Excess B12 is either stored in the liver, present in the blood without any adverse effects, or excreted. There are no studies investigating the potential clinical effects of high B12 because, in general, there are no known adverse effects caused by elevated B12.
An abnormally high vitamin B-12 status can be an early sign of liver disease, diabetes, or certain types of leukemia. A doctor may use the results of a vitamin B-12 test to help form their diagnosis.
Should I be concerned about high vitamin B12 levels? Experts agree that proper amounts of vitamin B12 are generally safe to take [9]. Even amounts exceeding the recommended daily amount of 2.4 micrograms usually aren't toxic—as mentioned, what your body doesn't absorb is normally passed as urine [9].
The most common cause of high B12 in the blood is due to recent ingestion or injection of supplemental vitamin B12. It could also be possibly from your diet if high in animal products such as meat, eggs, and shellfish.
Your body can usually get rid of excess vitamin B12 through your urine. In rare cases, high doses of vitamin B12 injections have been associated with skin reactions. This isn't the case for oral vitamin B12 dietary supplements.
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.
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.
What Abnormal Results Mean. Values of less than 160 pg/mL (118 pmol/L) are a possible sign of a vitamin B12 deficiency. People with this deficiency are likely to have or develop symptoms. Older adults with a vitamin B12 level less than 100 pg/mL (74 pmol/L) may also have symptoms.
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.
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 ...
Elevated Vitamin B12 Levels in Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome Attributable to Elevated Haptocorrin in Lymphocytes.
The common forms of vitamin B include vitamin B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6 (pyridoxine) and B12 (cyanocobalamin). Except for niacin (when given in high doses), there is no evidence that the other B vitamins, in physiologic or even super-physiologic high doses cause liver injury or jaundice.
High-dose vitamin B supplements should be avoided, because they can lead to nerve damage.
Elevated cobalamin levels often accompany diseases such as leukemia, myeloproliferative disorders, hypereosinophilic syndrome, and metastatic cancer—especially when involving the liver.
Elevated serum B12 levels may also be associated with a functional deficiency of the vitamin. Functional deficiency has been described despite high B12 concentrations and is due to a failure of cellular uptake or intracellular processing, trafficking or utilization.
Serum vitamin B12 levels were significantly higher among individuals with diabetes compared to those defined as AGT and NGT patients (496±14, 453±6, and 443±8 pmol/L, mean ± SE respectively, P=0.004).
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.
B12 supplements are usually safe. For adults, doctors recommend 2.4 micrograms a day. If you take more than what you need, your body passes the rest out through your pee. Still, high doses could have some side effects, like dizziness, headache, anxiety, nausea, and vomiting.
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.
A low level of vitamin B12 in the blood indicates pernicious anemia. However, a falsely normal or high value of vitamin B12 in the blood may occur if antibodies interfere with the test. Your homocysteine and methylmalonic acid (MMA) levels. High levels of these substances in your body are a sign of pernicious anemia.
A safe... read more .) Unlike most other vitamins, B12 is stored in substantial amounts, mainly in the liver, until it is needed by the body. If a person stops consuming the vitamin, the body's stores of this vitamin usually take about 3 to 5 years to exhaust.
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.
Around 50% to 98% of vitamin B12 is excreted from the body 48 hours after injection. Research shows that vitamin B12 has a half-life of 6 days in the blood, making it six days before the administered amount gets excreted from your body.
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.
NAFLD also has a causal impact on elevated vitamin B12 concentrations in the circulation.