There are over 80 types of autoimmune disorders, reports the University of Maryland Medical Center. Each of these disorders has a different effect on your body, caused by the autoimmune response you experience. Autoimmune diseases that affect your body's ability to absorb B vitamins might lead to a deficiency in one, or several, of those vitamins. Such a deficiency might contribute to neurological problems, weight loss or pernicious anemia, a disease that affects red blood cell development. Discuss taking vitamin B supplements with your doctor if you have an autoimmune disease.
B Vitamins
Vitamin B refers to all the vitamins known as the B complex. There are eight B vitamins that your body requires for optimal health. These are folic acid; thiamine, or B-1; riboflavin, B-2; niacin, B-3; pantothenic acid, B-5; pyrodoxine, B-6; biotin, B-7; and cobalamin, B-12. B vitamins support the conversion of food into fuel and are important for metabolism. B vitamins also play an important role in creating red blood cells and supporting your central nervous system.
Autoimmune Diseases
Your immune system, when it is working as it is supposed to, kicks into gear when a harmful substance like a virus or allergen is introduced into your body. An inappropriate immune system response occurs when you have an autoimmune disease, and your immune system prompts your body to attack itself. Your immune system responds differently depending on the disease and the part of the body affected. Autoimmune diseases typically affect blood vessels, connective tissues, red blood cells, joints, muscles, skin and the endocrine glands, such as thyroid or pancreas.
B Vitamin Levels
Autoimmune diseases might impact B vitamin levels. Celiac disease, for example, causes the immune system to attack the small intestine, damaging the villi, small finger-like nodules that are required for absorption of nutrients. Gluten, a protein in barley, rye and wheat, activates your autoimmune response when you have this disorder. Vitamin B deficiencies can occur with this disease because of malabsorption of dietary sources of the vitamin through the small intestine.
B Vitamins in Treatment
B vitamins are a recommended as a complementary treatment for autoimmune disorders, and indicated for use with disorders such as thyroiditis, celiac disease and pernicious anemia. In the case of pernicious anemia, vitamin B-12 deficiency is a diagnostic criteria, because this autoimmune disorder makes you unable to absorb vitamin B-12 from your gastrointestinal tract. Your doctor will test your vitamin B-12 levels and if there is a deficiency, she might prescribe vitamin B-12 injections, a nasal preparation or vitamin B complex oral supplements.
References
- Medline Plus: B Vitamins
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Vitamins - Overview; Linda Vorvick
- Medline Plus: Autoimmune Disorders
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Autoimmune Disorders – Overview; David C. Dugdale
- Medline Plus: Pernicious Anemia
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Thyroiditis; Steven D. Ehrlich
- Univerisity of Maryland Medical Center; Pernicious Anemia - Overview; David Dugdale
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