Vitamin B12 deficiency
By Sarah Samir.
What is Vitamin
B12?
Vitamin B12 is the essential nutrient
that helps your body to keep nerve and blood cells healthy. It helps your body
create DNA, which is the genetic material in all your cells. Moreover, Vitamin
B12 cannot be made on its own, so you have to consume food and beverages that contain
vitamin B12.
Vitamin B12 is found in animal
products such as meat, dairy milk, and eggs. In addition,, it can be found in fortified
food, which contains some added vitamins and nutrients, such as cereals, bread,
and nutritional yeast.
Adults need about 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12 per day, while pregnant and lactating women need more. Worthy of note , the amount differs in infants and children based on the age.
Causes of vitamin B12
deficiency:
There are various reasons behind
vitamin B12 deficiency, and they can be broadly classified into two categories:
dietary and medical.
1.
Insufficient dietary intake
One of the main
reasons behind vitamin B12 deficiency is insufficient dietary intake. As vitamin
B12 can be found in animal products such as fish, chicken, and dairy milk. Individuals
who have a vegetarian diet are more likely to develop vitamin B12 deficiency. Furthermore,
those who consume a small amount of animal products, or those who have a poor
and unbalanced diet could suffer from vitamin B12 deficiency as well.
2.
Malabsorption problems
Another reason
is malabsorption problems as the body needs a sufficient amount of stomach acid
and intrinsic factor (a protein produced by the stomach) to absorb vitamin B12.
Therefore, those who have gastritis, celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, or who
have undergone gastrointestinal surgery that affects stomach acid and intrinsic
factor production, are more likely to develop vitamin B12 deficiency.
3.
Pernicious anemia
When the body
is unable to produce an intrinsic factor, this leads to a decrease in absorbing
vitamin B12. Consequently, leads to lack of vitamin B12. This is common among
elders and those who have family history of this condition. The decrease in the
intrinsic factor leads to vitamin B12 deficiency even if the individual
consumes an adequate amount of vitamin B12 in their diet.
4.
Other reasons
This includes alcoholism which makes it hard to absorb vitamin B12, and prolonged use of medications that reduce stomach acid. Besides, there are other medical reasons; for instance, HIV, diabetes, and thyroid disorders that affect its absorption.
Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms
1)
Fatigue and asthenia:
It is the most
common symptom. As vitamin B12 helps in creating red blood cells that carry oxygen
to body tissues, its deficiency decreases the oxygen supply in the body.
Consequently, this causes asthenia, fatigue, and dizziness. In several cases, it
could cause shortness of breath, pain chest, and palpitations.
2)
Numbness and tingling:
Numbness, hands,
and feet tingling are other common symptoms. This happens because its
deficiency can damage the myelin sheath that surrounds and protects the nerves,
causing numbness, tingling, and trouble walking.
3)
Cognitive problems:
Its deficiency also
causes cognitive problems such as difficulty remembering, poor concentration,
and brain fog over the damage in the myelin.
4)
Gastrointestinal system issues:
Lack
of vitamin B12 affects the digestive system too, causing symptoms like nausea,
bloating, diarrhea, and constipation. This is because vitamin B12 is absorbed
in the small intestine. In addition, its deficiency can lead to inflammation
and damage to the intestinal lining.
Translated by Shereen Medhat Abd Al Qadir
Revised by Zelal Sabbagh and Madleen Mamoun
The original article is here