Human body needs vitamins, minerals, nutrition to keep the body active. Vitamin B12 is an essential one to keep the body healthy and also protect the body from various types of diseases and infections. Lots of people are not aware about the importance of Vitamin B12 and how the lack of vitamin B12 will impact on their body health conditions. In this article we will see about the symptoms and effects of B12 vitamin deficiency.
What is Vitamin B12?
B12 vitamin, also called as cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin involved in metabolism. Vitamin B12 is one of eight B vitamins. This B12 vitamin plays a main role in making DNA synthesis, and in both fatty acid and amino acid metabolism. This is supported to make the red blood cells in the human body. It is playing an essential role to keep several organs active and strong.
What is Vitamin B12 deficiency?
Lack of vitamin B12 in the body is called Vitamin B12 deficiency. It is also known as cobalamin deficiency. B12 vitamin deficiency reveals symptoms in the human body in the early stage. People should be aware of that and eliminate this issue in the early stage for living a healthy life. Mostly this issue arises after the age 60 and above. B12 vitamin deficiency is not causing direct death, but it will open a door for dangerous diseases in the human body.
Stages of B12 deficiency?
Commonly there are four stages of B12 deficiency. They are:-
- Stage 1: B12 vitamin level reduction in blood.
- Stage 2:Â Poor level of vitamin B12 in cells along with metabolic abnormalities.
- Stage 3:Â Facing the neurological and psychological symptoms like stress, depression, anxiety, confusion, problems with balance, and others
- Stage 4:Â Macrocytic anemia means producing very large red blood cells.
Symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency
Vitamin B12 deficiency reveals warning symptoms in the body, they are
- Fatigue: B12 vitamin deficiency mainly reveals the early symptom in the body is caused by feelings of lack of energy.
- Weakness: Body Muscles feel weak, people making it hard to lift simple weight objects, getting pain in the body due to standing for long periods.
- Pale skin: When the body doesn’t have enough B12 to produce red blood cells, people face a sign of anemia.
- Numbness and tingling: People face the sensation of tingling or numbness in their hands and feet, this sensation occurs due to nerve damage.
- Cognitive impairment: People find it very hard to concentrate on one thing, short term memory loss, and confusion can occur while doing any activities.
- Mouth issues: People having a sore or red tongue in their mouth. People also have mouth ulcer issues.
- Mental Health issues: People having a high chance of facing Mood Or Mental Changes, Such As Depression, stress and anxiety while having B12 vitamin deficiency.
- Smell and Taste Issues: People having problems With smelling any flowers or fragrance items and also having problems with taste while eating any food items.
Other symptoms:Â
- Continues Severe or mild Headaches
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea problem
- Body Weight Loss
- Irritability
- Vision Problems
- Balance Problems
- Trouble Walking
- Uncontrollable Muscle Movements
- Decreased or lack of Appetite
- Loss Of Reflexes
- Psychosis (Losing Contact With Reality)
- Hallucinations
- Erectile dysfunction: Several men are struggling with erectile dysfunction problems due to several reasons. Few men with B12 deficiency may have a high chance to experience erectile dysfunction (Using sildenafil citrate tablet to deal ED problem very easily) due to the result of increased levels of homocysteine in the body.
- Eye Vision disturbances: Poor level of B12 may increase the chance of vision disturbances, possibly due to damage to the optic nerve.
- Nail color change: Poor level of vitamin B12 will change the nails color from normal to turn brown-gray or bluish.
Reason for Vitamin B12 deficiency
People should know the reason for vitamin B12 deficiency, this will help to avoid in the future.
- Lack of B12-rich foods
- Poor dietary choices
- Malabsorption Issues
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Bariatric surgery
- Medications
- Alcohol abuse
- Age
- Autoimmune disease
- Genetic disorders
- Toxin exposure
- Infection
How to prevent Vitamin b12 deficiency?
- Food diet: Consuming a healthy food diet will surely improve vitamin B12 level. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products contain a rich amount of b12 vitamin. Regularly adding these food items in the diet will help to boost vitamin B12 level. Vegan food diet people should take vitamin B12 supplements, because vegan diets lack B12 vitamin.
- Stay away from Alcohol: People should know the effects of consuming too much alcohol. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol will too damage the B12 absorption. So people should always stay away from drinking alcohol. It is a good option to improve B12 vitamin level.
- Early health care treatment: People who feel a lack of B12 vitamin Deficiency, they should seek health care expert advice at the early stage. This will help to avoid several doubts and also clear the fear mindset. Following health care expert advice will surely deal with B12 vitamin deficiency.
Vitamin B12 deficiency mostly happens to old age people who are in 60 and above. But following a good lifestyle and healthy food diet will surely beat this issue. Teenage people should take 2.4 mg of vitamin B12 in their daily life. Normal adults should take 2.4 mg of B12 vitamin in their daily life. Pregnant women should take 2.6 mg of vitamin B12 and breastfeeding mothers should take 2.8mg of vitamin B12
