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.
A lack of vitamin B12 can cause neurological problems, which affect your nervous system, such as: vision problems. memory loss. pins and needles (paraesthesia)
Long-term vitamin B12 deficiency can cause nerve damage. This may be permanent if you do not start treatment within 6 months of when your symptoms begin.
Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
Vitamin B-12 deficiency can affect the digestive tract. A lack of red blood cells means that not enough oxygen reaches the gut. Insufficient oxygen here may lead to a person both feeling and being sick. It may also cause diarrhea.
extreme tiredness (fatigue) lack of energy (lethargy) breathlessness. feeling faint.
A lack of B12 may lead to depression, confusion, memory problems, and dementia. It also can affect your balance. B12 supplements are usually safe.
Most healthy people who have a well-balanced diet do not need to worry much about vitamin B12 deficiency. However, for those at risk (such as those with celiac disease), measures of blood vitamin B12 levels and, in some cases, preventive therapy with vitamin B12 may be recommended.
How to raise your B12 levels fast. The most common way to treat B12 deficiencies is by adjusting your diet. If this is unsuccessful, vitamin supplements may be recommended. If you're looking to boost the amount of vitamin B12 in your diet, you should eat more animal products, like meat, seafood, dairy and eggs.
Diet. Some people can develop a vitamin B12 deficiency as a result of not getting enough vitamin B12 from their diet. A diet that includes meat, fish and dairy products usually provides enough vitamin B12, but people who do not regularly eat these foods can become deficient.
Anemia may not develop until 3 to 5 years after the deficiency begins because a large amount of vitamin B12 is stored in the liver.
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.
Bananas also contain fibre and potassium. It helps manage blood pressure, reduce stress, and relieve constipation and ulcer problems. The fruit also helps regulate body temperature. Another fruit that is rich in vitamin B12 is blueberries.
Since B12 shots are injected intramuscularly bypassing the digestive process, they start to work immediately. Typically, our patients experience positive effects between 24-72 hours after the treatment.
B12 Deficiencies Can Heighten Stress and Anxiety
Furthermore, the Finnish based study published in BioMed Central (BMC) revealed a correlation between B12 levels and a patient's ability to halt depression symptoms. Namely, those with higher levels tended to have a higher success of coping with depression.
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.
There's no solid proof that vitamin B-12 shots, also called injections, help you lose weight. Vitamin B-12 is a water-soluble B complex vitamin. It's found naturally in many foods, such as meat, fish and dairy products. Vitamin B-12 is added to some foods and is available as a dietary supplement.
If your vitamin B12 deficiency is not caused by a lack of vitamin B12 in your diet, you'll usually need to have an injection of hydroxocobalamin every 2 to 3 months for the rest of your life.
Vegetables– Usually, most vegetables contain some amount of Vitamin B12, but there are some Vitamin B12 foods for vegetarians that contain a very high amount of Vitamin B12 namely- Spinach, Beetroot, Potatoes, Mushrooms, alfalfa, and others.
Fruits like apples, bananas, blueberries and oranges are some fruits that are high in vitamin B12.
Not getting enough vitamin B12 to the point of a deficiency can cause a variety of serious symptoms including depression, joint pain, and fatigue.
Vitamin B12deficiency symptoms may include: strange sensations, numbness, or tingling in the hands, legs, or feet. difficulty walking (staggering, balance problems)
Dairy products, including yogurt, are an excellent source of vitamin B12 and daily intake can help to meet the recommendation of 3.0 µg in order to prevent vitamin B12 deficiency, which is associated with serious health problems.
Cheese is also a rich source of vitamin B12. One large slice (22 grams) of Swiss cheese contains about 28% of the DV ( 29 ). Full-fat plain yogurt may also be a decent source. It has even been shown to help improve vitamin B12 status in people who are deficient in this vitamin ( 30 , 31 ).