U.S. Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
Vitamin B12 Podcast
[Running time:  ~ 1:54]

Hi I'm Sharon Durham with the Agricultural Research Service or A-R-S. ARS is the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Chief scientific research agency.

Although you only need a small about of Vitamin B12 each day, it's an essential nutrient with
very important functions.

B12 helps our bodies form healthy red blood cells; keeps our brains working smoothly; and
processes the fats, proteins and carbohydrates in the foods we eat.

Scientists at the ARS Western Human Nutrition Research Center in Davis, California, have
developed an improved method for measuring B12 in blood.

The test requires a very small amount of blood and could benefit people at risk of having B12
deficiency like the elderly and very young.

For example, doctors typically only take very small blood samples from newborns and infants for medical purposes.

The ARS team has shown that a sample can be analyzed with speed, accuracy, reliability and
precision, and that a little bit can go a long way when testing for B12 deficiency.

Also, small amounts of blood are often used in large-scale studies to help answer critical
questions about B12, such as: How does the vitamin contribute to growth and development in
our early years of life? How does it affect brain function in later years? And how prevalent is
B12 deficiency in the United States and other countries?

If you're looking for good sources of B12, you can find it in meat, fish, poultry, eggs, cheese and
yogurt. You can also get the vitamin from B12-fortified foods and nutritional supplements. 

That's our podcast for today.