About 1.5 to 15 percent of Americans are deficient in vitamin B12, according to the National Institutes of Health. B12 deficiency leads to anemia, neurological disorders, and increases your risk of cardiovascular disease. Vitamin B12 is required for red blood cell formation, nerve cell function, and DNA synthesis. A cofactor is necessary in the conversion of homocysteine to methionine. High levels of homocysteine are associated with cardiovascular disease. B12 is also necessary for the enzymatic processes of fat and protein metabolism. Symptoms of B12 deficiency can show up as loss of energy, tingling, numbness, decreased sense of pain or pressure, dark vision, abnormal driving, very tongue, poor memory, personality change.. Vitamin B12 exists in several forms. and it is present in certain foods such as bull’s liver, beef, cured meat, eggs, milk, and nutritional yeast. It is also available as a supplement, prescription drug, and injection. Although most Americans get enough B12, there are some groups of people who are deficient or at risk. becoming B12 deficient.
People with gastrointestinal disorders
People with celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, gastrointestinal tract surgery, and other stomach or small intestine disorders are at risk for B12 deficiency because they come from food they cannot absorb vitamin B12. These stages are often associated with the loss of cells that produce acid and intrinsic hydrochloric acid and intrinsic factor, which are required for extraction. absorption of vitamin B12. Protein pump inhibitors, which are used to treat reflux disease and peptic ulcer disease, can also block B12 absorption by slowing the release of gastric acid through the stomach . Symptoms of B12 deficiency include mild cognitive decline and can progress slowly over years to anemia, nerve damage and clemency.
People over 50
According to National Institutes of Health about 10 to 30 percent of older people develop atrophic gastritis, where the cells in the stomach are less they significantly produce hydrochloric acid, thus reducing the amount of B12 that can be absorbed from food. These people can still get B12 from supplements or B12 fortified foods. The Institute of Medicine recommends that people over 50 take B12 in the form of supplements or fortified foods. Another two percent of older people have pernicious anemia, which is characterized by a deficiency of intrinsic factor in the gastrointestinal tract. tract Such people cannot absorb vitamin B12 well from any source and take intramuscular injections of B12 or take very high oral doses of vitamin B12.
Vegetables
Strict vegetarians and vegetarians are at risk of developing B12 deficiency, because B12 is found almost exclusively in foods that come from animals. . VeganHealth.org recommends that all vegetarians eat fortified cereals or take B12 supplements containing at least 10 micrograms of B12. It is especially important for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding to get adequate amounts of B12 because a lack of B12 can result in birth defects. One way to check if your body has enough vitamin B12 stores is blood tests homocysteine. Elevated levels may be due to less vitamin B12 and a higher intake of B12 is indicated.
Reducing homocysteine levels
Elevated homocysteine is a risk factor for disease and stroke. An insufficient supply of vitamin B12 can cause homocysteine levels to rise. Studies have shown supplementation with B12 by people deficient in the vitamin to reduce homocysteine levels ((Deshmukh, US et al. .).
Sources
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitaminb12.asp
http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/everyvegan/
Deshmukh, US et al. Physiological effects of oral doses of vitamin B12 on plasma homocysteine: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial in India. EUR. J. Clin. Nutr. (2010) 64: 495
