Vitamins, including vitamin B12, play a role in many tissues in your body. A lack of vitamin B12 can cause problems with making red blood cells and can damage your nerves. This can be corrected by taking sublingual vitamin B12, particularly if you have problems absorbing this vitamin. Talk to your doctor to determine if you have vitamin deficiencies and need supplements.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is also known as cobalamin. This vitamin is typically found in animal-based foods, such as eggs, milk, fish, poultry, pork and meat. Vitamin B12 can also be added to foods, such as cereals and fortified breads, to prevent deficiency. Coblamin is critical for converting fats, proteins and carbohydrates into energy and also plays an important role in DNA synthesis. A lack of vitamin B12 also affects red blood cell production and the synthesis of myelin, a substance that forms a protective covering over nerves.
Deficiency
If you have signs of a vitamin B12 deficiency, you may need to take vitamin B12 supplements. Vitamin B12 has a critical role making new red blood cells, so a deficiency in this vitamin can cause pallor, fatigue and drowsiness due to a lack of red blood cells, also known as anemia. Too little vitamin B12 can also cause nerve damage or neuropathy, causing tingling, numbness or pain in your extremities.
Absorption
One thing that can cause a vitamin B12 deficiency is poor absorption. Vitamin B12 is absorbed by the small intestines and the absorption of this vitamin requires a substance, known as intrinsic factor, to be made by the stomach. Problems with your small intestine or with intrinsic factor production can make it hard for you to absorb dietary vitamin B12. If this occurs, you can take a sublingual supplement, which bypasses your digestive tract.
Considerations
Sublingual vitamin B12 supplements should be placed under the tongue until they completely dissolve, as the vitamin is absorbed by the mucous membranes in your mouth. These types of supplements are only necessary if you have poor B12 absorption, and a study published in a 2003 issue of the "British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology" found that there was no difference in the effectiveness of sublingual vitamin B12 compared to oral vitamin B12 absorption in normal adults.
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