Having sufficient vitamins and minerals in the body is vital to ensuring your health and well-being. These essential nutrients are responsible for developing strong bones, healing wounds, repairing cellular damage, and boosting the immune system. They also convert food into energy, which helps you power through the day.
One of the key nutrients your body needs is vitamin B12. It’s responsible for producing red blood cells, DNA, and nerves. To have sufficient amounts of this vitamin, you must get 2.4 micrograms a day. Note that your body cannot create it naturally, so it should be sourced from food and health supplements.
Unfortunately, some people don’t consume enough vitamin B12. On the other hand, no matter how much others take in, their bodies fail to absorb the required amount to meet their needs. This results in vitamin B12 deficiency.
What Are the Causes of Vitamin B12 Deficiency?
Vitamin B12 deficiency occurs due to several causes. However, it’s surprising that the most common reasons are undergoing weight-loss surgery and maintaining a vegetarian diet, which are both practices used to improve health.
Vegetarians often lack vitamin B12 because plants don’t contain this nutrient. B12 is only present in meat, eggs, poultry, eggs, dairy products, and others from animals. Because of this, strict vegetarians, vegans, and other people who don’t eat grains fortified with this vitamin may be at high risk of developing a B12 deficiency. Meanwhile, people who underwent weight-loss surgery are also prone to lack vitamin B12. This is because the medical operation affects the ability to extract the vitamin from food.
Other conditions that also interfere with vitamin B12 absorption are celiac or Crohn’s disease. Older people and those who take prescribed heartburn drugs also likely lack vitamin B12 due to the reduced acid production in the stomach.
What Happens When You Lack Vitamin B12?
Too little vitamin B12 can be harmful to the body. According to a case report from Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital, a 62-year-old man who lacked vitamin B12 in his bloodstream had trouble walking, experienced severe joint pain and numbness, started turning yellow, and frequently experiences fatigue manifesting shortness of breath.
Symptoms can sometimes gradually develop and intensify over time. Alternatively, they can show up quickly with no warning. Here are some common signs to watch out for:
- Anemia
- A swollen, inflamed tongue
- Difficulty thinking and reasoning
- Difficulty walking
- Fatigue
- Numbness or tingling in the hands, legs, or feet
- Weakness
These symptoms could also be worse when a person doesn’t receive immediate medical treatment. For example, people with a severe vitamin B12 deficiency can experience paranoia and delusions, memory loss, incontinence, loss of taste and smell, and even depression.
How Do You Address Vitamin B12 Deficiency?
If you are experiencing the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency listed above, consult a doctor and undergo a physical exam. A blood test is also required to confirm if you have such a condition. Other ways to address it are to eat breads, cereals, or other grains packed with this nutrient and take daily supplements. This is especially important if you are a vegetarian or vegan or have had weight-loss surgery.
Conclusion
Consuming enough nutrients such as vitamin B12 through a healthy, balanced diet is key to ensuring all of your cells are healthy and functioning properly. However, various factors can hinder you from getting a sufficient amount of this vitamin. Thankfully, meeting your needs and taking better care of your health is possible by buying multivitamins online.
Provide your body with maximum immune system support by ordering B12 supplements from 123immunity. Our multivitamins contain five hundred micrograms of vitamin B12 to promote a healthy metabolism. Order now!
