2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
With age, your body's ability to absorb vitamin B12 from food slows down. The biggest risk factors leading to vitamin B12 deficiency are vegetarian or vegan diets.
Although plant-based diets are usually full of vitamins and nutrients, scientists say they are devoid of B12 because the vitamin is found naturally only in animal products such as meat, eggs, seafood and dairy products.
Taking certain medicines such as metformin (often prescribed to people with type 2 diabetes or polycystic ovary syndrome) also increases your chances of not getting enough vitamin B12.
Why is it so important to get enough B12? This vitamin is crucial for good brain function and maintaining your immune system. B12 is important for DNA and red blood cells. Your body cannot function smoothly without this vitamin.
How do you know you are missing B12? The symptoms are varied, but there are a few basic indicators that can tell you about the problem.
1. Fatigue
If your muscles do not get enough oxygen from the red blood cells, you will feel exhausted.
2. Strange sensations
It's as if electricity is moving from your head to your limbs. Other sufferers report tingling and numbness. These strange pains are the result of nerve damage caused by low oxygen levels in the cells.
3. Poor memory
It happens, for example, that you put your keys in the fridge, or forget the names of some relatives. Sometimes low B12 levels are to blame.
4. Dizziness
A Turkish study compares patients who have dizziness and other completely healthy volunteers. It turns out that 40% of dizzy patients have low B12 levels.
5. Pale skin
If your pink complexion already has a yellow tinge, it may be due to low levels of B12.
6. Smooth and red tongue
About half of people with severe B12 deficiency lose the papillae - these small dots on their tongues, especially around the edges. Patients also complain of burning and soreness, especially under the tongue.
7. Vision problems
In extreme cases, a lack of B12 can damage the optic nerve or clog blood vessels in the retina, causing blurred vision, double vision, sensitivity to light and even loss of vision.
8. Increased anxiety
People suffering from vitamin B12 deficiency are restless and anxious. They experience severe discomfort from trifles.
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