Vitamin B12 Deficiency: Symptoms and What You Can Do About Them

Vitamin B12 deficiency shows symptoms late

Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is a vitamin that is involved in many things in the body: from the formation of red blood cells to the development of nerve structures and the spinal cord to protein and fat metabolism, it is of enormous importance. If the body is deprived of vitamin B12 for a long time, a deficiency can occur with the following symptoms:

• The first signs are extreme tiredness and exhaustion, without you being able to blame this on a real lack of sleep.
• If your body’s vitamin B12 stores are depleted, concentration often leaves something to be desired, and the susceptibility to depression increases.
• Increased headache or migraine attacks can also be an indication of a poor vitamin B12 supply.
• You can recognize a cobalamin deficiency much more clearly if you feel an unusually strong tingling in your fingers and no particular stressful situation has triggered this.
• Or your legs somehow feel slightly numb – and not just after a long period of inactivity or sitting. These can already be signs that your nerve tracts are no longer working properly.
• These symptoms should be a warning sign for you. If a vitamin B12 deficiency is delayed, there is a risk of irreparable damage to the spinal cord. Be sure to clarify the cause of these signs with your doctor.
• The problem: Vitamin B12 deficiency can hide in the body for a long time. Everyone – assuming they were adequately supplied with this vitamin from the time they were babies – can store around 3 to 5 grams of it in their bodies. These supplies alone will provide around 5-10 years of metabolic support.
• Disturbed blood formation, which can occur due to a vitamin B12 deficiency, often goes unnoticed for years if you do not have it specifically examined.
• The increase in the metabolic intermediate product homocysteine ​​in your blood is also initially invisible to you. Due to the cobalamin undersupply, a certain “traffic jam” develops in the further conversion, so to speak. High homocysteine ​​levels are considered a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.

Risk groups should keep an eye on vitamin B12

Because the signs of a cobalamin deficiency only appear very late and are relatively difficult to interpret, risk groups, in particular, should have their vitamin status checked.

• During a check of how well you are supplied with vitamin B12, both the vitamin itself and meaningful supplemental values ​​such as so-called holo-transcobalamin (holo-TC) and methylmalonic acid (MMA) are measured.
• A regular check is especially recommended if you eat vegan. Even if you rarely have animal foods on your menu, you should take care of them.
• After all, in studies with vegans, a cobalamin deficiency was found in about 30 percent of the participants.
• If you suffer from stomach or intestinal diseases such as chronic gastritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease or general digestive disorders, you are also a risk person. Because the absorption of vitamin B12 via the intestine is usually not sufficient.
• In addition, seniors from the age of about 60 years are more frequently affected by a vitamin deficiency, since their intestines are no longer able to absorb the full amount of vitamins (absorption rate).
• If you are constantly under stress, this can extremely increase your vitamin B12 requirement. In this case, too, you should keep a close eye on cobalamin.

What you can do about a cobalamin deficiency

The best thing, of course, is not to let a vitamin B12 deficiency develop in the first place. So you need to make sure you’re getting enough of it. If you have an acute vitamin B12 deficiency, your doctor will prescribe the appropriate therapy for you.

• Cobalamin, which is easily digested by the body, is found in safe amounts in animal foods such as meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products.
• Vegans and vegetarians cannot meet their needs with sauerkraut, yeast, or unwashed crops. This is sometimes claimed but has now been disproved. If anything, you’re getting way too small amounts.
• Nori seaweed is currently the only possible plant-based source of vitamin B12. In nutritional studies, their positive contribution to the supply of vegan nutrition could be observed.
• The safest way for people who belong to the risk groups is to get the essential vitamin through dietary supplements. Choose the natural variant methylcobalamin or cyanocobalamin, which is usually produced synthetically but is extremely stable.
• In addition, the use of toothpaste containing vitamin B12 can support your supply. This does not work equally well for everyone – because the absorption of the vitamin through the oral mucosa is evidently different. If you choose this form of supply, have the success checked again after a few weeks with a blood test.
• In the event of a massive deficiency, your doctor may suggest an injection of hydroxy-cobalamin. Very high doses of up to one milligram are used here.