B-12 Vitamin Deficiency

Consuming a High-Protein Diet With a B-6 Deficiency

Vitamin B-6, or pyridoxine, is a water-soluble vitamin that your body uses for protein metabolism and more than 100 other enzyme reactions. Although a vitamin B-6 deficiency is relatively rare in the United States, people with certain chronic conditions may be at risk. Because your body uses vitamin B-6 to break down proteins, you need more of the vitamin if you are consuming a high-protein diet.

All About B-12 Vitamin Deficiency

What Juice Is Good for B-12 Deficiency?

All of the B-vitamins are necessary for your body to function properly, as they play a vital role in making fuel out of food. Vitamin B-12 is crucial to the manufacture of DNA and RNA, which are the body’s building blocks...

Intrinsic Diet

Some people don't produce enough intrinsic factor, leading to B-12 deficiencies that can cause bowel problems, pale skin, fatigue and other problems. Dietary corrections cannot cure intrinsic factor deficiencies alone, but a di...

How to Treat Low B12

Vitamin B-12 is one of eight vitamins that make up a larger group of vitamins known as B complex. B-12 helps your body make healthy red blood cells and plays an important role in neurological function and in the production of g...

Macrocytic Diet

If you have macrocytosis, it means that your red blood cells are bigger than they should be. People with macrocytosis often exhibit no symptoms, so this condition is usually detected during a routine blood test. Treating macroc...

Toe Numbness & B12

If you experience chronic numbness or tingling in your toes, it could be a sign of a vitamin B-12 deficiency. Your doctor will be able to measure vitamin B-12 levels in your body to determine if this is the cause of your sympt...

Leg Pain and Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

If you're not getting enough of this important vitamin, your body will let you know, often through pain in the legs or other extremities. While pain related to a vitamin B-12 deficiency can negatively impact your life, prompt t...

Is it Safe to Take Sublingual B12?

There are three primary ways you can take a vitamin B-12 supplement: orally, injected or sublingually. A sublingual supplement requires you to place a tablet or lozenge under your tongue and allow it to dissolve. The tissue und...

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency & Swollen Hands

Vitamin B-12 is a vitamin found in many foods as well as in supplement form. A deficiency in this vitamin might occur if your dietary intake is too low, because this vitamin is not stored in your body. Your body requires vitami...

Does a Vitamin B-12 Deficiency Cause Petechiae?

If you fail to get enough vitamin B-12, you may experience several negative side effects, but red spots on your skin, known as petechiae, are not generally associated with a B-12 deficiency.

The Spleen & Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

Adults typically need about 2.4 mcg of vitamin B-12 daily. Your body stores vitamin B-12 in your liver, making vitamin B-12 deficiency rare. The impaired ability to absorb vitamin B-12 often causes deficiency. Severe vitamin B-...

Does a B-12 Deficiency Cause Elevated Liver Enzymes?

Vitamin B-12 is a term for two related nutrients that you need for basic purposes such as day-to-day nerve function and creation of your DNA. While a B-12 deficiency has many potential consequences, it will not damage your live...

Cobalamin Deficiencies

Sometimes, despite a balanced diet, deficiencies occur. Vitamin B-12 exists in several forms known collectively as cobalamin. Metabolic abnormalities and diseases that affect your intestines -- the primary absorption site -- ca...

Polycythemia & Elevated B12

Vitamin B-12, also known as cobalamin, is needed for red blood cell production. Correcting a vitamin B-12 deficiency can unmask the symptoms of polycythemia vera.

Is B-12 Deficiency Hereditary?

Nutrient deficiencies prevent your body from functioning optimally. Vitamin B-12 deficiency typically occurs when your diet lacks sufficient B-12. However, in rare cases, an inherited genetic mutation prevents your body from ma...

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency and Thyroid

Too much thyroid hormone results in hyperthyroidism, while too little results in decreases in thyroid function, or hypothyroidism. Research links vitamin B-12 deficiency to development of hypothyroidism.

Vitamin B Deficiencies and Rashes

Your body needs a variety of nutrients to operate at its best, including the eight B vitamins, each of which your body needs regularly. If you develop a deficiency in some of these, you may experience side effects that include ...

Senile and a Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

Research suggests that vitamin B-12 deficiency and dementia may be closely linked, and in some cases vitamin B-12 supplementation improves symptoms. Speak to your health care provider about vitamin B-12 supplementation for deme...

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency & Tooth or Gum Pain

Vitamin B-12, also known as cobalamin, is an essential micronutrient that aids your digestive and central nervous systems and helps build red blood cells. According to the National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Suppl...

Does Sublingual B12 Really Work?

Vitamin B-12 supplements come in a variety of forms, including patches, oral tablets and sublingual lozenges. Vitamin B-12 lozenges placed directly under the tongue dissolve in the saliva, and the body absorbs the vitamin throu...

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency & Bruising

Vitamin B-12 is an essential, water-soluble vitamin needed for the formation of healthy blood cells, DNA and neurological functioning. It's found naturally in abundance in animal products like fish, chicken, eggs, milk and meat...

Vitamin B Deficiency, Fatigue, Ridged Nails & Rash

Vitamins are essential nutrients for your body. Without an adequate amount of B vitamins you can develop deficiency that can lead to fatigue, ridged nails and rash, among several other symptoms. There are eight B vitamins you n...

Can a Vitamin B-12 Deficiency Cause Itchy Skin?

It can occur with or without a rash, in small areas or the whole body. Identifying the cause is important to ensure proper treatment. While there are several potential causes of itchy skin, it has not been directly linked to a ...

Antacids and B12

It's found in foods of animal based origin and your stomach needs to produce sufficient amounts of hydrochloric acid to make vitamin B-12 available for absorption. Long-term use of antacids may contribute to a vitamin B-12 defi...

Can a Vitamin B-12 Deficiency Make You Retain Water?

People need vitamin B-12 as part of their regular diet, and those who don't get enough can develop medical conditions as a result of the deficiency. While a B-12 deficiency is associated with a wide range of symptoms and condit...

Can B-12 Deficiency Cause Brain Lesions?

Your nervous system is your body's communications system; it includes your brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves. Deficiencies in vitamin B-12 can result in symptoms related to nerve damage and have also been linked to brain...

B-12 and Ferritin Deficiencies

The amount of ferritin in your blood is directly linked to the amount of iron in your body. Vitamin B-12 is required for metabolism and a healthy nervous system. A simple blood test can determine the levels of ferritin and B-12...

Dry, Cracked Heels & Vitamin B-3 Deficiency

Vitamin B3 is essential for healthy skin, and a deficiency in this vitamin B3 can result in a condition known as pellagra. One of the most common symptoms of pellagra is cracked and scaly skin, which can appear all over your bo...

Untreated Vitamin B-12 Deficiencies

Vitamin B-12 is one of the many B-complex vitamins the body needs to remain healthy. A deficiency in this vitamin can cause several unwanted symptoms. If left untreated, a B-12 deficiency can cause pernicious anemia or megalobl...

Spirulina & B Vitamin Deficiencies

Spirulina, a type of seaweed, may help you meet your need for vitamin B or treat mild deficiencies. The B vitamins help your body metabolize fats and proteins and convert carbohydrates to sugar to supply your body with needed e...

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency & Finger Pain

Vitamin B-12 deficiency can damage the nervous system, causing symptoms of numbness or tingling in the hands. Consult your doctor if you have finger pain and you suspect you may have vitamin B-12 deficiency.

Is Vitamin B-12 Deficiency Commonly Misdiagnosed?

Vitamin B-12 deficiency causes a variety of nonspecific symptoms that can be easy to miss. Symptoms of vitamin B-12 deficiency can resemble those caused by lack of sleep or overworking. Untreated vitamin B-12 deficiency poses a...

Rapid Heartbeat From B-12 Deficiency

A rapid heartbeat is known as tachycardia, or a resting heart rate of 60 to 100 beats per minute. This can have many causes, but a vitamin B-12 deficiency is not typically one of them. However, being deficient in B-12 carries i...

B-12 Deficiency and Dizziness

B-12 is particularly important for the production of red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout the body. B-12 is also important for the health maintenance of the nervous system, which includes the brain and nerves. A def...

Heredity & Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

Your body needs vitamin B-12, and this water-soluble nutrient is widely available in animal-based foods such as meat, chicken, fish, eggs and dairy products. For some people, however, consuming the recommended amount of dietary...

Tremors & Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

If you become deficient in this vitamin, you can experience many adverse effects, including tremors, numbness or muscle weakness. Certain people are at greater risk of developing a B-12 deficiency than others, so it is importan...

Can Vitamin B Deficiency Cause a Sore Tongue?

Low levels of vitamin B-12, vitamin B-6 and folate, a B vitamin, can cause anemia, or a lack of healthy red blood cells. This condition often causes symptoms in the tongue, including soreness and inflammation.

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency & the Bipolar Connection

This disorder, as well as other neurological and psychological problems, is linked to nutrient deficiencies, particularly of vitamin B-12, "Psychology Today" notes. Vitamin B-12 is an essential vitamin found in dairy products,...

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency and Weight Loss

Vitamin B-12 plays an essential role in fat and protein metabolism and in the body's production of red blood cells. Inadequate consumption or absorption of this nutrient can cause vitamin B-12 deficiency, a condition with poten...

Low Cholesterol Diets & Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

Since such diets limit intake of animal products, it is possible if taken to extremes that they could lead to vitamin B-12 deficiency. Vitamin B-12 only occurs naturally in animal products.

Do Intestinal Problems Cause a Vitamin B-12 Deficiency?

Vitamin B-12, or cobalamin, is a member of the B-complex family. Even though it is water soluble -- excess intake is easily eliminated in your urine -- your liver stores enough vitamin B-12 to last for up to six years, accordin...

Rates of Vitamin B-12 Deficiencies in the Elderly

Many older adults do not absorb sufficient amounts of vitamin B-12 from food or supplements. Insufficient absorption of vitamin B-12 can lead to vitamin B-12 deficiency, a condition causing symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, s...

Gastroparesis as a Cause of Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

Gastroparesis is caused by damage to the vagus nerve, which controls stomach muscles. Gastroparesis is a common complication of diabetes and stomach surgeries such as gastrectomy. If you have gastroparesis, you are more likely...

What Is a Normal B12 Count?

Inadequate intake or absorption of vitamin B-12 can cause vitamin B-12 deficiency. If you have signs of this deficiency, you may need a blood test to determine B-12 levels in your blood.

Can Vitamin B-12 Deficiency Cause Hallucinations?

B-12 is one of several important B-vitamins necessary for good mental health, among other important functions. Vitamin B-12 deficiency may result in psychiatric problems such as depression and, in severe cases, hallucinations. ...

Prescriptions for Treating B Vitamin Deficiencies

The B vitamins are some of the most important in the body. Since they are water soluble, they do not get stored. You must replenish them everyday, and this can lead to deficiencies. Fortunately, most of the grains and cereals i...

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency & Sleep Problems

Vitamin B-12, also called cobalamin, is found in all foods of animal origin. It is the largest in size and the most complex of all the vitamins. The role of vitamins and minerals within the body is to act as either a cofactor ...

Effects of a Vitamin B-12 Deficiency on the Brain

Adequate B-12 is necessary to prevent a variety of medical complications, including anemia, weight loss, constipation, numbness and tingling in your extremities and a sore tongue. Vitamin B-12 deficiency can also have a profoun...

B12 for Bipolar

Without B vitamins, you could suffer from symptoms of depression and fatigue. Dr. Jim Haggerty of PsychCentral.com says that some alternative medicine practitioners recommend vitamin B-12 shots for patients suffering from depre...

B12 Sublingual Liquid Remedy

Some people may have trouble absorbing vitamin B-12 in the digestive tract, so it is available in a form you can absorb under your tongue. If you have a B-12 deficiency, don't take sublingual B-12 drops without speaking with yo...

How Does Low B12 Affect Someone?

If you are a vegan, or a vegetarian who does not eat enough animal products, such as eggs, you may be at risk for vitamin B-12 deficiency. This deficiency is also common among alcoholics, those with Crohn's disease and the brea...

Are Sublingual B-12s Efficient Enough for Deficiency?

A vitamin B-12 deficiency occurs in around 10 percent to 15 percent of individuals over age 51, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. As for the general population, vitamin B-12 deficiency affects 1.5 percent to 15 percent....

Can Vitamin B-12 Deficiency Cause Pyroluria?

Vitamin B-12 deficiency does not cause pyroluria, a genetic abnormality. Pyroluria results from a defect in your hemoglobin production that produces too much of a byproduct called pyrroles. Hemoglobin is a protein that houses i...

Sudden Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

An essential B-complex vitamin, cobalamin helps your cells extract energy from fats and proteins and activates enzymes that indirectly protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer. A vitamin B-12 deficiency can develop sud...

Does B12 Help With Memory?

An increase in memory loss is associated with aging and many individuals would like to take precautions to prevent this from occurring. Vitamin B-12 is a supplement touted as one way to boost memory. It's important for the agin...

Alcohol & Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

In addition to working in conjunction with the other B vitamins to break down protein, fat, and carbohydrates for fuel, vitamin B-12 helps protect your nerve fibers to ensure proper function. Symptoms of vitamin B-12 deficiency...

A Substitute for B12

Similarly, individuals who have been advised to avoid animal products due to chronic health conditions such as high cholesterol may also be deficient in B-12. Nutritional yeast provides an adequate substitute for B-12 in the di...

Vitamin B Deficiencies and Eyes

These nutrients play an important part in the regulation of chemical processes, such as converting food into energy. If you have a deficiency in certain B vitamins, this could result in eye problems. Knowing the B nutrient defi...

How Can a Raw Vegan Get Enough B12 a Day?

Vitamin B-12, also known as cobalamin, is part of the B family of vitamins, which are involved in the metabolism of nutrients from food sources. This vitamin aids in the production of myelin, which helps protect nerve endings a...

B-12 Therapy for Deficiencies

Vitamin B-12 is a B vitamin that is needed for a variety of different functions in the body. A lack of vitamin B-12 can be caused by inadequate intake or poor absorption. Deficiencies must be treated with supplementation of thi...

Are B12 Megadoses Unhealthy?

Although your body needs vitamins in small amounts to work properly, taking too much of a vitamin can be bad for you. Although megadoses of vitamin B-12 are relatively non-toxic, they can cause some potential problems and will ...

Does Alcohol Cause Vitamin B-12 Deficiency?

You need to have adequate vitamin intake for your body to work properly. Some vitamin deficiencies, such as a vitamin B-12 deficiency, are more common in people who drink heavily. Heavy alcohol intake can cause you to consume l...

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency and Anxiety

Vitamin B-12 deficiency can result in numerous physical symptoms, including fatigue, lightheadedness, loss of appetite and shortness of breath -- even in cases of mild deficiency. Long-term deficiencies that cause nerve damage ...

Vitamin B-6 Deficiency and Dermatitis

Vitamin B-6, one of the B-complex group of vitamins, helps control immune responses, assists in red blood cell formation and helps maintain blood glucose levels. Deficiency of B-6 rarely occurs in the United States, since many ...

How Common Are B-12 Deficiencies?

Dietary sources of the vitamin include meat and dairy as well as fortified foods. You can also buy vitamin B-12 supplements. While deficiency is uncommon in younger adults, the risk of inadequate levels of vitamin B-12 increas...

Signs of Deficiency for Riboflavin B-2

Riboflavin, more commonly known as vitamin B-2, is one of eight B vitamins that work together in the body to convert the carbohydrates in the food you eat into glucose, which is used as fuel by your cells. The B vitamins also h...

Why is B12 Useful?

Vitamin B-12, one of the water-soluble B vitamins, is used by the body in several important metabolic processes. Typically, the body cannot store water-soluble vitamins, but vitamin B12 is special in that the body can store it ...

B-12 Deficiency Levels & Symptoms

Most people get enough of this vitamin, but vegans and vegetarians may need to take a supplement to ensure they get adequate amounts. Without enough vitamin B-12, significant health problems can arise. If you think you may be a...

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency & Nerves

Vitamin B-12, also known as cobalamin, is important for proper function of the nervous system, the formation of blood cells and also metabolism, especially of nucleic acids such as DNA. Vitamin B-12 deficiency primarily affects...

I Have a B-12 Deficiency, What Can I Eat to Raise It?

Vitamin B-12 is attached to food protein, which makes protein the best source of food to add to your diet to raise it. There are several types of food protein but B-12 is only found in animal proteins which include meat, seafoo...

Reasons for Low B12

Vitamin B-12 allows your body to create red blood cells and keeps your nervous system functioning properly. Vitamin B-12 is the only water-soluble vitamin that your body can store, so most people do not develop low levels. Whil...

B-12 Deficiency Disease and Vitamins

Vitamin B-12 is a B complex vitamin, needed to make DNA in the human body and important or nerve function. Vitamin B-12 deficiencies can be caused by a lack of this vitamin in the diet or poor absorption of this vitamin.

How to Prevent a B-12 Deficiency With Vitamins

For this reason, says MayoClinic.com, it's relatively unusual to be deficient in B-12. However, elderly people may have difficulty absorbing the vitamin B-12 they consume due to normal age-related changes in the digestive syst...

B12 & Foot Numbness

Animal-derived foods, such as chicken, eggs and milk are great sources of this vitamin, but those who follow vegan diets are at risk for a vitamin B-12 deficiency. One symptom of a vitamin B-12 deficiency is foot numbness.

What Is a B12 Level?

Vitamin B-12 is a water-soluble vitamin that is vital for the healthy development and function of the brain, nerves, blood cells and other parts of the body. The incidence of B-12 deficiency appears to increase with age, and is...

What Is the Maximum Daily Dose of B12?

Vitamin B-12, also called cobalamin, belongs to the B-complex water-soluble vitamins. It is required for several important biological functions in your body, and deficiencies can cause severe symptoms. Supplements containing vi...

What Is Needed to Absorb B12?

Vitamin B-12 is a water soluble vitamin naturally present in animal proteins such as meat, poultry, fish, and, to a lesser extent, milk. It is required for the proper development and function of the brain, nerves, blood cells a...

B-12 Deficiency & Burning Feet

Vitamin B-12 plays a role in driving several important biochemical reactions in your body, including reactions required for the function of your nervous system. A deficiency in vitamin B-12 can cause several health problems, in...

Causes of Vitamin B-12 Deficiency & Anemia

Vitamin B-12 deficiency is one of the most common deficiencies in the United States, according to Harvard Medical School. The two largest at-risk groups are vegetarians or vegans and people over the age of 50. B-12 is responsib...

Chronic Gastritis & B-12 Deficiency

Vitamin B-12 can be found in animal foods, such as meats, eggs and dairy products. In some cases, such as chronic gastritis, regardless of your dietary B-12 intake, the body is unable to absorb vitamin B-12 from foods. You will...

What Gastrointestinal Problems Does B-12 Deficiency Cause?

Vitamin B-12 is a water-soluble B-complex vitamin that the body requires for red blood cells production, DNA synthesis, metabolism and maintenance of healthy nerve cells. Vitamin B-12 naturally occurs only in animal foods, such...

Signs & Symptoms of Borderline B-12 Deficiency

It is necessary for the production of healthy red blood cells and for the maintenance of nerve cells. Throughout the body, vitamin B-12 is needed for the synthesis of new DNA molecules, and deficiency in the vitamin can occur a...

Nexium & Vitamin B Deficiency

GERD is a condition in which stomach acid flows back into the esophagus, causing heartburn and sores in the lining of the esophagus. Long-term use of Nexium and other proton pump inhibitors may cause a vitamin B deficiency.

Deficiencies of B-12

Vitamin B-12, referred to as cobalamin because it contains cobalt, is a water-soluble micro-nutrient that's a member of the B complex of the others of which are thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, bioti...

What Causes Vitamin B-12 Deficiency?

Without it, you would be unable to make DNA or maintain healthy cells. Adequate levels can help prevent heart disease and decreased mental status as you age. It is even used by athletes to help improve energy levels. Vitamin B-...

What Causes Iron, Vitamin B-12, B-6 and D Deficiency?

Whole foods are the best sources of micronutrients, and supplements can help you meet your daily requirements. With many micronutrients, inadequate dietary intake is a major cause of deficiency. However, certain medical conditi...

What Are the Symptoms of Vitamin B Deficiencies?

Since B vitamins are water soluble, they leave your system when you sweat or urinate. If you don't receive enough B vitamins, this can create a deficiency in a short period of time. While your body only requires small amounts o...

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency Levels

Vitamin B-12 functions to maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood cells, as it's a coenzyme that assists with the formation of blood. A deficiency develops when the body is unable to absorb vitamin B-12 from the intestinal t...

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency & Leg Cramps

Most people are able to obtain sufficient amounts of vitamin B-12 from dietary sources but certain groups are at risk of deficiency. Low levels of vitamin B-12 may affect many bodily functions, including the leg muscles.

Can Deficiency of Vitamin B-12 Cause Walking Problems?

If you do not consume or absorb enough vitamin B-12, you may develop symptoms of a deficiency. A B-12 deficiency can lead to a variety of serious neurological problems, such as walking problems, if left untreated. These symptom...

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency & Exercise

A vitamin B-12 deficiency can occur at any time in your life. Most frequently, however, it occurs when you are pregnant, suffer from alcoholism, have Crohn's disease, pernicious anemia or celiac disease, or are a vegetarian. A ...

Facts on B12

Although vitamin B-12 is water-soluble -- which means the body uses what it needs and then excretes excessive amounts in urine -- the body stores extra amounts of this nutrient in the liver. Not getting enough vitamin B-12 in t...

Symptoms of Vitamin B Deficiencies

B-complex vitamins include B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B12 and folic acid, or B9. B-complex vitamins are necessary for metabolism and supporting normal growth and development, according to the American Cancer Society. Sources of B ...

Vitamin B-2 Deficiency

The amount of vitamin B-2 the body requires varies depending on gender and age, but ranges between 0.3 mg per day for infants to 1.3 mg per day for males over the age of 14, according to MedlinePlus. Not getting enough vitamin ...

Vitamin B Deficiencies & Vision

One set of nutrients, called B vitamins, plays an important role in your health and well-being. These vitamins include thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, biotin, folic acid and vitamin B12. If you have a defi...

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency in Pregnancy

Eating a well-balanced diet that includes food sources of vitamin B-12 and taking a prenatal supplement compensate for the additional demand on your body. However, if you have a severe vitamin B-12 deficiency, your baby is at r...

What Are the Causes of Vitamin D & B-12 Deficiencies?

One of these vitamins, vitamin D, is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps maintain the health of your bones. Another vitamin, water-soluble vitamin B-12, helps your body create red blood cells, keeps your nerves healthy and plays a...

How Serious Is a Vitamin B-12 Deficiency?

If left untreated, vitamin B-12 deficiency can be very serious, leading to anemia and even permanent nerve and brain damage. B-12 has several functions in the body --- it helps form red blood cells, maintain nerve tissue health...

How to Check B12 Levels

Vitamin B-12 levels are checked to assist in diagnosing blood or metabolic disorders. These disorders may impact the body's ability to absorb this vital nutrient. Vitamin B-12 deficiencies can occur for a variety of reasons inc...

Deficiencies in Vitamin D, Iron and B-12

A deficiency in a particular vitamin or mineral develops when your body does not have access to enough of that vitamin or mineral for a prolonged period of time. A deficiency can occur as a result of a lack of adequate dietary ...

Can a Vitamin B-12 Deficiency Cause Eye Floaters?

Among the many roles of B-12, this vitamin helps form your red blood cells and aids in your neurological processes, explains the Office of Dietary Supplements of the National Institutes of Health. A deficiency in B-12 could res...

The Schilling Test & B12

The test has four stages, but all stages may not be necessary for a diagnosis. Vitamin B-12, also called cobalamin, is derived from protein food sources. It is essential for production of red blood cells and helps maintain the ...

How Much B12 Should a Senior Have?

Vitamin B-12 may also protect you against cardiovascular disease. As a senior, you may need to supplement your diet with a form of vitamin B-12 that's easier for your body to absorb. In some cases, you may require larger doses ...

How to Take Methyl B12

Vitamin B-12 supplements are derived from a variety of sources. According to "Contemporary Nutrition," cyanocobalamin is the most commonly used source for vitamin B-12, although hydroxocobalamin, methylcobalamin and 5-deoxyaden...

B12 Absorption

Your body needs vitamin B-12 to produce healthy red blood cells and ensure that nerve impulses travel throughout your nervous system properly. Vitamin B-12 is the only water-soluble vitamin that your body is able to store. Howe...

Signs & Symptoms of Being Low on B12

According to the Centers for Disease Control, vitamin B12 deficiency is present in one out of every 31 people aged 51 years or older. Deficiency of this vitamin can cause anemia and neurologic and psychiatric problems. Vitamin ...

What Raises Homocysteine?

Various reasons for an increased level have been given, however, including vitamin deficiency, certain medications and diseases.

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency & Vision

You can get B-12 in animal-based products like meats, fish and dairy products; people who do not eat these types of foods may need B-12 supplements to avoid a nutritional deficiency. B-12 deficiencies can cause multiple health ...

Can a Vitamin B-12 Deficiency Cause Vertigo?

Vitamin B-12 is a vital factor in your body’s ability to synthesize DNA, produce red blood cells and maintain a healthy nervous system. If you eat meat, eggs, dairy products, fish or poultry on a regular basis, you’...

Can Vitamin B-12 Deficiency Cause Hypoglycemia?

Vitamin B-12 is necessary for metabolism, red blood cell production and maintaining healthy nerve cells. Vitamin B-12 is naturally found in animal foods such as red meat, fish, eggs and milk. Hypoglycemia is low blood glucose l...

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency Signs & Symptoms

An estimated 10 to 15 percent of people over age 60 are affected by vitamin B-12 deficiency, according to Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. Without sufficient amounts of this nutrient, your body may have diffi...

The Definition of B12

Vitamin B-12 is part of the B complex vitamins. In combination with folate, another B complex vitamin, B-12 plays an important role in the formation of red blood cells, the cells that carry oxygen in the blood to all of the bod...

Information on Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

Everyone needs to consume a certain amount of each of these vitamins, and if you consume too little, you will suffer from vitamin deficiency. Vitamin B-12 deficiency can cause macrocytic anemia and neuropsychiatry disorders. V...

B12 Requirements

Vitamin B-12 belongs to a group of vitamins called water-soluble vitamins. Vitamin B-12 dissolves in water upon entering the body and travels directly into the bloodstream. Most water-soluble vitamins are excreted in your urine...

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency Among the Elderly

Thirty percent of individuals age 50 and older are deficient in vitamin B-12, states the Harvard Medical School. The journal "Annual Review of Nutrition" concurs, and finds that the deficiency is primarily due to the decreased ...

Diets for Anemic People

Red blood cells help provide oxygen to the body tissues. Their deficiency leads to a condition called anemia that is characterized by fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pain and problems in concentration and thinkin...

What Are the Differences in B12?

Vitamin B-12 is necessary for the synthesis of DNA and for the production of red blood cells. Vitamin B-12 is also important for the maintenance of a healthy central nervous system. Vitamin B-12 deficiency is treated using vita...

Vitamin B Deficiencies & Nerve Damage

This highlights the broad necessity for B vitamins by the body. In the nervous system, vitamin B deficiency can lead to neurological disturbances of varying degrees. The B vitamins are a collection of chemicals including vitami...

Symptoms of Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

Vitamin B-12 helps maintain healthy red blood cells and nerve function and is necessary for DNA production, the genetic material in all cells. The American Academy of Family Physicians explains that as many as 15 percent of adu...

Signs of a B12 Shortage

Vitamin B-12, also called cobalamin, is not found in any plant sources, but only animal-sources. This is why a strict vegetarian is at risk for developing a vitamin B-12 deficiency. The vitamin binds to a protein called intrins...

Mild Vitamin B-12 Deficiencies

Vitamin B-12 also aids in proper DNA synthesis. Because the liver stores excess amounts of vitamin B-12, deficiencies can take months or years to develop, according to Lab Tests Online.

Symptoms of Lacking B12

Vitamin B-12 also help your body generate energy from fats and proteins. Because the body cannot produce vitamin B-12, you must acquire it from your diet or a supplement. Inadequate dietary intake or diminished absorption of vi...

Psychological Effects of a Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

About one of every 31 adult Americans 51 and older suffers from a deficiency of vitamin B-12, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People need vitamin B-12 for their bodies to produce red blood cells and...

How Can Vitamin B-12 Deficiency Be Fixed?

Your body can store the vitamin in the liver for up to five years, making a B-12 deficiency rare in healthy adults. However, people with malabsorption deficiencies or malnutrition are at greater risk of developing a B-12 defici...

B Vitamin Deficiencies

They have a role in the metabolism of amino acids, carbohydrates and fats. B vitamins are necessary for reactions that take place in the skin, nervous system and blood, and they are vital for the maturation of blood cells. B-vi...

Why B Vitamin Deficiencies Lead to Lack of Energy

There are eight B vitamins, though they often go by names such as niacin, thiamine, pyroxidine and riboflavin. All B vitamins work within the body to convert carbohydrates to energy. The body does not create B vitamins, so peop...

Mental Symptoms of a Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

Vitamin B-12 plays an important role in helping the body produce chemicals that promote good mental health. The body needs vitamin B-12 to make both serotonin, which helps regulate moods, and melatonin, which is necessary for ...

What Causes Vitamin B Deficiencies?

Deficiency of the B vitamins can lead to a variety of conditions, ranging from nervous system disorders such as beriberi due to vitamin B-1 deficiency and skin disorders due to B-2 and B-5 deficiencies to severe anemia and memo...

Folic Acid & Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

MedlinePlus explains that along with vitamin C, folic acid and vitamin B-12 work in the use, creation and breakdown of proteins. A deficiency of either of these vitamins may lead to serious health problems.

Absorption of B12

Poor absorption and a resulting deficiency of vitamin B12 can lead to anemia and a variety of neurologic symptoms.

Information About Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

Adults require 2.4 mg of vitamin B-12 per day to ensure the body functions properly. Most American adults consume well over the recommended amount of vitamin B-12; however, vitamin B-12 deficiencies may occasionally occur.

What Is B12 & B6?

Vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 are water-soluble B vitamins. Water-soluble vitamins are important because the body cannot store them. They are excreted in urine, so you need a continuous supply. B vitamins are essential because the...

What Is B12 or Cobalamin?

Although most water-soluble vitamins are usually not stored in the body, vitamin B12 can be stored for years in the liver, according to Medline Plus. Vitamin B12 plays many important roles, and deficiencies are often seen in ve...

About Pantoprazole

Pantoprazole is the generic form of the medication Protonix. According to Mayo Clinic, pantoprazole lowers the amount of acid in the stomach. Drugs.com, an online drug reference, states pantoprazole is classified as a proton pu...

Symptoms and Causes of Vitamin B 12 Deficiency

Vitamin B12 is responsible for creating red blood cells that allow oxygen to be carried throughout the body. This is extremely important for many essential functions, including maintaining a normal nervous system. B12 is distr...