Vitamins play major role in our body to keep every part of our body healthy. Every vitamin has its own role and function in our body.
We are going to see the importance and deficiency of vitamin B12 in our body in this article.
What Is Vitamin B12?
Vitamin B12 is one of the vitamins that belongs to B complex group and often called as cobalamin. Vitamin B12 can be found only in guts of the animals and most in micro organisms like bacteria, yeast, also capable of producing this vitamin.
Why Vitamin B12 Is Important?
Vitamin B12 is essential in formation of red blood cells that carry oxygen to all the parts of body. It is also needed for healthy functioning of nerve tissues and involved in producing the protective myelin sheath which covers nervous system and conducts nerve impulses.
Our body mostly contains water soluble vitamin and vitamin B12 can be stored more than 5 years in the liver. Vitamin B12 also works along with folate in the synthesis of DNA and red blood cells.
Since your body doesn’t produce enough amount of vitamin B12, so it’s important to include vitamin B12 rich foods and supplements in your regular routine.
Don’t forget to consult your doctor before including those supplements in your day routine.
What Causes Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Vitamin B12 deficiency is often seen in people who are pure vegetarian, because this vitamin is only available in animal products.
The common cause for vitamin B12 deficiency is just because of pernicious anemia. This condition is an autoimmune disorder which occurs due to the loss of stomach cells that make intrinsic factor.
The proteins which help to absorb the vitamin B12 in intestine lead to lower vitamin B12 in the body.
Who Are More Prone To Vitamin B12 Deficiency?
- Infants who are born to vegan mothers and especially breastfeed.
- People who are more than 50 years
- People who has diseases that affects digestion
- The people with malnutrition and excessive consumption of alcoholics.
Deficiency of vitamin B12 is involved in four stages as given below:
- Macrocytic anemia
- Low cellular concentration of vitamin B12
- Declining levels of vitamin B12
- Decreased rate of DNA synthesis
Signs Of Vitamin B12 Deficiency
The following are the signs can be seen in people with this water soluble vitamin deficiency.
- Numbness and tingling sensation in feet’s and hands
- Memory loss
- Weakness and tiredness
- Weight loss
- Stomach upset
- Pale skin
- Dandruff
- Chronic fatigue
- Heart palpitations
- Menstrual problems
- Confusion
- Mood swings and depression
- Swollen and inflamed tongue
- Constipation
- Difficulty in thinking and reasoning
Causes Of Vitamin B12 Deficiency
The following are the cause of vitamin B12 deficiency:
1. Chronic Alcoholism
(Image source: dailymedfact.com)
According to a study, excessive consumption of alcohol results in decreasing the amount of vitamin B12 in your body and results in deficiency.
2. Bacterial Infection
(Image source: biologywise.com)
Bacteria that cause stomach ulcers will also lead to vitamin B12 deficiency. This is because they damage the cells of the stomach which produce intrinsic factors.
3. Bowel Problems
(Image source: www.continentalhospitals.com)
People with short bowel syndrome experience diarrhea, heartburn and cramping. This happens because their small intestine cannot absorb adequate amount of vitamin B12 for proper functioning.
4. Vegan Diet
(Image source: manipalblog.com)
People who follow strictly vegan diet are more prone to experience deficiency of vitamin B12 in their body. Because this is generally found in meat, fish, beef liver, lamb, salmon, eggs and dairy products.
5. Excess Consumption Of Coffee
(Image source: abcnews.go.com)
According to a recent research, it has been concluded that even consuming more than 3-4 cups of coffee in a day also reduces the levels of vitamin b in your body.
6. Insufficient Amount Of Stomach Acid
This is one of the most common causes of experiencing Vitamin B12 deficiency. People who regularly take medications like H2o blockers, proton pump inhibitors have difficulty in absorbing adequate amount of vitamin B12 because these medications suppress the stomach acids.
How To Fix It
If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, then first consult your doctor and perform a blood test to confirm it.
You can either follow for this vitamin deficiency:
- The natural way to cure vitamin deficiency is by including meat, fish, and all dairy products which contain heavy amount of vitamin B12.
- Intake of oral antibiotics will not only stop bacterial growth of intestine, it also helps in absorbing the amount of vitamin B12.
- Vitamin B12 injections are preferred for people with severe deficiency; they are given 5 to 7 injections during first week to restore the body reserves of vitamin.
- People who do not prefer injections, can include high dosage of vitamin B12 supplementation under the supervision of physician.
- Blood transfusions are preferred for the people with severe anemia to increase the red blood cell count in their bodies.
Well, many of us are not aware of vitamin deficiencies in our body. So it’s better to go for regular checkup to make sure everything is normal and under control.