THE SILENT EPIDEMIC OF VITAMIN B12 DEFICIENCY
B12 an invisible epidemic with serious consequences... it has an estimated prevalence of roughly 6% in the Uk that’s 4033200 people affected!
About one in thirty-one adults over 50 are deficient, estimates the CDDC. B12 deficiency is underreported because current normal values are too low. Countries such as Europe and Japan consider 500 pg/mL the lower normal limit. Practitioners specialising in B12 deficiency recommend treating anyone who is symptomatic with results below 450pg/mL. Most GPs do not treat unless the B12 level is below 200pg/mL here in the UK!!!
When B12 deficiency attacks the body it takes many guises, depending in part on the age and genetic vulnerabilities of its victims as well as the length and severity of the deficiency. The body can store B12 for three to five years, early symptoms of a deficiency usually appear gradually so you're unlikely to notice them.
Therefore, a deficiency in B12 affects different people in different ways. It could afflict one person with tremors, causes agonising arm and leg pains or even paralysis and could make another depressed or psychotic.
Irrespective of dietary patterns one may follow, there are various factors which affect the absorption and bioavailability....
WHAT EVEN IS B12 ?
It is one of your 13 essential vitamins your body needs to function. Cobalamin (B12) is a water soluble vital amine or coenzyme which your body can not manufacture naturally and is obtained through food source or via supplementation in tablets, IV or IM injections. (See treatments offered). Vitamin B12 is unique in that it contains cobalt which is found almost exclusively in animal products. Humans, plants nor animals can synthesise vitamin B12. Instead it is produced by microorganisms from the soil or bacteria which the animal came into contact with. Your metabolism wouldn’t run smoothly without it. Here is a few causes which lead to the deficiency.
B12 deficiency is progressive, signs and symptoms may take years to develop. There is circumstantial evidence that the ability to secrete gastric acid decreases with age which leads to anemia, but this association is now thought to be the result of increased overgrowth of the bacterium H. Pylori in the stomach rather than any true effect of aging.
Vitamin B12 helps in the production of the soft, fatty material called myelin that surrounds and protects nerve fibres. A deficiency in B12 can compromise the myelin and can result in serious neurological problems. Vitamin B12 deficiencies have, in some cases, been misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis (MS).
B12 is not nicknamed the energy vitamin for nothing. Inadequate B12 intake makes a dent in red blood cell production, and some of the earliest signs of a deficiency include feeling dragged, confused and weak.
It is essential for red blood cell formation, and is also a cofactor for DNA synthesis and neurological function. Every single cell in the body is dependent on vitamin B12 for metabolism!!!!
BENEFITS OF THIS VITAMIN!
Boost energy levels
Boosts the immune system
Aids mental acuity
Promotes healthy hair, skin and nails
Mood boosting
Prevents megaloblastic anaemia
Reduces stress and anxiety
Vital for healthy nerve function
Helps improve sleep pattern
Essential supplement for vegans and vegetarians
Aids the body to break down homocysteine (What is this?...keep on reading)
Low levels of vitamin B12 increase homocysteine which affects our arteries and is one of the leading causes of stroke in the world. Homocysteine is an amino acid produced when proteins are broken down. Homocysteine must be metabolised by vitamin B12 so low levels of the vitamin lead to elevated levels of homocysteine.
HOW DO I KNOW WHAT MY B12 LEVELS ARE??
There are ways to check our functional status for vitamin B12 and one of them is to know the blood homocysteine levels. This is a costly test to carry out and so most GP practices do not offer this test as their number one choice. Instead they choose to use serum B12. A particular drawback of vitamin B12 measurement within the NHS and GP practices is that the current most widely used blood test - serum B12 only measures the total amount of vitamin in your blood. This means that it tests both the ‘active’ levels which can be used by your body and the ‘inactive’ levels of vitamin B12 (can’t be used by your body). One problem with lumping active and inactive vitamin B12 levels into the same test result is that you may be showing ‘normal’ B12 levels even though your body can not use much of it. Urine testing may be ordered as a 24 hour urine sample test as an alternative option to blood.
If you are considering an IM injection please enquire for further information and check availability. Vitamin injections allow your body to utilize 100% of the nutrients since they are administered directly into your bloodstream. Vitamins taken orally must be digested before benefiting your body. As a result a significant portion of the pills nutrients is lost during the digestive process with around only 20% being absorbed.
NOTE: If you have any of the following signs and symptoms, it does not necessarily mean you have a B12 deficiency. These symptoms can stem from many causes. However, it does mean that your doctor needs to rule out B12 deficiency as a possible culprit.
Falls, dementia, MS, depression (post-natal) all may be MIS-diagnosed as result of B12 deficiency. Please do not ignore the symptoms and seek medical attention as this deficiency is reversible and can improve symptoms of all the above diagnoses.
