What Does Vitamin B12 Do and What are Signs of B12 Deficiency and How Treated

What Does Vitamin B12 Do Where Do You Get B12 and How is B12 Deficiency Treated?

Depression,Thinking and Memory Problems with B12 Deficiency

What are common nerve symptoms of B12 deficiency?

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B12 deficiency can include tingling, weakness, numbness, problems walking or thinking, depression or memory problems.







Can't you just get all the vitamins you need from food?

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Don't we make all the vitamins we need? The answer may be no and no. Vitamin B12 is essential for the body to create dna and is needed for neurological processes. B12 has a key role in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, and for the formation of blood. It is one of the eight B vitamins. It is normally involved in the metabolism of every cell of the human body, especially affecting DNA synthesis and regulation, but also fatty acid synthesis and energy production. Neither fungi, plants or animals are capable of producing vitamin B12.

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Can't We Make B12 ?

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Risk factors for vitamin B12 deficiency include older people, alcohol abuse, diabetics who take metformin, vegetarians,people with gastritis, crohn's disease,certain gastric bypasses,etc.



Since your body can't manufacture B12 you need to get it from someplace else by taking a vitamin or eating something that contains it.Vitamin B12 can be given as a shot and or taken as an oral vitamin. People especially older people and vegetarians may not be able to get enough vitamin B12 from their diet and may need B12 vitamin supplementation.



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The acid in the digestive system helps get the B12 out of meat that we eat. That is one reason that people who have certain gastritis or malabsorption have problems getting B12. People who use the drug metformin, a diabetes drug, need to be screened for B12 deficiency.