# 5 : Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 ( cobalamin ) is known as the energy vitamin . Your body requires it for a number of vital functions , including energy production , blood formation , DNA synthesis , and myelin formation . The two ways you become deficient are through a lack of vitamin B12 in your diet , or through your inability to absorb it from the food you eat . About one in four American adults are deficient in this important nutrient , and nearly half the population has suboptimal blood levels . Warning signs of B12 deficiency include “ mental fog ,” memory problems , mood swings , apathy , fatigue , muscle weakness , and tingling in the extremities . Unfortunately , B12 deficiency may not present itself for a number of years , so by the time you notice symptoms , you may be quite deficient .
Vitamin B12 is present in natural form only in animal sources of food , which is one of the reasons I advise against a no-animal-food vegan diet . B12-rich foods include beef and beef liver ( grass-fed beef is highly preferable to the grain-fed variety ), lamb , snapper , venison , salmon , shrimp , scallops , organic-pastured poultry , and eggs . When it comes to supplementation , your best alternatives include injectable B12 and sublingual drops or spray . Most oral supplements tend to be ineffective , as vitamin B12 is poorly absorbed .
# 6 : Vitamin E
Vitamin E is particularly important for your brain health , but it also helps support normal cholesterol levels , and protect against free radical damage and the normal effects of aging . Recent animal research warns that vitamin E deficiency may actually cause brain damage , while studies have also found that supplementation with it may help delay the loss of cognitive function in people with Alzheimer ’ s disease . According to lead author Maret Traber : 13 “ This research showed that vitamin E is needed to prevent a dramatic loss of a critically important molecule in the brain and helps explain why vitamin E is needed for brain health . Human brains are very enriched in DHA , but they can ’ t make it . They get it from the liver . The particular molecules that help carry it there are these lyso PLs , and the amount of those compounds is being greatly reduced when vitamin E intake is insufficient . This sets the stage for cellular membrane damage and neuronal death . There ’ s increasingly clear evidence that vitamin E is associated with brain protection , and now we ’ re starting to better understand some of the underlying mechanisms .”
Important Pointers for Optimizing Your Vitamin E
The term " vitamin E " refers to a family of at least eight fat-soluble antioxidant compounds , divided into two main categories : tocopherols ( which are considered the " true " vitamin E ) and tocotrienols — each of which has subfamilies of four different forms . Ideally , vitamin E should be consumed in the broader family of mixed natural tocopherols and tocotrienols , ( also referred to as full-spectrum vitamin E ) to get the maximum benefits .
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