In some people, high levels of B12 may cause gastrointestinal problems such as bloating and diarrhea. And if you have high blood pressure or poor cardiovascular health, having too much B12 may further complicate these issues. Pregnant and breastfeeding women may also need to be especially mindful of B12 levels.
Abstract. Elevated levels of serum cobalamin may be a sign of a serious, even life-threatening, disease. Hematologic disorders like chronic myelogeneous leukemia, promyelocytic leukemia, polycythemia vera and also the hypereosinophilic syndrome can result in elevated levels of cobalamin.
Your body absorbs only as much as it needs, and any excess passes through your urine. High doses of vitamin B-12, such as those used to treat a deficiency, might cause: Headache. Nausea and vomiting.
In contrast to iron deficiency, the prognostic value of B12 and folic acid was not significant. Increased levels of serum cobalamin are associated with malignancies, autoimmune diseases, and renal and liver failure. It is a marker for liver-cell damage, due to release of the vitamin from damaged liver cells.
Research has suggested that the consumption of alcohol may reduce vitamin B12 levels. An older study indicated that moderate alcohol intake diminished vitamin B12 by 5% among “healthy, well-nourished, postmenopausal women.”
If a person stops consuming the vitamin, the body's stores of this vitamin usually take about 3 to 5 years to exhaust. People should not take high doses of vitamin B12 as a cure-all, but otherwise the vitamin does not appear to be toxic; consuming excess amounts of B12 is not recommended.
Looking at various adverse health effects of drinking demineralized water, there is possibility that it may also be one of the newly associated factors for increasing incidence and prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency.
Other studies focusing on specific cancers have shown a strong association between elevated B12 levels and liver cancers (OR 3.3 [95%CI: 1.1–10.4] for hepatocellular carcinomas and OR 4.7 [95%CI: 1.2–17.9] for other liver cancers) [16], a moderate association with prostate cancer (OR 1.1 [95%CI: 1.0–1.2]) [17], and no ...
A serum B12 above 300 pg/mL is interpreted as normal. Patients with B12 levels between 200 and 300 pg/mL are considered borderline, and further enzymatic testing may be helpful in diagnosis. Patients with B12 levels below 200 pg/mL are considered deficient.
Vitamin B12, or cobalamin, is naturally found in animal foods. It can also be added to foods or supplements. Vitamin B12 is needed to form red blood cells and DNA. It is also a key player in the function and development of brain and nerve cells.
If your vitamin B12 levels are above normal, consider changing your eating habits. Don't fret, though. Few foods contain this nutrient, so there's no need to make major changes to your diet. To start, limit your intake of beef, dairy, fish and seafood.
Disturbed or blurred vision can also occur as a result of a Vitamin B12 deficiency. This happens when the deficiency causes damage to the optic nerve that leads to your eyes. The nervous signal that travels from the eye to the brain is disturbed due to this damage, leading to impaired vision.
Elevated cobalamin levels often accompany diseases such as leukemia, myeloproliferative disorders, hypereosinophilic syndrome, and metastatic cancer—especially when involving the liver.
The most common cause of high B12 in the blood is due to recent ingestion or injection of supplemental vitamin B12. We don't worry about overdosing on B12 supplements because excess can be excreted in your urine. It could also be possibly from your diet if high in animal products such as meat, eggs, and shellfish.
Elevated Vitamin B12 Levels in Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome Attributable to Elevated Haptocorrin in Lymphocytes.
A serum vitamin B12 level between 200 pg/mL and 900 pg/mL is considered normal, but a threshold of 300 to 350 pg/mL is recognized as a marker for a desirable status in the elderly. The laboratory diagnosis is usually based on low serum vitamin B12 levels or elevated serum methylmalonic acid and homocysteine levels.
Healthcare professionals have not identified an upper limit blood level of vitamin B-12. The body will typically excrete excess vitamin B-12 that a person gets from the diet or via supplements. The body does not absorb vitamin B-12 supplements very effectively.
In rare cases, people who take high doses of vitamin B for a long period of time may experience extreme numbness or a tingling sensation. In some patients, tingling sensation is experienced mostly in the right side of the body. This symptom is one of the early warning indicators of Vitamin B12 overdose.
Hypercobalaminemia (high serum vitamin B12 levels) is a frequent and underestimated anomaly.
High vitamin B12 levels may be a biomarker of cancer
Subsequent cancer diagnoses, primarily in the first year of follow-up. An increased cancer risk, especially in smoking-, hematological- (blood), and alcohol-related cancers.
How does vitamin B12 intake influence kidney function? B12, in general, is needed by all body organs for functioning since it controls the nervous system. B12 may not be a highly influencing factor for kidney function, but it is undoubtedly important when treating kidney diseases.
Conclusions: Serum vitamin B12 concentrations were associated with pro-inflammatory cytokines and biochemical markers of cardiometabolic risks in adults.
A deficiency of vitamin B12 can cause neurological and psychiatric problems that “can progress if left untreated, and can lead to irreversible damage,” said Dr. Donald Hensrud, director of the Mayo Clinic's Healthy Living Program. Fortunately, it can be reversed fairly easily with vitamin pills or injections.
Vitamin B12 deficiency can have distressing neuropsychiatric symptoms. It can have an etiological role in clinical presentations like depression, anxiety, psychosis, dementia, and delirium, requiring screening of at-risk populations.
Dosages for Older People
By taking supplements, you will ensure that your body absorbs vitamin B12. Additionally, there is no way that you will overdose on B12, so don't worry about taking too much.