role in sustaining the health of red blood cells.
- It has been associated with assisting in the prevention of strokes and heart disease.
- It works to promote proper functionality of our DNA within our systems.
Nerve Cells
The B12 vitamin is occasionally referred to as cobalamin due to the fact it has some of the metal cobalt in it. One of its benefits is that it is utilized by the body to preserve nerve cell health. Vitamin B12 is indispensible to fatty acid metabolizing, important for the nervous system. The nerves in our body are covered in what is known as a myelin sheath. This protective covering is sustained by those fatty acids and when unsuitable fusion happens the result is neuropathy caused by the damage.
This development normally occurs over time and the cause is due to inefficient absorption of the B12 in the digestive tract. This health malady is a fairly general occurrence in the aging boomer populace with more obvious indicators being cognitive dysfunction. As well there are physiological adverse reactions such as a lack of sensation and a feeling of pins and needles in the extremities that can be as irritating as it is uncomfortable. As mentioned previously, this is a result of the deterioration of the myelin shielded casing.
Red Blood Cells
First and foremost, red blood cells are manufactured inside the bone marrow. Vitamin B12 assists in the development of DNA that responds by aiding the bone marrow in creating the viable red blood cells.
In the year 1959, a physician by the name of Max Perutz, found that the red blood cells include an element known as hemoglobin. This hemoglobin is the substance within the cells that is depended upon to transport the oxygen throughout the body into tissues via the blood stream.
When unhealthy or unviable red blood cells are streamed throughout the system to the organs and tissues, the body begins to undergo trauma because of the unhealthy deficit. The simple fact of the matter is the body continues to maintain quality health because of its innate ability to facilitate oxygen transport to the body tissues that require it to function; for combustion and carbon dioxide, the waste byproduct, is then returned to the lungs and discharged.
Hemoglobin and red blood cells are also prominent where anemia is concerned. Anemia occurs when the body does not manufacture sufficient red blood cells and/ or hemoglobin. There is one variety of anemia that is quite aggressive called pernicious anemia which, is caused from an insufficient supply of vitamin B12. This B12 shortage in certain cases is a result of the gastric cells not releasing the glycoprotein known as intrinsic factor; it assists the digestive tract in absorbing the vitamin B12.
Homocysteine Metabolism
Homocysteine alternates as both good and bad where physiology is concerned. As an amino acid it is necessary for metabolizing methionine which is yet another amino acid. Methionine and homocysteine are both vital to our health and are important to the system, warranting more space then I can give them here, but suffice to say they contribute to the good where our mental and physical health are concerned.
Just in a few words I’ll mention that methionine has displayed supportive assistance to the brain function in areas including depression, for the health of our liver and even osteoarthritis. Conversely, elevated quantities of homocysteine have revealed an association to heart disease, strokes and skeletal/ bone fragility. Each of these plays a prominent part in the life of a boomer who is growing older.
Once more, vitamin B12 is part of the complex B group of nutrients that are crucial in assisting the body in managing quantities of homocysteine. When occasionally there is difficulty in absorbing the B12, the result can mean an irregularity in the amounts of amino acids in the system. This failure to absorb the B12 in certain baby boomers could be caused from a shortage of stomach fluids developed by the body. Proper absorption typically happens when the vitamin is ingested as a supplemental product.
Some further intriguing facts are that lowered amounts of vitamin B12 in the blood supply have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease and spells of depression. Investigations were conducted that revealed the possible relationship between decreased quantities of B complex vitamins including B12 with colon cancer and breast cancer.
Sources Of Vitamin B12
A distinct quality of vitamin B12 is that unique from other types of vitamins, B12 is only reliable when sourced from animal products. It is found in eggs, various meats, fish and dairy. One especially good source of B12 is from calves’ liver, about a pound each day, since it is laden with top quality B12, a variety that even in those folks who have a difficult time absorbing it, can utilize this kind in a sufficient enough supply to safeguard them from even the pernicious form of anemia as mentioned above.
Here are some food products as well as their vitamin B12 amounts in micrograms:
Steamed crab – 3 ounces = 8.8 mcg; Baked Salmon – three ounces = 2.4 mcg; Baked Rockfish – three ounces = 1.0 mcg; cooked beef – three ounces = 2.1 mcg; Roast Chicken – three ounces = 0.3 mcg; Roast Turkey – three ounces = 0.3 mcg; Poached Egg – one large = 0.4 mcg; Milk – eight ounces = 0.9 mcg; Brie Cheese – one ounce = 0.5 mcg.
Some More Meals That Feature B12 Are As Follows:
- Eating a burrito or enchilada prepared using black beans and beef, chicken or pork products.
- You could make yourself a spinach salad and add some salmon or crab on top.
- You might also try a poached egg on whole wheat toast for breakfast or have an egg white or egg substitute omelet that you can fill with sautéed spinach and low, reduced or a non fat cheese.
For Herbivore Boomers Only!
If you happen to be a vegetarian you must take note. There is some discussion about whether or not they receive enough vitamin B12. They are taking a chance of contracting a deficiency of B12 since natural organic foods of this variety of vitamin are only found in animals. Therefore, it is recommended that vegetarians try to fortify their diets with foods rich in B12.
Some good choices for vegetarians would be fortified cereals, dairy items such as soy milk, free range eggs as well as sunflower margarine. Non meat eaters should seriously think about consuming a vitamin B12 supplement along with their regular diet.
In more serious cases of anemia and vitamin B12 deficiency, if your physician does the specific blood testing to determine the level of B12 deficiency, if the problem is serious enough he may suggest B12 injections which make an almost immediate impact on the health of the patient.
Especially For The Aging Boomer
Central Nervous System – The nervous system is backed up by neurotransmitters which are safeguarded and energized by enzymes that have a requirement for vitamin B12.
Red Blood Cells – Are assisted by vitamin B12 metabolism. This takes into account the creation of hemoglobin, the critical tool for tissue oxygenation via the red blood cells.
Metabolizing Amino Acids – Homocysteine for example is an amino acid which is managed through the use of complex B vitamins including B12. When too much is developed there are links to dementia, heart disease and strokes.
Noteworthy to Remember – Aging mature adult boomers who have digestive tract health problems are encouraged to take vitamin B12 in supplement form along with their normal diet due to malabsorption problems with the vitamin.
Suggestion – According to the Institute of Medicine, aging adults beyond fifty years of age should see they acquire the majority of their vitamin B12 intake from a good supplement.
Anti Aging, Anti Aging Supplements, Health And Aging, Longevity
Thu, May 20, 2010
Anti Aging, Anti Aging Supplements, Health And Aging, Longevity