Vitamin B12 is a nutrient that helps keep your body's blood and nerve cells healthy and helps make DNA, the genetic material in all of your cells. Vitamin B12 also helps prevent megaloblastic anemia, a blood condition that makes people tired and weak.
Vitamin B12 is required for the development, myelination, and function of the central nervous system; healthy red blood cell formation; and DNA synthesis [1,4,5].
Without adequate vitamin B12, you have fewer red blood cells carrying oxygen throughout your body. You can have pernicious anemia for several years before noticing changes in your body. Left untreated, pernicious anemia can cause serious medical issues, including irreversible damage to your nervous system.
Overall, it can also be summarized for vitamin B12 that it is essential for the nervous system, particularly with regard to myelin synthesis, nerve metabolism, and neuronal regeneration.
Thus, vitamin B12 is especially awarded a function in the DNA synthesis of myelin‐producing oligodendrocytes and the synthesis of myelin.48, 49, 50, 51 The myelin sheath surrounds the axons of many nerves and serves as an electrical insulation, thereby facilitating fast conduction velocity.
B12 deficiency may cause demyelination of nerves in the peripheral and central nervous system13 and has been associated with peripheral neuropathy, loss of sensation in peripheral nerves, and weakness in lower extremities in older adults1, 14–16.
A deficiency of vitamin B12 can cause cognitive impairment and myeloneuropathy—damage to the spinal cord and peripheral nerves in the legs—resulting in difficulty walking, weakness, numbness, and poor coordination. Doctors recommend checking B12 levels, especially for anyone being evaluated for dementia or neuropathy.
People with low B12 levels may experience mental fogginess, difficulty concentrating, and difficulty accomplishing tasks because a B12 deficiency negatively affects the central nervous system. Because the risk of B12 insufficiency rises with age, older persons are particularly vulnerable to these negative effects.
Vitamin B12 deficiency is linked to impaired cognition and memory along with a sensation of tingling and numbness, an outcome of poor myelination.
Nerve Function
If your B12 is lacking, your mental processing speed can slow down, says Lina Begdache, Ph. D., an assistant professor at Binghamton University, who studies the link between diet and mental health. A sluggish brain may struggle to calm itself when anxiety strikes.
If vitamin B12 deficiency is left untreated, it can cause lasting serious side effects that affect the nervous system and brain. More severe side effects of vitamin B12 deficiency include: Peripheral neuropathy. Degeneration of the spinal cord.
Stage 1 is decreased levels of vitamin B12 in the blood. Stage 2 is low concentration of vitamin B12 in the cell and metabolic abnormalities. Stage 3 is increased levels of homocysteine and MMA and decreased DNA synthesis resulting in neuropsychiatric symptoms. Stage 4 is macrocytic anemia.
B12 is a water-soluble vitamin and an important micronutrient. It plays an important role in the development of DNA, red and white blood cells, and protein. White blood cells are essential for proper immune system functioning, and a vitamin B12 deficiency can actually lower your immunity.
The excess B12 is stored in the liver to be used when your body needs it or flushed out by the kidneys. Hence, an overdose is unlikely to happen. Having said that, we insist that you keep checking your B12 levels from time to time and consult your doctor for appropriate guidance.
Vitamin B12 is a powerful neural compound that is extremely essential for the synthesis of neurotransmitters. It is also required for the proper growth, development and functioning of the brain and nerves, the formation of red blood cell, cell metabolism, and the production of DNA.
A vitamin B12 deficiency can cause megaloblastic anemia. Megaloblasts are immature red blood cells that are larger than normal. They usually have an odd shape, too. When you have anemia, your red blood cells have trouble getting oxygen to your tissues and organs.
The NHS notes that vitamin B12 deficiency can cause “loss of physical coordination (ataxia), which can affect your whole body and cause difficulty speaking or walking”. The Mayo Clinic describes the walking style saying a person with vitamin B12 deficiency can walk unsteadily, or with their feet set wide apart.
Vitamin deficiencies are a common cause of paresthesias. The B vitamins — vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 — are the most common ones. Deficiencies in copper, calcium, and magnesium can also lead to tingling in your hands and feet. Most of the time, correcting the deficiency can help reverse the symptoms.
Therefore, vitamin B12 deficiency can be the culprit in a cascade of stroke-inducing physiological events.
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
Other vitamin deficiencies linked with muscle weakness include: calcium deficiency (hypocalcemia) potassium deficiency (hypokalemia) iron deficiency (anemia)
Peripheral neuropathy is the most common presentation of vitamin B12 deficiency. Depending upon the type of nerve involved, it may present as pain, numbness, tingling, loss of sensation, decreased motor activity, or decreased muscle mass.