Deficiency of VitaminB12 can lead to various dangerous diseases even heart attacks, which can prove to be fatal!

It is a very important vitamin for the human body but we mostly knowingly or unknowingly ignore this.

How the deficiency of vitaminB12 can be dangerous?

Deficiency of vitaminB12 can lead to:

a)Impaired Cell division

1. b) Too much Homocysteine, amethylmalonic acid production.

Causes of vitamin B12   deficiency:

1. You will get vitamin B12 deficiency anemia if you are ignoring your diet which contains non-vegetarian foods.
2. Dairy products and meat have lots of VitainB12. It can also happen if your body is not absorbing enough nutrients from the food you eat so your digestion must be also in very good condition so that the food you eat should be digested properly and hence it should reach to every cell of the body in a proper way
3. When autoimmune disease attacks the cells present in your (stomach) which produce intrinsic factor.
4. If you are having any infection or disease like HIV, Crohn`s disease.
5. If you are taking some medicines like anti-seizure drugs or antibiotics.
6. Tapeworms or worms in the intestine also lead to a deficiency of B12.
7. Its deficiency can also result from the stomach and small intestine disorders; such as in celiac disease our intestine may not able to absorb enough nutrients from the food. It reduces cognitive function, resulting from early Vitamin B12 deficiency, due to megaloblastic anemia and dementia.
8. Vegetarian food: people who consume only vegan food are more prone to vitamin B12 Deficiency.
9. People with pernicious anemia cannot absorb the Vitamin B12 content in the food properly, as this condition is characterized by lack of intrinsic factor, which is seen mainly in older people,thus pernicious anemia is also one of the major cause of vitamin B12 deficiency.
10. Having bad bacteria in excess in your stomach is one of the causes of deficiency of Vitamin B12.
11. Pregnant and lactating women who follow a strict vegetarian diet may have a very limited amount of vitamin B12 as vitamin B12 crosses the placenta during pregnancy and is present in breast milk. The infants of women who do not consume nonvegetarian products may have a very limited amount of vitamin B12 and they are prone to deficiency of vitamin B12, after conceiving. If vitamin B12 deficiency is not detected within time and remains untreated in infants, it can prove very dangerous for the neurologic health of infants. Hence it’s advised to pregnant and lactating women who only follow a strict vegetarian diet that they should consult with the physician regarding the diet and supplements for their kids.

Symptoms of deficiency of vitaminB12

• You may have chest pain and your heart beats become irregular.
• You don’t develop the muscles by doing any physical activity.
• Your weight is reducing even if you don’t want to lose your weight.
• You feel dizzy.
• You often feel the change in your mood and sometimes feel fear and anxiety.
• You are not in a good state of mind and are confused and forgetful most of the time.
• Your body parts are not well as they tend to go numb and tingling begins and sometimes weakness is excessive in hands and feet.
• Your appetite is low hence the digestion gets weaker.

Diagnosis is must:

As these symptoms can come from other medical conditions, so merely on the basis of these symptoms, you cannot say that these symptoms are happening due to vitamin B12 deficiency. So in this case you have to consult with your physician who could recommend you better guidance.

Below are some tests which are useful in diagnosing B12 deficiency:

1. Schilling test: This test uses the radioactive form of B12, it tells that whether you have enough intrinsic factor inside your body or not.
2. Vitamin B12 level test checks about the amount of vitamin B 12 you have in your body.
3. MMA (Methylmalonic acid level) if your vitamin B level is low your MMA rises. This test is done for diagnosing the amount of MMA present in your blood.
4. Intrinsic factor antibodies: If you have pernicious anemia, you will have this in your blood. These proteins tell your immune system to attack the intrinsic factor.
5. CBC(Complete blood count): This is one of the major tests for diagnosing the deficiency of VitaminB12.This test tells about the size and number of your blood red blood cells in the blood. If you are facing the deficiency of Vitamin B12 then the shape of your red blood cells gets distorted and they appear to be bigger than the normal red blood cells.

Vitamin B12 deficiency`s effects on the body:

1. Cardiovascular disease: Ashomocysteinelevels have also been identified as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.VitaminB12 is involved in homocysteine metabolism. Lack of vitaminB12 can lead to a rise in homocysteine levels in people who have cardiovascular disease.

2. Vitamin B12 is considered as Energymetabolizer, endurance energy enhancer,  an athletic booster and its deficiency may lead to low energy levels.

3. Vitamin B 12 deficiency can lead to Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. A low level of Vitamin B12 is also the reason for the declining cognitive level.

Treatment of Vitamin B12deficiency:

Usually, VitaminB12 deficiency is treated with diet and supplements as recommended by medical science, so the person suffering from the deficiency of vitamin B12 is advised to take the following diet:

1.Vitamin B12 in plants: Fruits and vegetables which contain vitamin B12 are papayas, barley, wheat gram, and walnuts. These are considered to be the best source of vitaminB12.

2.VitaminB12 in dairy products: Swiss cheese and paneer contains VitaminB12.

Non-vegetarian source of vitaminB12:

Red meat and beef: Beef, tuna fish, trout they all contain large amounts of Vitamin B12., chicken and salmon are all good sources of B12 vitamin.

4. People who don’t eat non-vegetarian food but eat eggs are advised to eat eggs for compensating the deficiency of vitaminB12.

Author Bio:-

Dr. Vikram Chauhan, MD – AYURVEDA is an expert Ayurvedic practitioner based in Chandigarh, India and doing his practice in Mohali, India. He is spreading the knowledge of Ayurveda Ancient healing treatment, not only in India but also abroad. He is the CEO and Founder of Planet Ayurveda Products, Planet Ayurveda Clinic, and Krishna Herbal Company