Vitamin B12 Benefits

Vitamin B₁₂ is effective for treating a documented deficiency. There are also numerous other alleged benefits, including the treatment of asthma and the prevention of cervical cancer. However, many of these supposed benefits have little or no supporting scientific evidence. There may also be benefits of vitamin B₁₂ for children, as long as they do not take more than the recommended dosage.

Vitamin B12 Information

What Are the Benefits of Vitamin B12?

Vitamin B₁₂ is clearly beneficial for treating a deficiency and problems related to a deficiency, such as pernicious anemia. However, it is also claimed to provide several other health benefits, such as:

Treating the following conditions:

Asthma
Allergies
High levels of homocysteine (hyperhomocysteinemia)
Heart disease
Infertility (in both men and women)
Diabetes
Memory loss
Sleeping problems
Alzheimer's disease
Depression
Osteoporosis
Inflammation of a tendon (tendonitis)
AIDS
Inflammatory bowel disease (such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis)
Loss of skin pigment (vitiligo)
Lou Gehrig's disease
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Gum disease
Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
Liver disease
Kidney disease
Cancer
Psoriasis
Eczema
Lyme disease

Preventing cervical cancer
Improving concentration
Relieving fatigue.

Many of the claimed health benefits of vitamin B₁₂ have little or no supporting scientific evidence, especially for people without a documented deficiency (see Does Vitamin B12 Work?).

Injectable vitamin B₁₂ and vitamin B₁₂ nasal spray (CaloMist™, Nascobal^®) are prescription-only medications with proven effectiveness and safety. Tablets, sublingual ("under the tongue") tablets, capsules, and liquids are alternative forms that are available as non-prescription dietary supplements. Lastly, a patch is available, but there is little evidence to suggest that the vitamin can be absorbed through the skin.

(Vitamin B12 Benefits Continued: Page 2)