It may look like I’m doing nothing, but on a cellular level, I am really quite busy. And, I am soooooo tired. But why? Could it be a combination of stress and long hours at work? Could it be either too much or too little exercise? Could it be I am just getting older and it’s my body’s way of getting me to slow down? Could be, but it could also be B, as in vitamin B. When I started feeling overwhelming fatigue, my doctor did a full blood work-up and discovered I had a Vitamin B deficiency.

The B vitamins are extremely important in a number of metabolic processes, but B12, also known as cobalamin, is intrinsic to helping cells metabolize, or break down and use, bits and pieces of the foods we eat, preparing to turn them into energy. While food supplies the necessary building blocks to build new cells, the body cannot use that fuel properly without the help of cobalamin. No cobalamin means no breakdown of food and no new building blocks to make new cells. That, my friends, is a problem.

According to MedLine Plus, the human body makes about two million new cells per second, just considering red blood cells alone. Total new cells made per second, throughout the entire body, is thought to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 million. That is a lot of work going on in one of the tiniest and most amazing construction sites ever. Without the right materials, some things will not get built. Others might get built poorly, or without some of the features that make things work right.

Cobalamin, along with another B vitamin known as folic acid, is a requirement for the formation of new red blood cells. What happens when we don’t have enough vitamin B and folic acid to replace the roughly 3 million RBCs that die each second? We don’t make as many. That means there are fewer cells to carry oxygen to all parts of the body. And fewer plasma cells to carry nutrients to, and waste from, all parts of the body. Would that make you tired? You bet.

If our diets do not include enough B vitamins, we are not going to be able to put all of that good food to good use, and we may end up being a little sluggish due to reduced oxygen and nutrients being delivered to muscles, nerves, and that really expensive energy drain, the brain. Are you eating enough B foods to be energized?

B vitamins occur naturally only in animal products, but are added to many processed foods to increase their nutritive value. Fish, shellfish, caviar, beef, lamb, cheese and eggs are all good sources. For vegetarians, cheese, eggs, milk, yogurt and yeast deliver a good supply. Cereals and soy products like soy milk and tofu are often fortified with B vitamins, even though they do not naturally occur in those products. Also, supplements abound.

All we need to keep things running smoothly is 2.4 micrograms per day. One serving of any of the above mentioned foods will be sufficient. The next time you are wondering why you feel so sluggish consider your diet and the 25 million new cells you are making each second. If your eating those foods and still feeling tired, a simple blood test at your doctor’s office can identify a B vitamin deficiency. Be enlightened, be busy on a cellular level, and be well, with a good diet that includes enough B vitamins to turn that fuel into energy.