You need a number of vitamins present in your system on a regular basis in order to survive. Vitamin B12 is one of them.

Of course, many vitamins are important for the healthy functioning of your body, and each one has its own function. Vitamin B12 affects your metabolism so it's presence is quite important in your system.

Another key function of Vitamin B12 is in the formation of red blood cells. These cells are responsible for delivering oxygen in your body. Vitamin B12 helps maintain your nervous system so that signals from the brain can be delivered to let you know that something feels itchy, feels painful, or is hot.

Some vitamins are fat soluble and can be readily stored in your body.

On the other hand other vitamins, like B12, are water soluble and cannot be stored in the body for proper use. Therefore any amount of B12 stored in the body is of little value because it cannot be used properly from this source.

Consequently, consuming this vitamin in your food is quite important.

Should you suspect that you may not be getting an adequate amount of Vitamin B12, you should promptly contact your doctor for advice on how to correct this situation. As suggested above, you can best obtain vitamin B12 directly from your diet.

People that eat a healthy, well balanced diet should have no fear of a vitamin B12 deficiency. The problems are almost always related to a poor diet.

People with special medical problems may have to rely on a vitamin B12 supplement. This is why it's so important that you consult your doctor for help in this area.

Regarding sources of vitamin B12 you can rely on meats, pork or beef and poultry. And other foods like eggs and milk.

In some cases, if a vitamin B12 deficiency is spotted, it may be necessary to take a vitamin B12 supplement. Again, seeking guidance from your doctor is your wisest course of action.

Since most of the vitamin B12 you get comes from meat, vegans are particularly susceptible to vitamin B12 deficiency. Therefore, this group of people needs to be especially careful that they take a vitamin B12 supplement.

The absence or low level of vitamin B12 in the body will produce a condition called pernicious anemia.

If you suffer from this condition you will most likely experience weakness, lack of balance and tingling in the extremities, all of which are neurological symptoms.

Should you have a reason to suspect that you might suffer from pernicious anemia you would be well advised to visit your doctor.

As with other health factors, proper vitamin balance in your body is essential, and usually very easy to manage.