Are You Getting Enough of the Gymnast Vitamin
Vitamin B12 goes through acrobat-like moves for crucial reactions in the body, new research finds. Vitamin B12 bends over backwards for your health and now, for the first time, scientists have produced 3-D images of it in action. University of Michigan and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers have created computer-generated 3-D ribbon diagrams of vitamin B12 (and other molecules) in action as it performs its role in transferring methyl groups - a crucial reaction in the body. Methyl group transfer is an essential vitamin B12 function needed for the maintenance of the central nervous and cardiovascular systems, as well as the conversion of food into energy. It also occurs in the cells of bacteria that reside in our guts (and in the guts of cows and other animals), enabling gases such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide to be detoxified and eliminated. B12 is already known as the biggest and most structurally complicated vitamin, but this research takes that knowledg...