(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.
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