If your blood levels of vitamin B-12 fall below 200 pg/mL, you may be at risk of developing a vitamin B-12 deficiency, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vitamin B-12 is essential to keeping your central nervous system functioning normally. The production of new red blood cells also requires adequate supplements of vitamin B-12. Approximately 1 in every 31 people ages 51 and older lack sufficient supplies of vitamin B-12, reports the CDC.
Risk Factors
The presence of certain risk factors may elevate your likelihood of becoming deficient in vitamin B-12. This nutrient is found naturally in various meat products, including beef and fish, and is generally not found in fruits and vegetables. For this reason, people who maintain a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle may be at risk of having a lack of vitamin B-12 in their bodies. Lactating mothers who don't get enough vitamin B-12 will have low levels of this vitamin in their breast milk. Thus, low vitamin B-12 levels may also develop in infants of vegan or vegetarian mothers who breastfeed. Certain health problems such as pernicious anemia, stomach disorders or alcoholism may interfere in the way the body absorbs vitamin B-12, particularly for older adults. Although you may be consuming adequate levels of this vitamin, your body may be unable to absorb what it needs to continue functioning normally.
Symptoms
Symptoms associated with low vitamin B-12 levels develop slowly over time, making them difficult to detect. Without vitamin B-12, your body can't produce red blood cells, resulting in anemia. Anemia symptoms caused by a lack of vitamin B-12 include fatigue, pale skin, shortness of breath and heart rate irregularities. You may also experience appetite loss, constipation or oral discomfort. See your doctor if you have any of these symptoms.
Complications
Additionally, a lack of vitamin B-12 may cause nerve damage. Poor nerve signaling through the body may cause tingling, vision changes, memory problems, depression or personality changes. Infants and children who don't get adequate supplies of vitamin B-12 may also experience weakness and delays in mental and physical development. Without appropriate treatment, nerve damage and growth delays caused by low vitamin B-12 levels may result in permanent health complications.
Treatment
The most common treatment for vitamin B-12 deficiency is taking a supplement. The duration of treatment depends upon the cause and severity of your deficiency. People with pernicious anemia typically require life-long vitamin B-12 replacement injections. Alternatively, your doctor may recommend treatment with high doses of orally-administered vitamin B-12 supplements until your blood levels of this nutrient return to normal.
References
- Office of Dietary Supplements; Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin B-12; May 2010
- MayoClinic.com: Vitamin B-12; December 2010
- Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University; Vitamin B-12; Dr. Victoria J. Drake; August 2007
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Learn More about Vitamin B-12 Deficiency; August 2009
- MedlinePlus; Anemia - B-12 Deficiency; Dr. Yi-Bin Chen; January 2010
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