VITAMIN B12
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Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin also known as (cobalamin) stored in the liver, it’s one of the family of many B vitamins that our body needs and is essential to life and health, helping your body to work properly. It stores in there for several years so low levels are rare.
Common signs of deficiency are such things as:
- fatigue
- lethargy
- constipation
- feeling faint
- depression
- irritability
- headaches
- difficulty maintaining balance
- sore/swollen tongue
- heart palpitations
- mouth ulcers
- vision changes
- paraesthesia (pins and needles)
- decreased cognitive function (memory problems)
Risk factors that may create B12 deficiency are such things as:
- alcohol abuse
- smoking
- certain prescription medicines (antacids & some type 2 diabetes drugs)
- having an endocrine-related autoimmune disorder, such as diabetes or a thyroid disorder
- vegetarian or vegan diets
- certain gastrointestinal disorders such as crohn’s disease
- gastric bypass or the removal of parts of the stomach
- aging
- diabetes
B12 along with folate (Vitamin B9) is essential for the production of red blood cells and aids in the maintenance of a healthy nervous system and immune system.
People often believe taking vitamins will act as a safety net so there having enough vitamin intake to maintain a heathy body.
B12 deficiency damages the fatty tissue – myelin – which surrounds and protects nerve fibres, it damages the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and nerves of the eye. Deficiency is common and generally found in people who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet. This is because B12 is only found naturally in animal foods.
Unlike other vitamins the absorption of B12 depends on a protein in your stomach called intrinsic factor. Intrinsic factor is the most obscure — yet most important — glycoprotein in the human body. It has only one primary function that is essential for good health. Produced by the parietal cells of the stomach as well as the salivary glands, the intrinsic factor has a brief, but very important life. Intrinsic factor is key for supporting energy, metabolism, and mental health by working with one nutrient — vitamin B-12.
To understand the importance of intrinsic factor, it’s necessary to understand the importance of B-12. Vitamin B-12 is involved in the metabolism of every cell in the human body. It plays a key role in DNA synthesis and formation, red blood cell creation, and brain function. The human body does not create vitamin B-12 on its own, so it must be consumed from the diet. The human digestive tract may have bacteria that produce B-12; however, dietary B-12 is the best way to ensure adequate nutrition.
But B-12 has a problem — it cannot survive the trip through the stomach due to the stomach’s high acid content. Fortunately for us, that’s where intrinsic factor comes to save the day.
Intrinsic factor binds to B-12 when it reaches the stomach following exposure to gastric juices. Bound with intrinsic factor, B-12 will survive the journey through the stomach and reach the small intestine. Once there, intrinsic factor dissolves, releasing B-12 to bind with another protein, trans-cobalamin II, for transit through the epithelial cells and into the bloodstream and on to the liver.
Deficiency is particularly common in elderly people, as the ability to absorb vitamin B12 can decrease with age. Other people generally at risk are those who have had intestinal surgery, including weight loss surgery, and those with diseases that affect the gut i.e., Crohn’s disease
It is a crucial element in the construction of DNA. It can result in symptoms ranging from severe anaemia requiring blood transfusions, to serious and permanent nerve damage and psychiatric conditions.
Being deficient in Vitamin B12 can have lasting effects on your body, your mind, and your appetite for life I.e., depression.
Only the parietal cells of the stomach create enough intrinsic factor to supply the body with adequate B-12. When these cells are damaged, intrinsic factor is not produced, and B-12 goes unabsorbed. Alcoholism and ulcerative gastritis can cause parietal cell death, greatly increasing the chances of developing a B12 deficiency. H. pylori infection, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, and gastric bypass surgery also cause similar effects.
The absence of intrinsic factor leads to a condition called pernicious anaemia, or the inability to initiate intrinsic factor and B-12 absorption. In some cases, pernicious anaemia can be passed down through families. This is most common in individuals of Scandinavian or Northern European descent. Certain diseases such as Grave’s disease, Addison disease, and type 1 diabetes may increase the risk of pernicious anaemia. Individuals suffering from pernicious anaemia may also be at an increased risk of gastric cancer.
Anyone lacking intrinsic factor will need to supplement with B12. However, since B-12 cannot be digested without intrinsic factor, it needs to be administered through regular injections if that is the case. Although other options exist, these may not provide adequate levels of B-12. A consultation is recommended before you start this treatment so you can choose the best option for you as everybody is different.
As you can probably gather this is why vitamin B12 supplements are very popular, we will be offering tests very soon for you to check if you have any deficiency’s so that we can give you the correct treatment plan according to your results.
