B12 deficinecy?

Question

What are the symptoms of a B12 deficiency and what happens if it is left untreated?

Answer 1

Vitamin B12 is needed to produce an adequate amount of healthy red blood cells in the bone marrow. Vitamin B12 is available only in animal foods (meat and dairy products) or yeast extracts (such as brewer's yeast). Vitamin B12 deficiency is defined by low levels of stored B12 in the body that can result in anemia, a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells.
Vitamin B12 deficiency can develop for the following reasons:
Absence of intrinsic factor, also called pernicious anemia Intrinsic factor is a protein secreted by cells of the stomach lining. Intrinsic factor attaches to vitamin B12 and takes it to the intestines to be absorbed. An absence of intrinsic factor is the most common cause of pernicious anemia, and it typically causes the stomach lining to shrink (atrophy). This condition often is seen in elderly people of African-American or Northern-European descent. In these people, pernicious anemia develops at about age 60. In children, decreased levels of intrinsic factor can be an inherited (genetic) condition. When this happens, low levels of intrinsic factor produce symptoms of juvenile pernicious anemia in patients younger than age 10. Pernicious anemia occurs more commonly in people who already have diseases that are linked to immune-system abnormalities, such as Graves' disease, hypothyroidism (under-functioning thyroid gland), thyroiditis (inflammation of the thyroid), vitiligo and Addison's disease (adrenocortical insufficiency).
Removal or destruction of the stomach Vitamin B12 deficiency can develop in people who have had surgery to remove part or all of the stomach.
Overgrowth of bacteria Some people develop vitamin B12 deficiency as a result of conditions that slow the movement of food through the intestines (diabetes, scleroderma, strictures, diverticula), allowing intestinal bacteria to multiply and overgrow in the upper part of the small intestine. These bacteria steal B12 for their own use, rather than allowing it to be absorbed by the body.
Dietary deficiency Vegans (strict vegetarians who do not eat any meat, fish, egg or dairy products) can develop vitamin B12 deficiency because they lack vitamin B12 in their diets. In patients with bulimia or anorexia nervosa, vitamin B12 deficiency also can be related to diet. However, your liver can store vitamin B12 for up to five years, so it's rare for diet to cause this anemia.
Symptoms tend to develop slowly and may not be recognized immediately. As the condition worsens, common symptoms include:
Weakness and fatigue
Light-headedness and dizziness
Palpitations and rapid heartbeat
Shortness of breath
A sore tongue that has a red, beefy appearance
Nausea or poor appetite
Weight loss
Diarrhea
Yellowish tinge to the skin and eyes
If low levels of B12 remain for a long time, the condition also can lead to irreversible damage to nerve cells, which can cause the following symptoms:
Numbness and tingling in the hands and feet
Difficulty walking
Muscle weakness
Irritability
Memory loss
Dementia
Depression
Psychosis


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Answer 2

According to my Earl Mindell's Vitamin Bible, signs of a deficiency are pernicious anemia and neurological disorders.

Vegetarians must must guard against deficiency by taking supplements, as B12 is found mostly in animal products.

B12 is not assimilate through the stomach, so supplements should be take sublingually or by injection. Needs to be combined with calcium for proper absorption.

A properly functions thyroid gland is essential for absorption

Recommended dosage is 5-100 mcg daily. Combined with folic acid, can be an energizer.

Answer 3

I found this information:



Pernicious anemia is caused by a deficiency of vitamin B 12. It would show up on a blood test because of the large immature red blood cells that are present. These large red blood cells are very inefficient at carrying oxygen.

It can have at least 2 causes - one a lack of vitamin B 12 rich foods in the diet - two an inadequate amount of the intrinsic factor in the stomach. People at risk for pernicious anemia are veg*ans unless they have a high intake of folacin which helps red blood cells develop to the correct size and shape. However adequate folacin does not repair the nerve damage caused by a vitamin B 12 deficiency.

Actually it can take quite long, up to 5 years, to develop a vitamin B 12 deficiency depending on a person's body stores. The amount of vitamin B 12 your body stores is dependent on the amount of vitamin B 12 rich foods you eat. Animal products are the best source of vitamin B 12 as there are no real good vegetable sources. Unfortunately, by the time a deficiency does occur, it can cause irreversible nerve and brain damage.

In order to absorb vitamin B 12, a person needs the "intrinsic factor" in their stomach. This factor is made in the stomach, but if a person has part or all of their stomach removed, their ability to make intrinsic factor is reduced or eliminated. Basically, the intrinsic factor allows your body to absorb vitamin B 12 and without it, even if you eat foods rich in vitamin B 12, you can still develop a deficiency. In the case of someone having their stomach removed, vitamin B 12 can be administered by injection which must be continued every three weeks for the remainder of life. This method of vitamin administration ensures that it is delivered directly into the blood and bypasses the stomach where the intrinsic factor is insufficient or missing.

One exceptional food is calves liver (one pound per day) which is so high in vitamin B 12 that even people who lack the intrinsic factor absorbed enough vitamin B 12 to prevent pernicious anemia.

Answer 4

my wife took care of a person that had b12 def. became paralyze from the waist down. sued the doctor for not finding it

Answer 5

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