Vitamin B12 (cyanobolamine) in blood
Vitamin B12 (cyancobalamin) performs several important functions in the body, so deficiency of the vitamin can cause various diseases. The first function: maturation of red blood cells (red blood cells that carry oxygen). The life span of a red blood cell is 120 days on average, and then it is destroyed in the spleen. The red blood cell has no "clock" that sends it to the "graveyard".....
It lives until, as a result of various influences, its shape changes from a disk into a large ball (megaloblast). Such a "ball" does not pass through the structure of the spleen, gets stuck and is destroyed. Vitamin B12 gives the erythrocyte the shape of a disk. If the body lacks this vitamin, red blood cells initially appear in an "aged" ball shape. This causes blood cells to live much shorter than they should, and eventually megaloblastic anemia (poor blood) develops.
Second function: participation in the metabolism of homocysteine (see article "homocysteine"). Homocysteine is an amino acid whose accumulation in the body makes the vascular wall "loose". This condition is manifested by a variety of diseases depending on the affected organ (from a complication of diabetes mellitus to pregnancy termination). Cyancobalamin helps homocysteine to change its structure and become non-toxic methionine.
The third function: immune. Deficiency of the vitamin causes the immune cells neutrophils to have less strength in fighting microorganisms (hypersegmented neutrophils).
Fourth function: ensuring the functioning of the nervous system. B12 is essential for the formation of the myelin sheath of nerve cells. That is, the formation of new nerve fibers or repair of old ones is impossible without the participation of this vitamin. The most common cause of vitamin B12 deficiency is gastric diseases (e.g. gastritis). The stomach secretes a special substance ("Castle Factor") that binds to the vitamin and prevents the acidic environment of the stomach from destroying it. If it is not produced or is produced in small amounts, cyancobalamin is destroyed by the hydrochloric acid of the stomach, leading to all of the above conditions in the body. Included in the profiles: For vegetarians, Vitamins and trace elements.