Overview
What is vitamin B12 deficiency?
Vitamin B12 deficiency happens when your body is either not getting enough or not absorbing enough vitamin B12 from the food that you eat that it needs to function properly. Vitamin B12 is an important nutrient that helps your body make red blood cells and DNA, the genetic material in all of your cells.
Untreated, vitamin B12 deficiency can cause physical, neurological and psychological problems.
What is vitamin B12?
Vitamin B12 is an important nutrient that helps your body keep your nerve cells and blood cells healthy. It also helps your body make DNA, the genetic material in all of your cells. Your body doesn't make vitamin B12 on its own. You have to consume food and drinks that have vitamin B12 in order to get it. Vitamin B12 is found in animal products you eat and drink, like meat, dairy and eggs. It can also be found in fortified foods (foods that have certain vitamins and nutrients added to them) such as certain cereals, bread and nutritional yeast.
Adults need around 2.4 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin B12 a day, and people who are pregnant or breastfeeding need more. The amount of vitamin B12 babies and children need varies based on age.
What causes vitamin B12 deficiency?
Vitamin B12 deficiency happens if you aren't eating enough vitamin B12 or your body isn't absorbing the vitamin B12 you consume properly. Situations or conditions that can cause.
vitamin B12 deficiency include :-
Lack of vitamin B12 in your diet: People who don't eat enough foods that naturally have vitamin B12 or don't eat foods fortified with vitamin B12 can develop vitamin B12 deficiency.
Gastritis: Gastritis is inflammation of the stomach lining, and it’s a common cause of vitamin B12 deficiency. It can cause vitamin B12 deficiency due to a lack of hydrochloric acid in your stomach, which is needed for vitamin B12 absorption.
Pernicious anemia: People who have pernicious anemia — a rare medical condition — aren't able to make intrinsic factor, a protein made by your stomach. You need intrinsic factor so that your body can absorb B12 vitamin. People with pernicious anemia have a B12 vitamin deficiency.
Digestive diseases: Diseases that affect the digestive system, like Crohn’s disease and celiac disease, can prevent your body from fully absorbing vitamin B12.
Surgery: People who have gastrointestinal surgery — like a gastric bypass (weight loss surgery) — can have difficulty absorbing vitamin B12.
Alcohol use disorder: This condition can damage your digestive system and cause vitamin B12 deficiency.
Transcobalamin II deficiency: This is a rare genetic disorder that impairs the transport of vitamin B12 (also known as cobalamin) within the body.
General physical symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency can include:
Feeling very tired or weak.
Experiencing nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
Not feeling as hungry as usual.
Weight loss.
Having a sore mouth or tongue.
Having yellowish skin.
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