What harm can having too little of vitamin B12do? Consider this: Over the course of two months, a 62-year-old man developed numbness and a "pins and needles" sensation in his hands, had trouble walking, experienced severe joint pain, began turning yellow, and became progressively short of breath. The cause was lack of vitamin B12in his bloodstream, according toa case reportfrom Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital published inThe New England Journal of Medicine. It could have been worse—a severe vitamin B12deficiency can lead to deep depression, paranoia and delusions, memory loss, incontinence, loss of taste and smell, and more.
Why vitamin B12is important
The human body needs vitamin B12to make red blood cells, nerves, DNA, and carry out other functions. The average adult should get 2.4 micrograms a day. Like most vitamins, B12 can't be made by the body. Instead, it must be gotten fromfood or supplements.
And therein lies the problem: Some people don't consume enough vitamin B12to meet their needs, while others can't absorb enough, no matter how much they take in. As a result, vitamin B12deficiency is relatively common, especially among older people.
Are you at risk of vitamin B12deficiency?
There are many causes for vitamin B12deficiency. Surprisingly, two of them are practices often undertaken to improve health: a vegetarian diet and weight-loss surgery.
Plants don't make vitamin B12. The only foods that deliver it are meat, eggs, poultry, dairy products, and other foods from animals. Strict vegetarians and vegans are at high risk for developing a B12deficiency if they don't eat grains that have been fortified with the vitamin or take a vitamin supplement. People who have weight-loss surgery are also more likely to be low in vitamin B12because the operation interferes with the body's ability to extract vitamin B12from food.
Conditions that interfere with nutrient absorption, suchceliacorCrohn's disease, can cause B12trouble. So can the use of commonly prescribed heartburn drugs, which reduce acid production in the stomach (acid is needed to absorb vitamin B12). The condition is more likely to occur in older people due to the cutback in stomach acid production that often occurs with aging.
Vitamin B12deficiency symptoms
Vitamin B12deficiency can be slow to develop, causing symptoms to appear gradually and intensify over time. It can also come on relatively quickly. Given the array of symptoms a vitamin B12deficiency can cause, the condition can be overlooked or confused with something else. Vitamin B12deficiency symptoms may include:
- strange sensations, numbness, or tingling in the hands, legs, or feet
- difficulty walking (staggering, balance problems)
- anemia
- a swollen, inflamed tongue
- difficulty thinking and reasoning (cognitive difficulties), or memory loss
- weakness
- fatigue
While an experienced physician may notice the symptoms and be able to detect a vitamin B12deficiency with a good interview and physical exam, a blood test is needed to confirm the condition.
It's a good idea to ask your doctor about having your B12level checked if you are a strict vegetarian or have had weight-loss surgery or have a condition that interferes with the absorption of food.
Early detection and treatment is important. If left untreated, the deficiency can cause severe neurologic problems and blood diseases.
Boosting yourB12
A serious vitamin B12deficiency can be corrected two ways: weekly shots of vitamin B12or daily high-dose B12pills. A mild B12deficiency can be corrected with a standard multivitamin.
In many people, a vitamin B12deficiency can be prevented. If you are a strict vegetarian or vegan, it's important to eat breads, cereals, or other grains that have been fortified with vitamin B12 or take a daily supplement. A standard multivitamin delivers 6 micrograms, more than enough to cover the average body's daily need.
What vitaminB12can't do
The internet is full of articles lauding the use of vitamin B12to preventAlzheimer's disease, heart disease, and other chronic conditions or reverse infertility, fatigue, eczema, and a long list of other health problems. Most are based onpoor or faulty evidence.
Take Alzheimer's disease as an example. Although there is a relationship between low vitamin B12levels and cognitive decline, clinical studies—including those involving people with Alzheimer's disease—have not shown improvement in cognitive function, even doses of vitamin B12as high as 1000 micrograms per day.
For now, it's best to get enough vitamin B12to prevent a deficiency, and not look to it as a remedy for what ails you.
Adapted from a Harvard Health Blog post by Patrick Skerrett.
