2023-06-18 23:52:33
Vitamin B12 is one of the essential vitamins for a healthy body, and its deficiency leads to serious problems.
Vitamin B12 plays an important role in the formation of red blood cells and DNA materials, and its deficiency may cause nerve damage. There are a group of symptoms that should be paid attention to because they may portend your vitamin B12 deficiency, so what are they?
If you suffer from a deficiency in vitamin B12, this may cause you health damage, as vitamins, as we know, are among the basic substances that control the vital functions in our bodies.
Vitamin B12 deficiency develops slowly in the body, so it often goes unnoticed for a long time.
Vitamin B12 is not a single vitamin but a group of compounds that have the same effect. It is also called “cobalamin”, which are essential substances for the body and play a central role in the formation of red blood cells and DNA materials.
It also has a positive effect on cell division and the breakdown of some fatty acids, as the German Nutrition Society (DGE) explains.
The main storehouse of vitamin B12 is the liver, where reserves of this vitamin are stored for three to four years.
Therefore, it may take a long time to feel the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency because this deficiency develops gradually and is not usually noticed until the nerves have already been damaged, according to Deutsche Welle.
However, there are some symptoms that should be considered and taken seriously:
Burning tongue and permanent fatigue
Among the symptoms that appear on the body and warn of a deficiency in vitamin B12 are burning tongue, permanent fatigue, lack of concentration, memory loss, headaches, and mood swings.
The main cause of these symptoms is vitamin B12 deficiency anemia. Red blood cells cannot be formed if there is not enough vitamin B12.
The vitamin activates some enzymes that are later converted into hemoglobin which in turn is the protein responsible for transporting oxygen in the blood.
So if the body does not get enough vitamin B12 a whole chain reaction begins: too little hemoglobin and therefore too few red blood cells.
This can develop into anemia or anemia, with accompanying symptoms such as constant fatigue, weakness, pallor, dizziness, or a high heart rate.
The body needs vitamin B12
According to the German Society for Nutrition, the daily requirement of vitamin B12 for young people from the age of 13 and for adults is 4 micrograms. For example, 100 grams of mountain cheese contains regarding 0.81 micrograms of vitamin B12.
While meat and fish in particular contain a high percentage of this vitamin. Salmon contains between 2 and 3 micrograms of vitamin B12 per 100 grams.
Another cause of vitamin B12 deficiency lies in the stomach. In order for the body to absorb vitamin B12 from food, it needs a special type of protein.
This protein is formed in the stomach. This mechanism can be disrupted in the case of chronic digestive diseases or following surgical interventions, and therefore in this case a deficiency of vitamin B12 can occur in the body despite a proper diet.
Prevention of deficiency in vitamin B12
At the first stage of the appearance of signs of nerve damage, vitamin B12 deficiency is often modifiable, but this becomes difficult following months or years of vitamin B12 deficiency.
Therefore, a doctor should be consulted when the first symptoms of nerve damage appear, when a vitamin B12 test can be done to ensure the level of this vitamin in the body.
The specialist doctor will determine whether there is a need to take B12 supplements, which should not be taken except following medical advice and according to the dosage determined by the doctor.
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