7 signs you’re not getting enough vitamin B12

Getting enough vitamin B12 is crucial for your health.

While it doesn’t get as much attention as other nutrients, vitamin B12 is essential for your overall health, says Kaylee Jacks, a sports dietician at Texas Health Sports Medicine in Dallas.

It is important to keep in mind that your body does not produce vitamin B12. You can only get it from food products or supplements for animals.

This vitamin contributes to your health in a number of ways, including:

– Helps in the functioning of the brain and the nervous system.

– Create and maintain DNA.

– Creation and maintenance of red blood cells.

– Support metabolic processes and energy production.

Recommended intake of B12

To maintain these functions, the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements recommends that you consume these minimum amounts of vitamin B12 daily:

– Birth to 6 months: 0.4 micrograms.

– Infants aged 7 to 12 months: 0.5 microgram.

– Children from 1 to 3 years old: 0.9 microgram.

– Children from 4 to 8 years old: 1.2 microgram.

– Children 9 to 13 years old: 1.8 micrograms.

– Adolescents aged 14 to 18: 2.4 micrograms.

– Adults: 2.4 micrograms.

– Adolescents and pregnant women: 2.6 micrograms.

– Adolescents and lactating women: 2.8 micrograms.

There are a variety of foods rich in vitamin B12. You can meet your daily vitamin B12 requirement by consuming these foods. For example, half a cup of skimmed milk contains 1.2 micrograms of the vitamin, which is half the daily requirement of adults.

Other foods rich in vitamin B12 include:

– Sea food. A 3-ounce serving of cooked clams contains 84.1 micrograms of vitamin B12.

– Red meat. Eating a 3-ounce serving of top sirloin beef provides 1.4 micrograms of B12, while a double patty cheeseburger contains 2.1 micrograms.

– Liver. Organ meats are a great source of vitamin B12. Three ounces of beef liver contains 70.7 micrograms of B12.

– Fish. Seafood can be a good source of vitamin B12. For example, 3 ounces of sockeye salmon contain 4.8 micrograms of B12.

– Eggs. A single egg contains 0.6 micrograms of vitamin B12.

– Fortified Foods and Beverages. Breakfast cereals, tofu, and some plant-based milks, such as rice milk, are fortified with B12. Check the labels for specific amounts.

Vitamin B12 deficiency

A vitamin B12 deficiency can result from poor food intake, vegan or vegetarian diets, or the lack of a compound in the stomach known as “intrinsic factor,” says Jacks. Intrinsic factor is a glycoprotein produced by the wall cells of the body, also called oxyntic cells, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. The intrinsic factor is important in the absorption and transport of vitamin B12.

People with pernicious anemia due to a lack of intrinsic factor will need vitamin B12 injections because they are unable to absorb vitamin B12 orally through the digestive system, says Dr. Nadia Khan, resident physician at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Illinois. Consult a healthcare practitioner before taking a B12 supplement.

Many people get the vitamin B12 they need from food.

Here are seven signs that you are not getting enough vitamin B12:

1. Anemia

Anemia is a condition in which you don’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry enough oxygen to the tissues in your body. Anemia, also called low hemoglobin, can make you tired and weak.

Not having enough B12 is associated with macrocytic anemia, in which the red blood cells are larger than average, Khan says. It is the opposite of iron deficiency, which causes small red blood cells.

Anemia can cause:

– Cold intolerance.

– Tired.

– Insomnia.

– Lethargy.

– Mood disorders.

2. Cardiovascular problems

Vitamin B12 breaks down the amino acid known as homocysteine ​​to create new chemicals that your body needs, says Jacks. When vitamin B12 is deficient in your body, your homocysteine ​​levels are high. High levels of homocysteine ​​increase the risk of a heart attack.

Research suggests that homocysteine ​​is associated with damage to the lining of the arteries, which may therefore increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

3. Dementia-like symptoms

Some research suggests that insufficient vitamin B12 intake may be associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Not getting enough vitamin is linked to dementia-like symptoms, Khan says.

These symptoms can include:

– Hallucinations.

– Irritability.

– Memory loss.

– Mood swings.

4. Fatigue

The production of red blood cells is one of the major functions of vitamin B12. Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body, including your muscles while they are working.

A low content of vitamin B12 causes fewer red blood cells to carry oxygen, which makes you feel weak or tired, Jacks says. Vitamin B12 also plays an essential role in energy metabolism, which is the breakdown of the food we eat to be used for energy. “Therefore, when vitamin B12 is deficient, energy production is hampered,” says Jacks.

5. Glossitis

This condition causes the tongue to smooth out, resulting in tenderness and an inability to taste, Khan says. In extreme cases, this condition causes a cracked red tongue.

6. Damage to nerve cells

One of the most serious effects of vitamin B12 deficiency is damage to nerve cells, says Jacks. “Vitamin B12 is essential for the health of the myelin sheath, which surrounds and protects the nerves,” she says. “Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause swelling and breakdown of myelin, damaging the nervous system.”

This can be manifested by tingling or numbness.

7. Shortness of breath

A vitamin B12 deficiency can compromise the ability of red blood cells to supply muscles with oxygen, which can lead to shortness of breath, Khan explains. It can also cause dizziness.

7 signs of vitamin B12 deficiency:

– Anemia.

– Cardiovascular problems.

– Dementia-like symptoms.

– Tired.

– Glossitis.

– Damage to nerve cells.

– Shortness of breath.

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7 signs you’re not getting enough vitamin B12 originally appeared on usnews.com