Vitamin B12

Dietary disturbances can cause deficiency of essential nutrients in the body. These nutrients also include many types of vitamins, such as Vitamin-A, Vitamin-B, Vitamin-C, Vitamin-D, etc. Supplementation of vitamins in the body is necessary because their deficiency can cause many physical problems. Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin. These are the vitamins that, after full use, their residues are released from the body through urine. In this article, we will talk about the causes and all the problems related to vitamin B12 deficiency. With this article you will also be able to know about the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency and the disease associated with it.

Types of Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is essential for the metabolism of the body. There are two types of this VITAMIN, which work to improve metabolism. Its types are as follows:

• Methylcobalamin: It is a type of vitamin B12 that is used to cure certain nutritional diseases as well as diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis. It can also help reduce the pain, backache and neuralgia caused by diabetes.
• Adenosylcobalamin: This is also another type of vitamin B12, deficiency of which can affect metabolic levels.

What is Vitamin B12 deficiency?

Lack of vitamin B12 in the body is not the required amount of vitamin B12. In general, an adult needs 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12. It is measured by the level of vitamin B12 in the serum or plasma. It affects about 15 percent of people worldwide. Reduction in its red blood cell count can lead to a decrease. This condition is called vitamin B12 deficiency anemia. Vitamin B12 deficiency can result in anemia and may cause problems in the brain and nervous system functioning properly.

Causes of Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Due to lack of Vitamin B12, the top one is not to consume the source of Vitamin B12. This is especially the case for people who consume a vegetarian diet and may need to take vitamin B12 supplements. Apart from this, there are some reasons, which can cause vitamin B12 deficiency, such as:

1. Pernicious anemia: In this, there is a deficiency of such proteins in the person’s body, which help in absorbing vitamin B12 in the body. These proteins are called intrinsic factors. Due to their deficiency, there is a problem of absorbing vitamins in the gastrointestinal tract and there is a deficiency of vitamin B12 in the body.
2. People suffering from stomach diseases: People suffering from stomach or intestinal diseases like celiac disease and Crohn’s disease (diseases associated with inflammation in the intestine) have problems absorbing enough vitamin B12 in their body. Because of this, the person’s cognitive ability can also be decreased.
3. Abdominal surgery: Sometimes people have to undergo abdominal surgery to lose weight or due to some other disease. During this surgery, the cells that make up the intrinsic factor are deficient. Intrinsic factor is needed to absorb vitamin B12 in the body. Thus, it can cause vitamin B12 deficiency.
4. Vegetarian diet: Non-vegetarian diet is the highest source of vitamin B12. In such a situation, people consuming pure vegetarian and vegan diet may lack vitamin B12. For those who do not consume non-vegetarian food, grains are the source of vitamin B12.
5. Vegetarian mother’s baby: During pregnancy, vitamin B12 comes out of placenta and gets into mother’s milk and mother’s milk itself becomes the source of vitamin B12 for the baby. In such a situation, infants of women who have not taken into account their levels in their body during pregnancy may be deficient. If you are pregnant or breast feeding, consult your doctor regarding the level of vitamin B12 in your body.
6. Due to increasing age: With increasing age, the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach starts decreasing. Due to this, there is a problem in absorption of vitamin B12. In addition, due to the lack of hydrochloric acid, bacteria in the stomach also grow, which eliminate the vitamin B12 present in the body. About 10 to 30 percent of people have this problem with increasing age.

Symptoms of Vitamin B12 Deficiency

• Megaloblastic anemia (different from normal and large red blood cells formation in the body)
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Constipation
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Numbness and tingling in hands and feet
• Trouble in mouth and tongue
• dizziness
• Pulsation
• Easy bleeding

In case of excess deficiency, symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency also appear in the person’s behavior. These can be something like this:

• Depression
• Difficulty maintaining balance
• Confusion and confusion
• Memory loss

After knowing the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, know about the benefits of vitamin B12.

Benefits of Vitamin B12 

1. For mental and nervous health

Vitamin B12 plays an important role in maintaining neurological (central nervous system) health. Lack of it can cause many neurological problems, such as sleeplessness, problems in maintaining balance, tremors in hands and feet, numbness of skin, etc. Vitamin B12 also has an important role in keeping the nervous system healthy.

2. For heart disease

People who eat vegetarian food are believed to have a lower risk of heart disease than those who eat a non-vegetarian diet. However, a research has found that sometimes people consuming only vegetarian diet also have an increased risk of heart disease. This may be due to vitamin B12 deficiency. Vitamin B12 deficiency may reduce the effect of the properties of vegetarian diets that reduce the risk of heart disease. As such, it is advisable to take vitamin B12 supplements to avoid vitamin B12 disease.

3. Improve digestion

The proper amount of Vitamin B12 can help improve your digestive power. This is the reason why problems like indigestion, constipation and diarrhea can occur due to its deficiency.

4. Help DNA synthesis

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) is found in our cells. Human body is made up of many cells and every cell has many DNA. They help in physical and mental development and reproduction of the person. Indeed, cells divide many times throughout our lives and form new cells that need DNA. In this case, DNA replicas are formed during cell division. This process of growing DNA through replication during cell division is called DNA synthesis. Vitamin B12 is necessary here because it acts to promote the process of DNA synthesis.

5. Help lose weight

Vitamin B12 helps to increase your metabolism. Increasing metabolism will burn calories in your body and food will not accumulate as fat. This will reduce the amount of fat in your body and can help you control weight.

6. Keep skin healthy

Skin color often fades due to UV rays. In such a situation, using vitamin B12 can prove beneficial. This, along with folic acid, can help to improve discolored skin color caused by UV rays. It can also help in getting relief from pimples, some skin allergies and rash on the face.

7. beneficial for hair

Vitamin B12 deficiency can also be harmful for your hair. According to a scientific report, its deficiency may be the cause of hair loss (19). In addition, hair may become prematurely white due to vitamin B12 deficiency (20).

You have learned that you may have to face vitamin B12 disease due to lack of B12. Now the question will come in your mind that how to avoid its deficiency. So know about this in the next part of the article.

Prevention Tips for Vitamin B12 Deficiency

It is very easy to avoid vitamin B12 disease. You can do something like this:

• Eat plenty of vitamin B12 in your diet.
• Have your doctor check the level of vitamin B12 in your body.
• Liver (of chicken or mutton) is topped by a source of vitamin B12. Therefore, you can avoid Vitamin B12 disease by consuming it.
• Apart from this, it is also found in plenty in milk, curd and cheese and can be consumed as a source of vitamin B12.
• People who are vegan and do not consume any dairy or non-vegetarian diet may need to take vitamin B12 supplements.
• Through this article you will have understood in detail how important it is to include vitamin B12 in your diet and how important it is for your health. To avoid vitamin B12 disease, eat foods rich in it or its supplements. If you still have any vitamin B12 deficiency or questions related to it, then you can ask us by writing in the comment box. Also, please tell how you liked this article.