What happens if the body is deficient in ‘Vitamin B12’?

 What happens if the body is deficient in ‘Vitamin B12’?

Those who experience problems such as constant fatigue, burning sensation in the hands and feet (paresthesia), tingling, or the elderly should take vitamin B12 supplements after consulting a doctor.

Are your bones aching for no reason? Have you been feeling tired for no particular reason recently? Are you taking metformin regularly for diabetes? If so, your body may be deficient in some nutrients.

From increasing energy to making brain cells function properly, nutrients play an important role. In particular, vitamins are essential for health. Regularly consuming certain vitamins is important for health. If you have problems such as bone pain for no reason or burning sensation in the hands and feet or if you take metformin regularly, you may be deficient in vitamin B12. Its deficiency can also put your health at risk.

Vitamin B12 or cobalamin is a vitamin essential for the formation of red blood cells and DNA in the body. It is important for the formation of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). It is also necessary for healthy skin, hair, and nails.

Since the body does not produce vitamin B12, it can be obtained by taking supplements or eating foods containing vitamin B12. Since only meat products contain a lot of vitamin B12, vegetarians are often deficient in it.

The amount to be consumed daily is called the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). For people 18 years of age and older, the RDA is 2.4 micrograms per day, and it increases for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

The RDA in children varies by age. Older adults need 25-100 micrograms per day to maintain vitamin B12 levels. If you take more than this, the amount in the body will increase. However, since it is water-soluble, excess in the body is excreted in the urine.

What are the health effects of vitamin B12 deficiency?

Since this vitamin is stored in our body for 4 years, deficiency can be avoided by including foods rich in vitamin B12 in the diet.

Similarly, not taking enough vitamin B12 can lead to its deficiency. If the amount of vitamin in the body is not sufficient for the daily requirement, it can lead to deficiency problems.

According to the US Institute of Health, a level of vitamin B12 in the body of less than 200 picograms per milliliter is considered deficient. Since the ability to absorb this vitamin decreases with age, its deficiency is more common in the elderly. According to the National Institutes of Health, 1 in every 10 people aged 75 years and older has been found to be deficient in vitamin B12. However, it can also affect young people, children, and pregnant women. Its deficiency can be detected by testing the blood on an empty stomach.

Deficiency of this vitamin can cause symptoms such as bone pain, fatigue, tingling in the hands and feet (paraesthesia), swelling, muscle weakness and cramps, loss of balance and coordination, vision problems, irritability, headaches, mouth and tongue pain, difficulty concentrating, nausea and diarrhea, constipation, etc.

Meats such as organ meats (liver and kidneys), clams, tuna, eggs, dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese, vitamin B12 fortified cereals and soy milk, and sardines, trout, and salmon are good sources of vitamin B12. Regular consumption of such sources maintains the level of vitamin B12 in the body.

Pernicious anemia (autoimmune disease), alcoholism, proton pump inhibitors, drugs such as metformin, nitrous oxide, lack of vitamin B12 in the diet, and problems related to the small intestine, such as celiac disease, Crohn's disease, or bacterial overgrowth, are the main causes of vitamin B12 deficiency. These can cause deficiency by making it difficult for the body to absorb vitamin B12 or by reducing the amount of vitamin B12 in the body. Since metformin also causes a deficiency of this vitamin, its deficiency is very high in diabetics.

Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause death, these are the symptoms.

Meat such as internal organs (liver and kidneys), sea clams, tuna, eggs, dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese, vitamin B12 fortified cereals and soy milk, and sardines, trout, salmon are good sources of vitamin B12. Regular consumption of such sources maintains the level of vitamin B12 in the body.

Since this vitamin is stored in our body for 4 years, deficiency can be avoided by including foods rich in vitamin B12 in the diet. However, those who experience problems such as constant fatigue, burning sensation in the hands and feet (paresthesia), tingling, or the elderly should take vitamin B12 supplements after consulting a doctor.