What happens when your b12 is low?

Have you ever been feeling a little off? Like, more off than just your normal level of off that you’ve sort of come to expect from yourself on a daily basis? Well, don’t worry, because it turns out there might be an actual reason for that! And that reason might just be a low level of vitamin B12 in your body.

The Basics

Before we dive too deep into the world of B12 deficiency (ooooh, exciting!), let’s cover some basics about what B12 actually is. Vitamin B12 (also known simply as “B12”) is, like other vitamins, something our bodies need to function properly. Specifically, it plays an important role in helping produce red blood cells and DNA (fancy). It’s found naturally in animal products like meat and dairy (so sorry vegans…), but can also be taken as a supplement or received via injection if necessary.

Now that we know what it is…let’s get to what happens when things go awry!

Symptoms

Okay so first things first: how do you know if you’re deficient in this stuff anyways? Well my friends…it turns out there are quite a few potential symptoms:

  • Fatigue
  • Weakness
  • Tingling/numbness in limbs
  • Difficulty walking/balance issues
  • Pale skin
  • Rapid heartbeat/shortness of breath with exertion
  • Constipation/diarrhea/fullness after eating only small amounts
  • Loss of appetite/weight loss

Yikes. That sounds pretty rough overall. But wait! There’s more…

Specific Populations at Risk

Some individuals may be at higher risk for developing B12 deficiency based on certain lifestyle factors or medical conditions:
 Impaired ability to absorb nutrients by the gastrointestinal tract.
 Lack of meat, poultry or seafood in the diet
 Pregnant women – Vitamin B12 deficiency has been reported to affect up to 80% of pregnant women who adhere to a vegan diet.
 Breastfeeding mothers who follow a vegan diet may also require vitamin B12 supplementation.

Causes

So…how does someone even get deficient in this stuff you might be wondering? (Or maybe not, but I’m going to tell you anyways) There are quite a few ways unfortunately:

  • A lack of B12-rich foods in your diet (pro tip: try some steak!)
  • Malabsorption issues due to gastrointestinal diseases, surgeries or other conditions
  • Certain medications that can interfere with absorption like antacids and certain diabetes medications
  • Overconsumption of alcohol (soooooo basically my weekends…)

Diagnosis

If you’re experiencing any symptoms that make you think you might be lacking B12 or just want to check out your levels for funsies there’s good news–there’s actually an easy way for doctors/nurses/whomever is stabbing syringes into people these days (I don’t know what they do!) Can diagnose deficient patients by performing blood tests. These will measure both levels of B12 itself as well as something called “homocysteine” which is often higher when B12 is low.

So if anything on our list sounds familiar (cough me pretty much all the time), consider chatting with a medical professional about getting tested! Or continue living life without feeling normal every day. Your choice!

Treatment

Okay so let’s say you’ve gone through all the trouble of getting diagnosed and it turns out your B12 level isn’t where it should be (rude)…what now?

Well thankfully there are plenty of treatment options available including:
– Increasing intake via food/supplements/shots depending on severity
– Addressing underlying issues that might be causing absorption problems
– Keeping up with regular B12 screenings for monitoring

The good news is, many people (even those who are severely deficient) bounce back fairly quickly once they start getting the recommended amount regularly (just like your bank account when you finally get paid…great feeling).

Conclusion

To recap: vitamin B12 is a really important nutrient our bodies need to function properly. Unfortunately, a lack of it can lead to some pretty unpleasant symptoms that could impact quality of life in various ways.

If any of what we covered today sounds familiar, consider speaking with a medical professional to see about getting diagnosed/treatment options! Even if everything’s fine and dandy on the B12 front though, we hope this knowledge helps bring new appreciation for just how hardworking our vitamins really are (you go guys!).

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