Vitamin B12

The building block of your cells’ building block

You know that every cell in your body contains DNA, but did you know that Vitamin B12 and its relative, folic acid, play an essential role in helping your cells reproduce? This “builder” vitamin also aids the production of red blood cells, which carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body and return carbon dioxide to the lungs to be exhaled. Your nerves remain healthy and functional thanks to its protection of the myelin sheath that surrounds them.

Vitamin B12 is generally only found in animal-based foods: meat, shellfish, eggs, milk, cheese and yogurt. It enters the body bound to protein from which it is released and then absorbed during digestion. Because most healthy people can store several years’ worth of it in their bodies, deficiencies are rare. Most at risk are vegans because they may not get enough protein in a strictly plant-based diet. To ensure that you get sufficient Vitamin B12, try these delicious Smart Balance® Buttery Spreads: Omega-3 (Regular and Light) Whipped, and Light Original.