Today we're going to be talking about vitamin B12.
How does vitamin B12 work in the body?
Who is more prone to deficiency?
Can vitamin B12 help with energy levels?
What about hair loss and what are the medications that can leave a person more prone to a vitamin
B12 deficiency?
We will be discussing all of this and more in this video.
Vitamin B12, otherwise known as Cobalamin is one of 8 B vitamins.
It is a water soluble vitamin and it is involved in DNA synthesis as well as fatty acid and
amino acid metabolism.
We can find vitamin B12 naturally in some foods.
However, it is also added to other foods, meaning that these foods are fortified with
vitamin B12 and I will explain what foods those are in a moment.
Vitamin B12 is also available as a supplement, and it also comes as a medication, often in
an injectable form for people who have more difficulty absorbing an oral supplement or
absorbing vitamin B12 from their food.
Vitamin B12 contains the mineral cobalt which is why compounds containing Vitamin B12 are
known as Cobalamins.
We also know that vitamin B12 is responsible for the development of healthy red blood cells,
but it is also involved in the development, myelination and function of a healthy nervous
system.
Now when we ingest vitamin B12 in its natural form, in food, it is actually bound to protein
and so it must be released from that protein in order for it to be absorbed.
So the first part of that process starts in the mouth with the saliva and the saliva starts
to break down that bond.
Further down as we get into the stomach, the hydrochloric acid and different gastric enzymes
help to further break down that bond.
As the bolus of food gets into the intestines, we have something called intrinsic factor,
and the intrinsic factor further helps to release b12 from this protein binding.
Now intrinsic factor is a transport protein, and this helps vitamin B12 to be both absorbed
and carried into the body through the intestines, and this process is known as endocytosis.
Now this process is actually simplified when we find vitamin B12 in a supplement or in
fortified food.
In this case, vitamin B12 is not protein bound and is therefore more readily absorbed, especially
for people who may have some of their digestive process or enzymes compromised by health conditions
or medications.
Now, the recommended daily allowance for men and women ages 14 and over is 2.4 micrograms
per day.
What foods are rich in Vitamin b12?
Well, we can find vitamin B12 in foods that are of animal origin, including fish meat,
poultry, eggs and dairy products.
Fortified foods that contain B12 include some breakfast cereals and nutritional yeast.
In most cases, it is not difficult to get most vitamin B12 from natural dietary sources.
For example, a six ounce container of plain fat free yogurt contains one microgram per
serving, or in other words, 43% of your recommended daily intake.
One large whole cooked egg contains 0.5 micro.
Or 19% of your daily intake and nutritional yeast contains a whopping 8.3 to 24 micrograms
or.
346 to 1000% of a person's recommended daily intake.
How common is Vitamin B12 deficiency?
Well, in people under the age of 60, the data shows that B12 deficiency is fairly rare and
only affects up to about 6% of the population.
However, for those over 50, this can reach up to 20% of the population.
What are the signs and symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency?
Well, a person who may have a B12 deficiency may appear somewhat pale, weak, they may have
low energy.
They also may experience hair loss.
Other signs could be something called megaloblastic anemia that can show up in blood work, and
this refers to large abnormally nucleated red blood cells.
Glossitis of the tongue is also a possible sign of B12 deficiency.
In addition, there can also be neurological symptoms such as numbness and tingling of
the hands and feet, and often this can occur without the presence of anemia on a blood
test.
So it's important that you do report these signs or symptoms to your primary care provider
so they can look into this more closely.
Is there a link between vitamin B12 deficiency and depression?
Some studies have shown that there could be a link.
However, these studies are not yet conclusive.
Some people have reported that by taking a vitamin B12 supplement, their mood or energy
seems to improve.
I do not recommend this unless you speak with a pharmacist or a primary healthcare provider
first.
Now, the good news is that the body does store quite a large amount of vitamin B12, so it
would take quite a while for symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency to occur.
Typically, the body can store anywhere from 1000 to 2000 times as much as it needs for
its daily intake, so we can really take quite a long time for an actual deficiency to start
to show up either in blood work or in symptoms of a patient.
So who is more at risk of a vitamin B12 deficiency?
Well, people who do not eat meat, poultry, or fish, are at a higher risk for deficiency,
and we do see that lower vitamin B levels in vegetarians are more common than in non-vegetarians.
This is why it's important for people who do not eat animal products, to eat foods that
are fortified with these B vitamins.
There is an autoimmune condition called pernicious anemia, and this occurs when the body attacks
its own cells in the digestive tract.
And when this happens, this can compromise the production of something I mentioned earlier,
a compound known.
Intrinsic factor, and you'll remember that without intrinsic factor, it makes it very
difficult for the body to absorb and transport vitamin B12.
So people who suffer from this autoimmune condition are at an increased risk for vitamin
B12 deficiency.
People who have had intestinal surgeries or suffer from digestive issues such as Crohn's
or Celiac disease are also at increased risk because the body may be less able to absorb
vitamin b12.
Another important risk factor for vitamin B12 deficiency is age.
It is estimated that 10 to 30% of people over the age of 50 have difficulty absorbing vitamin
B12 from their diet and this is in part because as we age, the stomach actually starts to
produce less of these gastric enzymes and less hydrochloric acid, which makes it more
difficult for the body to break down this protein- bound vitamin B12.
A reminder that this video is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a
replacement for seeking care from a healthcare professional.
Please do not make any changes to your medications or supplements without consulting your healthcare
provider.
Can Vitamin B12 interact with medications?
Something that I want to draw your attention to is a class of medications called proton
pump inhibitors.
These medications are used to reduce the amount of stomach acid that someone produces, and
if you want more information on these medications, they're very widely prescribed and sometimes
they're prescribed for very long periods of time without adequate follow up.
So I will put a link to that video right here and you can have a look.
What happens when we decrease the amount of stomach acid that is being produced is that
we are also decreasing the body's ability to break up this protein- bound vitamin B12,
and this can leave a person more prone to deficiency.
This happens with medications like Pantoprazole, Omeprazole, and even sometimes ranitidine
or famotidine.
So if you are concerned about this and you are wondering if you still need to be on these
medications, do not stop your medication, but maybe have this conversation with a healthcare
provider as to whether you really still need to be on this medication long term.
Metformin is the other medication to watch out for.
Metformin is very widely prescribed for pre-diabetes and type two diabetics.
It is used quite effectively to help decrease insulin resistance.
However, it also reduces the amount of B12 that is being absorbed by the body, and so
people who have been on metformin may be more prone to a vitamin B12 deficiency.
So it's a good idea to get your vitamin B12 levels checked if you are on this medication.
So how do we treat vitamin B12 deficiency?
Usually this is treated by an injectable formulation of vitamin B12, and that's because in doing
this, it actually bypasses any type of barriers that might be presented by the digestive system,
and it allows us to actually treat the problem more efficiently.
Do vitamin B supplements keep you awake?
Some people do report that if they take a vitamin B12 oral supplement, or even a vitamin
B complex, it does tend to give them a fair amount of energy and can disrupt their sleep.
So an easy remedy to this would be that if it is recommended by your healthcare provider
that you supplement with one of these vitamins, that you take them in the morning rather than
in the evening, and this should help to offset any type of energy or sleep disruption that
it would cause.
Ideally, our nutritional needs should be met primarily through food.
However, there are some cases in which this is not the case and supplementation or fortified
foods are necessary in order to maintain adequate levels of vitamin B12.
If you've enjoyed this video and you've been struggling with fatigue, check out my video.
About lesser common reasons that you may be feeling fatigued.
Thank you so much for joining me.
Take care and stay healthy.
Bye bye.