A very important nutrient, vitamin B12 must be dosed at each blood test: however, here’s how to notice its deficiency and what you can do
Also called cobalamin, vitamin b12 is water soluble and only partially accumulated in the body: this means that it is it is essential to introduce it with the diet, to have the correct amount in the blood. Its role is essential for the proper functioning of the organism and, in particular, it is necessary for the metabolism of amino acids, nucleic acids and fatty acids, as well as for the production of red blood cells and bone marrow. In case you are deficient in vitamin b12, the body sends signals: here are which ones.
As we have already anticipated, vitamin b12 plays a central role in the proper functioning of the body and it is involved in various biological processes, among which there is also the transformation of nutrients into energy, a far from trivial issue. Since the body struggles to accumulate it, it is important that it is introduced through the diet: today we will explain in which foods it is found, in which cases one could be deficient of this vitamin and what can be done about it.
Vitamin b12: where is it?
It is crucial to say that vitamin b12 it is found in foods of animal origin. Here it is present in its coenzymatic form, therefore bound to proteins and is made available thanks to some gastric enzymes. Specifically, it is found in fish, milk, eggs, meat and liver and, depending on the food you eat, the percentage of vitamin b12 that your body absorbs is different.
From milk and meat, for example, 60% of that actually present is absorbed. For products deriving from fishing, on the other hand, the percentage drops to 30-40% while for eggs the percentage is even lower, around 10%. Beyond the question of bioavailability, even with cooking an important part is lost of vitamin b12, around a third.
For a middle-aged man and woman with a correct lifestyle, the daily requirement of vitamin B12 is around 2-2.4 mcg. In pregnancy, however, an integration of this quantity may be necessary under medical advice, so as to also provide it to the fetus.
Vitamin B12 deficiency: what to know
When you are deficient in vitamin b12, the main symptoms that the body manifests are paleness, weakness, tingling in the limbs and fatigue. Other more specific symptoms are disturbed vision, red and sore tongue, the presence of memory and psychological balance problems and also the presence of ulcers in the mouth.
Although some of these sensations are not very specific and therefore often not directly linked to this deficiency, if they appear in the presence of other situations they must trigger doubt. One of these conditions related to a possible vitamin b12 deficiency is, for example, a vegetarian or vegan diet.
Who does not eat products of animal origin is much less likely to take vitamin b12 during the day and through food and, for this, may be more exposed to this type of deficiency. Precisely for this reason, the attending physician usually prescribes blood tests, so as to measure the amount of this vitamin and understand if integration is necessary.
malabsorption deficiency
Another situation that can lead to a vitamin b12 deficiency is the malabsorption: the body is unable to absorb and store vitamin b12. The causes are many and varied and they range from the proliferation of bacteria in the small intestine to some diseases, such as AIDS or fish tapeworm infection. Bariatric surgery for weight loss and operations to remove part of the small intestine, as well as repeated exposure to nitrous oxide or the intake of certain drugs also influence malabsorption.
Deficiency in the elderly
This vitamin is very often deficient also and above all in the elderly, which must be periodically checked in order not to make them miss such an important component for the body. In the elderly population, vitamin B12 deficiency is caused by a multiplicity of factors linked both by a reduction in gastric acidity, which decreases the body’s ability to extract this nutrient, and by a change in diet due to high cholesterol, hypertension or diabetes.
However, other factors that influence the absorption of vitamin B12 in the elderly are related to gastric pathologies, gastric surgery or resections, intestinal dysbiosis and to taking specific drugs such as metformin, antacids and histamine receptor antagonists.
Vitamin B12 supplementation
In the event that the person deficient in vitamin B12 follows an omnivorous diet, the attending physician, before prescribing supplements, will suggest a change of feed oriented above all on the introduction or on the increase of the quantities of foods of animal origin. All of this, of course, is preceded by gods specific blood testsin which not only vitamin B12 is measured but also the size of red blood cells is evaluated.
But if the person is vegetarian or vegan, probably we will reason on the assumption of a specific supplement, the frequency of which must be decided with your doctor in order to make up for this deficiency. If you are pregnant, the vitamin B12 deficiency must also be considered from the point of view of the health of the fetus and, for this reason, any integration must also be discussed with the gynecologist who is following the procedure. gestation.