If you're eating a well-balanced diet, you might assume that your body's nutritional needs are being sufficiently satisfied. With regard to vitamin B12, that may not be the case. Several other factors affect your ability to absorb vitamin B12, and without them, this nutrient can pass through your system undigested. Certain substances secreted by your stomach and intestines are required to ensure that you absorb enough B12.
Hydrochloric Acid
B12 is naturally present in animal-based protein sources such as meat, eggs, dairy and poultry. In order for you to absorb B12, this vitamin must first be separated from the protein that binds it. That's where hydrochloric acid steps in. The parietal cells of your digestive system produce hydrochloric acid and secrete it into your stomach, where it aids in detaching B12 from protein. As you age, your parietal cells can atrophy and become less efficient at releasing hydrochloric acid, a condition known as atrophic gastritis. According to the book "Vitamin and Mineral Requirements in Human Nutrition," you can bypass the need for hydrochloric acid by consuming B12 in forms that aren't bound to protein. These include B12-fortified cereals and B12 vitamin supplements.
Intrinsic Factor
Once B12 is detached from protein in your stomach, an enzyme called intrinsic factor helps your intestines to absorb it. Without intrinsic factor, B12 cannot pass through the intestinal wall and into your bloodstream. Pernicious anemia is a disorder resulting from a lack of intrinsic factor. The Office of Dietary Supplements states that B12 injections are the most common way of delivering B12 to those who lack intrinsic factor. Even without intrinsic factor, you may be able to absorb a small percentage of the dosage of a B12 supplement, which may indicate that B12 megadoses may be an alternative to injections in treating B12 deficiency due to pernicious anemia.
B12 Deficiency
Vitamin deficiencies can be extremely dangerous to your health. Your liver stores a large amount of B12, and deficiencies of this nutrient may take years to show up, but the health repercussions can last a lifetime. One effect of B12 deficiency is megaloblastic anemia, a condition where your body fails to produce mature, normal-sized red blood cells. Fatigue, weakness and decreased cognitive function can result. Neurological complications are also possible. Tingling in the hands and feet, a common neurological symptom of B12 deficiency, can progress to permanent nerve damage if your B12 deficiency is not addressed.
Caution
Consult your doctor if you think you have a B12 deficiency. If you have megaloblastic anemia it is especially important to discern whether the cause is a folate deficiency or a B12 deficiency. Folate deficiency can cause megaloblastic anemia just as B12 deficiency does, but mistaking a B12 for a folate deficiency can prevent you from getting the proper treatment, and nerve damage can result, according to the Linus Pauling Institute.
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