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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : August 12, 2019 7:50 PM IST
Vitamin B12 is required for the production of red blood cells. © Shutterstock
Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that your body essentially needs for performing very many functions. Deficiency of vitamin B12 is endemic in Indian population, says a research published in the Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism. It also states that 47 per cent of the North Indian population is deficient in this nutrient.
Vitamin B12 plays a significant role in your body function and its deficiency can lead to various health problems like trouble in walking, shortness of breath etc. It is characterized by symptoms like tingling hands or feet, pale skin, fast heart rate, mouth pain, problem in thinking, irritability, nausea, decreased appetite etc. These signs can potentially affect your mental and physical health.
It has been found that people following a vegetarian or vegan diet, develop vitamin B12 deficiency. Also, those who are above 50 years of age, anemic, and have undergone a surgery, are at an increased risk of vitamin B12 deficiency. Other individuals who may lack this important nutrient are pregnant ladies, breastfeeding women etc.
This water-soluble nutrient is basically present in animal-based foods such as red meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products, fish etc. In case you are vegetarian or vegan, you can opt for cereals, plant milks, bread, and nutritional yeast etc. Now, you may be thinking what is the required amount of Vitamin B12? Well, that depends on certain factors including your age, eating habits, and medical conditions.
According to the National Institute of Health, infants (babies till the age of 6 months) should get 0.4 microgram of vitamin B12 every day whereas those aged between 7 and 12 months should have 0.5 mcg of this nutrient. Kids belonging to the age group of 1 to 3 years should take 0.9 mcg of vitamin B12. Children falling under the age of 4 to 8 years should consume 1.2 mcg of this water-soluble nutrient. Adolescents between the age group of 9 and 13 are recommended 1.8 mcg of this vitamin daily and those above the age of 14 need to intake at least 2.4 mcg vitamin B12. A pregnant or lactating woman should take up to 2.8 mcg daily.
Vitamin deficiency doesn't occur overnight. It takes place gradually. You may take several years to develop vitamin B12 deficiency. As the symptoms of this condition mimic those of some other common health problems, people barely pay heed to it. Vitamin B12 deficiency leads to complications like vision problem, memory loss, ataxia (loss of physical coordination), paraesthesia (tingling feeling in the arms, legs, hands or feet), etc. As the deficiency becomes more serious, the red blood cell count also drops. This makes your body deficient of oxygen leading to fatigue and palpitation. This can also result in nerve damage as vitamin B12 helps in the formation of a fatty substance called myelin, the protector of your nerves.
Your body cannot produce vitamin B12 on its own. So, you need to depend on external sources for its production. Also, your body will not store this vitamin for too long and hence it is important to stick to foods and supplements that can provide vitamin B12. Here is how its regular intake can help you.
Since vitamin B12 is required for the production of red blood cells (RBCs), its deficiency is linked to overall weakness and fatigue. Several studies suggest that vitamin B12 supplementation can be used as potential treatment to combat fatigue and tiredness.
Vitamin B12 deficiency is not directly linked to anemia. Pernicious anemia is a condition where vitamin B12 is not absorbed by the body properly, resulting in overall ill-effects of deficiency. However, with vitamin B12 supplements and shots, there's a good chance that your body can be protected against pernicious anemia.
Sufficient levels of Vitamin B12 are required to lower the levels of a compound called homocysteine that is linked to heart attack and stroke risk. A study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry concluded that increasing dietary intake or supplementation of vitamin B12 along with omega-3 fatty acids could significantly reduce the chances of blood clot formation (resulting in stroke) and heart disease, especially in vegetarians.
The role of vitamin B12 in mental and cognitive improvement has been studied extensively and it was found that, high levels of homocysteine (the compound regulated by vitamin B12) are not only linked to heart disease but also to cognitive impairment or gradual decline in brain function. Studies have suggested that B12 supplementation can play an important role in improving symptoms that indicate delirium.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that daily intake of vitamin B12 supplements was associated with improvement in mental health scores and completion of memory tasks in the elderly population (60-74 years) after a period of 2 years.
Vitamin B12 is extremely important for synthesizing DNA of your cells. Hence with low levels of vitamin B12, DNA defects may result. The importance of vitamin B12 in the body becomes clearly evident when defects in DNA are expressed as birth defects. Studies have linked vitamin B12 deficiency with neural tube defects (NTD) and higher risk of Down's syndrome in children.
Keeping in mind the role of vitamin B12 in DNA synthesis and repair, several researchers explored the association between B12 and cancer. One of them was a study by Slattery and colleagues which reported that high intake of vitamin B12 along with folate and vitamin B6 reduced the risk of colon cancer by 30% to 40% in participants having genes that can increase the risk of cancer in them.
Vitamin B12 is known for its role in boosting immune-function. This function was clearly indicated by a study published in the journal Gut, which assessed role of vitamin B12 supplements in patients with hepatitis C infection. Out of 94 patients with HCV infection, the ones who received vitamin B12 supplements along with the standard treatment for hepatitis C showed increased response rate against the virus after completion of the treatment. Overall, the viral response was reported to strengthen by 34 percent.
Although there are only a few studies analysing the role of vitamin B12 in Alzheimer's disease, there is evidence that increased vitamin B12 levels could prevent Alzheimer's by reducing the levels of homocysteine in the body. A study highlighted that with every picomolar increase in the level of active vitamin B12 reduced the risk Alzheimer's by two percent.
study by Coppen A and Bolander-Gouaille C showed that along with folic acid, low levels of vitamin B12 are also linked to mood disorders and clinical depression. Further, it has also been found that low levels of B12 interfere with the proper response to treatment with antidepressants. The study suggested that supplementation of vitamin B12 may help to improve outcomes in people with mood disorders.
