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vitamin B12
cyanocobalamin, a member of the vitamin B complex that contains cobalt and is needed for the efficient production of red blood cells and for the health of the nervous system; its activity is associated with that of another B vitamin, folic acid. Inability to absorb vitamin B12 occurs in pernicious anemia and sprue. Vitamin B12 is not found in plant foods; the main sources in the human diet are animal products such as milk, eggs, and liver. Probably
the ultimate source of B12 is bacterial production in animal intestines; this occurs in humans, and normally meets most of the body's requirements

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