Vitamin B12 as a Mood Enhancer?

By vincentpolisi | Mar 12, 2010 | 1 Comments | Rating: 1

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The physiological utility of Vitamin B12 is well documented and its role in the production and maintenance of cells, replication of DNA, and other bodily functions is universally accepted. However, many people selling Vitamin B12 as a supplement also claim that it can serve as a natural mood enhancer. This claim is based on its firmly established association with S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe), a naturally occurring substance in human beings.

First discovered in 1952, it has been shown that SAMe plays an essential role in the transfers of methyl groups that allows a wide range of metabolizing processes to occur throughout the body. Contrary to some claims made online, SAMe is not a neurotransmitter and does not play a direct mood enhancing role. However, it has been shown to have a direct correlation to certain mental disorders such as dementia, depression and peripheral neuropathy. This happens because SAMe stimulates transmethylation reactions which has a direct relationship to the production and effectiveness of various neurotransmitters in the brain. As a result, SAMe – viewed as a natural substance and frequently taken as a mood enhancing supplement – is believed to have an impact on mood and brain function.

Vitamin B12 is required for the production of SAMe and works with it once created to help it function. Therefore, people suffering from Vitamin B12 deficiencies tend to produce less SAMe, resulting in a number of neurological and psychiatric disorders such as confusion, depression, and dementia. While it is fair to say that ingesting proper amounts of Vitamin B12 helps to maintain SAMe levels, the extended claim – that the more Vitamin B12 you ingest, the more SAMe is created and the better you feel – does not follow. In fact, it is firmly established that once the body receives the amount of B12 that it needs, the rest is excreted through the colon.

Vitamin B12, in of itself, is not a mood enhancer and though it plays a key role in the functioning of SAMe, eating more Vitamin B12 does not result in excess SAMe. Instead, SAMe is sold separately as a supplement in the United States (in Europe it is considered a prescription medication). SAMe supplements are what should be taken if one wants more SAMe than their body produces naturally, not Vitamin B12. Despite this, many people that take aVitamin B12 shot do report an improved mood, and while this appears to be more psychological than physiological in origin, it does still appear to work for at least some people. It certainly can't hurt to try a B12 injection and see if it works for you.

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Comments

Mar 13, 2010 5:39am

Travis_Aitch
Great piece! I drink 5 hour energy's all the time, not only cuz I like their taste and energy, but also because it puts me in a little better of a mood. Could it have anything to do with it having 8333% Vitamin B12 per ounce? Perhaps...