Vitamin B12 / Memory. energy, weightloss

I'll start with a company article on B12, because that's what I was so terribly deficient in when I was younger. The deficiency caused terrible memory loss, general lack of energy and my whole metabolism was sluggish. You wouldn't think such a simple little vitamin could do all that to a body, but it did it in spades!
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In 1948 scientists discovered a nutritional substance that could prevent a potentially deadly type of anemia that mainly affects older adults. It was given the scientific name “cobalamin” at the time, but it is most commonly known as vitamin B12.
B12 is one of the water soluble B vitamins, and it works closely with another B vitamin, folic acid, in the formation of blood cells and the maintenance of the nervous system. B12 is also essential for heart health, necessary for cells to process DNA, and is involved in the digesting and processing of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates to eventually generate ATP (Adenosine triphosphate is a molecule which is the source of energy for most metabolic processes in living organisms). A deficiency of B12 can cause mild dizziness, fatigue, depression, confusion, anemia, nerve damage (felt as numbness and tingling in the hands and feet), memory loss, muscle weakness, and dementia.
Although most vitamins can be found in plants, B12 most commonly occurs naturally in animal products, including meat, poultry, and fish, and in smaller amounts in eggs and dairy. Although they are not commonly found in the American diet, B12 can also be found in some fermented vegetable products such as tempeh and miso (fermented soybeans).
Before it can be used by the body, vitamin B12 must be separated from the protein in food. This is a complicated process for the body, requiring a person to be able to produce enough digestive enzymes, stomach acid, and intrinsic factor (a substance secreted by cells in the stomach lining) for this separation to take place. Many things, including not producing enough enzymes, certain medications, excessive alcohol consumption, and some health problems, can prevent the body from producing the enzymes and prevent the proper absorption of the vitamin.
The fact that the source of B12 is mostly animal products means that vegetarians – particularly vegans – are at great risk for being deficient in this vitamin. Also at risk for B12 deficiency are adults older than 50, because many of them have a thinning in the stomach lining that prevents the proper release of the digestive acids necessary to break down the proteins and extract the vitamin from foods. Also at risk for a deficiency, but somewhat uncommon, are people with ulcers, Crohn's disease or other gastrointestinal disorders, and those taking medication for epilepsy, chronic heartburn, or gout.
Experts suggest anyone at risk of deficiency should take Vitamin B12 supplements. Working in their benefit is the fact that supplements of B12 are actually easier to absorb than food sources because it does not require as many stomach acids to process the vitamin and absorb it. Large doses of B12, even in amounts up to 3,000 mcg per day, have been found to be safe and nontoxic, and since it is a water soluble vitamin the body is able to get rid of any vitamin B12 it does not use.
– Supplement Watch. Supplement Library. “Vitamin B12.” http://www.supplementwatch.com/suplib – Whole Health MD. Reference Library: Supplements: “Vitamin B12.” http://www.wholehealthmd.com
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*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.