(HealthDay News) -- Vitamin B12 helps keep the body's nerve and blood cells healthy, and assists in making DNA, the U.S. National Institutes of Health says.
The agency provides this additional information:
- Vitamin B12 is naturally found in a wide range of animal foods and is added to some fortified foods.
- B12 is a component of almost all multivitamins. A prescription form of B12 is available for those with a deficiency.
- Most people get enough B12 in the foods that they eat. About 1.5 percent to 15 percent of people are deficient, typically because they have trouble absorbing it.
- If you do not get enough B12, it can cause fatigue, weakness, weight loss, numbness of the hands and feet, problems with balance, confusion, poor memory and soreness.
