You need vitamin B-12 for forming DNA and red blood cells and for maintaining proper functioning of your nerves. This vitamin is found mainly in animal products, and, unlike most water-soluble vitamins, extra vitamin B-12 is stored for a time in your body. However, some people lack a substance called intrinsic factor that is needed to absorb vitamin B-12 from food.
Role of Intrinsic Factor
In most people, the stomach makes a protein called intrinsic factor, which combines with vitamin B-12, yielding a complex that the body can absorb. If your stomach does not produce intrinsic factor, or doesn't produce enough of it, any vitamin B-12 you consume will travel though the digestive system and be excreted as a waste product without being absorbed.
Lack of Intrinsic Factor
If you lack intrinsic factor, you will develop a condition called pernicious anemia, which is a vitamin B-12 deficiency that causes you to have fewer red blood cells. The red blood cells you do have tend to be too large, which is why this type of anemia is also called megaloblastic anemia. Symptoms include feeling weak and tired, pale skin, dizziness, trouble concentrating, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, diarrhea and a swollen tongue or bleeding gums.
Treatment
Consuming more foods rich in vitamin B-12 won't help cure your anemia if you lack intrinsic factor. You will need to take vitamin B-12 pills or shots, with shots being the more common treatment. You may need the vitamin shots more often in the beginning to correct your deficiency. Once the deficiency is addressed, you can reduce the frequency of shots to once a month, unless the cause for your lack of intrinsic factor is able to be cured.
Considerations
Vitamin B-12 deficiency may be caused by other problems rather than a lack of intrinsic factor. These include not eating enough food containing vitamin B-12, having too little stomach acid to efficiently absorb vitamin B-12 from animal sources, inflammatory bowel disease, disorders that affect vitamin absorption, surgical removal of part of the intestine and using antacids. Permanent damage to the nerves, heart and other parts of your body can occur if this deficiency is not treated.
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