Vitamin B12 Deficiency

How To Find Out If You're Deficient In Vitamin B12

Cobalamin, more commonly known as vitamin B12, is very important for neurologic function and the synthesis of DNA. This means that vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to a wide range of neuropsychiatric and hematologic disorders.

Fortunately, if the deficiency is diagnosed early enough and vitamin B12 supplements are taken immediately, the condition can be reversed. However, it underscores the seriousness of having insufficient amounts of vitamin B12 in our system and the importance of our daily intake of this nutrient.

Who Is Most Susceptible To Vitamin B12 Deficiency?
It is very difficult to quantify the exact number of people who are suffering from vitamin B12 deficiency. This condition appears to increase as people advance in age. For instance, there is laboratory evidence that shows that many people over 65 years of age have insufficient amounts of vitamin B12 in their system. In addition, gastric acid blocking substances, which are easily available at drug stores, could also play a role in the increase in the numbers of people who are lacking in B12. Considering these two factors, the actual number of people lacking enough B12 in their system may be higher than what the statistics indicate.

If you have a health condition in which your body cannot readily absorb vitamin B12 from the food you eat, then you may suffer from vitamin B12 deficiency. It is a condition caused by lack of intrinsic factor. This is one of the reasons why around 3% of people over 50 suffer from deficiency of vitamin B12.

Another group of people who may experience vitamin B12 deficiency are vegetarians and vegans. Dietary sources of vitamin B12 are primarily meat and dairy products such as beef liver, fishes, oysters, milk, eggs, etc. Vegetarians who are strictly plant and vegetable eaters are therefore at risk.

How Do I Know If I Have Vitamin B12 Deficiency?
An average person, with no medical condition, usually maintains large reserves of vitamin B12. Our typical western diet (not junk food diets) gives us a daily supply from 5 to 15 mcg of vitamin B12, which is more than the daily recommended allowance of 2.4 mcg. Normally, our individual reserves of vitamin B12 can last from 2 to 5 years, even if we occasionally suffer problems of absorption. In short, if you are an average healthy person, without any medical condition and you are eating a healthy, balanced diet, vitamin B12 deficiency should not be a concern.

However, as mentioned before, if you are over 65 years old, a vegetarian, or suffering from certain medical conditions, your reserves of B12 may be too low. If you are in any one of these situations, you need to be checked by a medical professional so that the treatment can be stsrted if you are found to be deficient.

What Exactly Can Happen If I Have Vitamin B12 Deficiency?
Since vitamin B12 plays a vital role in the healthy functioning of your body, an insufficient amount circulating in your body may cause health problems. Below are some of the health conditions that may result.

• Diminished brain function, such as lack of mental focus, memory loss, dementia
• Depression
• Anemia
• Arrest in growth and development
• Nerve damage, which can be permanent
• Risk of gastric cancer

What Should I Do To Prevent Vitamin B12 Deficiency?
Lowering your risks of vitamin B12 deficiency only takes a few simple steps. They are as follows:

• Eat a healthy and balanced diet which includes foods that are rich in vitamin B12. These foods are lean red meats, beef liver, poultry, fish, clams and oysters. You should also eat dairy products like eggs, milk, yogurt and cheese. There are breakfast cereals that are also fortified with vitamin B12 which you can eat as well. It should be pointed out though that there is much evidence to suggest that eating these products is far from healthly.
• Take a daily supplement of vitamin B12. These supplements are available in many forms. The most popular and most affordable are vitamin B12 in pills, tablets and capsules. If you need to correct your vitamin B12 deficiency as soon as possible, you can choose sublingual B12, which is introduced under your tongue and is quickly absorbed by your bloodstream. This is more expensive though than pills and tablets, but works out cheaper in the lon run because more of the B12 is actually absorbed. Or you can use vitamin B12 skin patches. They are also more expensive, but they will deliver vitamin B12 into your system more quickly, which is what you need.

Daily supplements of vitamin B12 are recommended for those who follow a strict vegan or vegetarian diet and those who have a problem in absorbing vitamin B12 from the food they eat.