Vitamin B12
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Vitamin B12 is the most complex of all the vitamins when it comes to considering its molecular structure. Dr. William Parry Murphy, an American physician, was the one who first realized its existence. He was doing research on anemia, which led him to the practice of deliberately bleeding dogs so that they would develop anemia and then feeding them various food substances to see if he could find the food substance that would help to cure the anemia. He found that by his feeding them large amounts of liver, both raw and cooked, the anemia seemed to be cured.
Two other American doctors, Dr. George Richards Minot and Dr. George Hoyt Whipple, then took up the research which Dr. Murphy had begun and went on to try to find out what it was in the liver that cured or perhaps prevented the anemia. They were finally able to isolate the curative substance which then became known as vitamin B12. In 1934, Dr William Parry Murphy, Dr. George Richards Minot and Dr. George Hoyt Whipple jointly shared the honor of receiving the Nobel Prize in Medicine in recognition of their mutual discovery of vitamin B12 and what it would mean in the world's battle against anemia and quite possibly against other blood related disorders.
Foods which are noted as being suppliers of vitamin B12 are mollusks, liver, beef, trout, salmon, fortified breakfast cereals, yogurt, haddock, clams, tuna, milk, pork, ham, eggs, American pasteurized cheese and chicken. It is also interesting to note, that in these days of what we have come to term "fast foods", cheeseburgers and tacos are also added to the lists of suppliers of vitamin B12.
Many doctors and professional health care experts feel that studies show that vitamin B12 has a positive influence in the healing and/or elimination of certain blood related disorders and in certain heart related problems. Some have also indicated that studies seem to show that a lack of vitamin B12 in the system, while more readily identifiable in older adults, may also exist to a larger extent in younger people than has been previously thought.
The Institute of Medicine of the National Institute of Sciences has not officially made what is called a tolerable upper intake level for vitamin B12 because the scientists have indicated that they feel that vitamin B12 has a very low potential for toxicity.
The institute has made the recommendation that those persons fifty years of age or older for whom vitamin B12 has been recommended by a doctor or other health care professional as something which should be included in their diet, should receive vitamin B12 through vitamin supplements or fortified foods. The explanation given for this recommendation is that there seems to be a high incident rate of impaired absorption of vitamin B12 from animal products in persons of this age group.
