Vitamin B12 has a complex chemical structure with a role in your nervous system, your circulatory system and physiological enzyme functionality. In the circulatory system B12 is needed to produce sufficient amounts of red blood cells. If B12 is unavailable or unusable, your body will develop pernicious anemia. Chronic anemia has been associated with rheumatoid arthritis and should be properly diagnosed after consultation with a licensed medical professional.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is present in certain foods, such as meat, shellfish, eggs and milk products. It is added to other foods and is available as a supplement. Digested B12 combines with a substance called intrinsic factor inside the stomach and then it can be absorbed by your body. The recommended dietary allowance for vitamin B12 is 2.4 mcg. Vitamin B12 is highest in beef liver, clams, fortified cereals and fish. Common causes of B12 deficiency include dietary malabsorption and vegetarianism.
Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory condition, mostly affecting small joints in your hands and feet. It is unlike the wear-and-tear damage of osteoarthritis. It commonly begins between the ages of 40 and 60 and affects women three times as often as men. It is considered an autoimmune disorder, but the cause of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown. Often, individuals with rheumatoid arthritis have a vitamin B12 deficiency, which can be diagnosed by a physician.
Vitamin B12 and Arthritis
As far back as William Salter's discussion about anti-anemia vitamins in the 1950 issue of the "Annual Review of Medicine," vitamin B12 has helped anemia and sclerosis patients. Later, in a 1978 study published by T. Igarai in the "Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine," the author states that an abnormality in B12 metabolism is an important factor in individuals who develop rheumatoid arthritis. Recently, anemia and B12 deficiency have been associated with several inflammatory conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis.
Considerations
Many years of research have gone into exploration of diet and rheumatoid arthritis with no concrete conclusions. In rheumatoid arthritis patients studied by R. Segal in the January 2004 issue of "Rheumatology International," 24 percent of the 276 patients had decreased B12 levels, while 15 percent of the patients in E. Bloxham's 2011 "Postgraduate Medical Journal" study had similar numbers. No current studies have investigated an increase in dietary B12 as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, even though B12 deficiency occurs in high incidence within the study groups.
References
- Linus Pauling Institute; Vitamin B12; Jane Higdon; August 2007
- Mayo Clinic; Vitamin B12; April 2011
- National Institutes of Health; Anemia -- B12 Deficiency; January 2010
- "Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases;" Anaemia in Rheumatoid Arthritis -- Role of Iron, Vitamin B12...; G. Vreugdenhil, el al.; 1990
- National Institutes of Health; Vitamin B12; June 2011
- Mayo Clinic; Rheumatoid Arthritis; November 2009
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