I am trying to find a reference to the daily recommended intakes for cobalt at different ages. I can only find recommended daily intakes for vitamin B12, and I know cobalt forms part of vitamin B12.
Cobalt is recommended in doses from 10 mkg to 1.5 mg per day. For medical purposes - 200-300 mkg/day. The references have too different values to provide more narrow range. I am not sure that it depends on age, correlation to diet and health conditions is more probable (vegetarians need more cobalt) .
Cobalt is a necessary supplement for healthy development. It is also the name for a striking blue colour! Cobalt is an element that is classed as a metal. It is a required component of Vitamin B12. It has also recently been identified as an integral part of blood cell production.
Cobalt is a naturally occurring element found in several rock deposits worldwide. Cobalt ore deposits have been discovered in Zaire, Morocco and Canada. Cobalt is an element with the chemical symbol Co. In its most natural form, Cobalt is a brittle grey metal that has magnetic abilities. When cobalt is combined with salt it produces a beautiful, deep blue colored mineral for which that shade of blue was named.
Cobalt in the Body
Cobalt is very useful in the body because it is a necessary component of vitamin B-12. In fact, Vitamin B-12 is called Cobalamin. The body can't produce Vitamin B-12 itself though, so Cobalt supplements alone won't have any effect on Vitamin B-12 levels as the Cobalt in Vitamin B12 is already integrated into the Vitamin when it enters the body in this way. Vitamin B12 needs to be acquired from food or supplements.
Cobalt is also thought to aid in repair of myelin, which surrounds and protects nerve cells. It also helps in the formation of hemoglobin, which is the iron-containing metalloprotein found in red blood cells, which is used to transport oxygen around the body). Cobalt also helps regulate and stimulate the production of some co-enzymes.
Vitamin B-12, with the assistance of cobalt, is part of DNA synthesis, which is responsible for all genetic expression.
In order for the vitamin B-12 and cobalt to be ingested and used properly by the body, it must travel to the stomach where hydrochloric acid removes the vitamin B and cobalt from the food source, then it combines with intrinsic factor, which is a glycoprotein produced in the stomach. From here, the vitamin B-12 and cobalt are absorbed as nutrients and are in the form most useful to the body.