There have been quite a number of studies that correlate infertility with a vitamin B12 deficiency.  Although a vitamin B12 deficiency is relatively easy to detect and treat, it often goes undetected until after expensive fertility treatments have been tried.  Worse, many multivitamins include folic acid, which can mask the B12 deficiency, but have only minute quantities of vitamin B12.

Vitamin B12 is naturally found in food products derived from animals.  However, many health-conscious women are choosing to eliminate these foods from their diets in order to live longer.  Vegetarian women who do not consume vitamin B12 supplements – even if they take multivitamins – have no way of obtaining this essential vitamin.  As time goes on, their excess vitamin B12 stores get depleted.

Dr. Bennett has written about his patients in the medical literature.  He told stories of women who have had numerous miscarriages due to a vitamin B12 deficiency.  These women went to fertility specialists and high-risk doctors in the hopes of carrying a baby to term, only to be devastated when the pregnancy terminated.  These women were given hormonal treatments.  Yet, they still had multiple miscarriages.

Fortunately, these women were referred to Dr. Bennett, a hematologist who specializes in blood disorders.  He diagnosed these women with a vitamin B12 deficiency, then resolved this problem.  These women were finally able to have normal pregnancies and deliver healthy babies.

Women are not the only ones affected by a vitamin B12 deficiency.  Additional research has demonstrated that men who have a vitamin B12 deficiency have fertility issues too, specifically with regard to low sperm counts.  These same studies have shown that B12 supplementation in addition to Clomid effectively increases sperm counts.

If you are a man or woman who is trying to have a baby, you should have your plasma B12 levels checked to ensure a viable pregnancy and a healthy baby.

There are new studies that show that people with AIDS usually have a vitamin B12 deficiency.  Furthermore, AIDS victims who are B12 deficient suffer more than those who are not B12 deficient.

AIDS is the acronym for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.  It weakens the immune system, leaving its victims prone to cancers and infections.  The root of this is HIV, acronym for Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

Vitamin B12 is found naturally in meat, fish, eggs and dairy products.  This vitamin is absolutely vital for nerve development.  Without this vitamin, the nerve cells don’t form properly, and the electrical impulses go haywire.  Symptoms of a B12 deficiency include memory loss, depression, fatigue, numbness and tingling of extremities, dizziness and paralysis.

There have been several studies on the relationship between a vitamin B12 deficiency and AIDS.  Researchers at John Hopkins University found that people with a deficiency in vitamin B12 or vitamin A had a faster progression of AIDS symptoms than those without this deficiency.  A different study found that those who had low plasma B12 levels had a shorter duration of AIDS-free symptoms than those with normal levels.

Yet a third study found that vitamin B12 actually slowed down the rate of HIV infection of blood cells.  The scientists concluded that vitamin B12 may be an effective treatment for HIV in addition to current drug therapies.

About one-third of people with AIDS are B12 deficient.  It’s possible that they don’t absorb vitamin B12 well due to their diarrhea symptoms.  It’s also possible that AIDS patients have reduced hydrochloric acid and intrinsic factor in their stomachs, preventing them from assimilating this vitamin into their bloodstream.

The symptoms of AIDS are strikingly similar to those of a B12 deficiency.  One-third of AIDS victims suffer from neuropathy, which is a burning tingling of the hands or feet.  There is a strong possibility that the root of this neuropathy is a vitamin B12 deficiency, and that this can be corrected with high doses of vitamin B12.  In addition, late-stage victims of AIDS are known to develop dementia, another symptom that correlates to a B12 deficiency.

Until any research can prove conclusive, it is recommended that people suffering from AIDS should supplement their diets with Vitamin B12.

Pernicious Anemia is a genetic condition that causes a vitamin B12 deficiency.  A person with pernicious anemia is missing the stomach cells that produce intrinsic factor, a protein that is necessary for the absorption of vitamin B12.

Vitamin B12 is made in the guts of animals.  We obtain this vitamin from eating meat, chicken, eggs and dairy products.  An enzyme in our stomach – called pepsin – separates the vitamin B12 from the protein.  The vitamin B12 is then picked up by intrinsic factor, a protein manufactured by parietal cells.  The intrinsic factor carries the B12 to the ileum, a section of the intestine.  Receptor cells in the ileum assimilate the vitamin B12 into the  bloodstream.  In the absence of intrinsic factor, the B12 is useless.

Pernicious anemia is a blood disorder, due to a vitamin B12 deficiency.  Vitamin B12 is necessary for the formation of red blood cells.  Someone who has pernicious anemia has fewer red blood cells.  Our organs derive energy from oxygen, which are delivered by the red blood cells throughout the body.  When there are insufficient red blood cells, a person has less oxygen and becomes tired.

Vitamin B12 is also necessary for nerve cell formation.  A vitamin B12 deficiency leads to a host of neurological problems.  Therefore, additional symptoms of pernicious anemia include weakness, pale skin, dizziness, shortness of breath, loss of muscle control, cold hands and feet, headaches and memory loss.

Pernicious anemia needs to be treated with supplementation of vitamin B12 and folic acid.  If it is not treated, the nerve cells will ultimately die and neuropathy takes place.

There are countless stories of people who were suffering from pernicious anemia, but were misdiagnosed and treated with ineffective medications.  These people nearly died as a result.  Awareness of the signs and symptoms of this disorder will lead to proper treatment.  If you are suffering from the symptoms mentioned above, get your blood plasma B12 levels checked immediately.

People who undergo gastric bypass surgery are likely to develop a vitamin B12 deficiency.  Vitamin B12 is absorbed in the stomach.  When surgeons cut off a part of the stomach, they prevent the release of enzymes necessary for the absorption of vitamin B12.

Vitamin B12 is produced in the guts of animals, and is found in meat, chicken, eggs and dairy products.  This vitamin is bound to the protein of the food we eat.  Pepsin – an enzyme in our stomach – removes the vitamin B12 from the protein.  Intrinsic factor is a protein that binds to the B12 and brings it to a section of the intestine called the ileum.  The ileum has receptor cells that absorb the vitamin B12 and pass it along to the bloodstream.

The stomach produces hydrochloric acid.  The enzyme pepsin works only in the presence of hydrochloric acid.  When part of the stomach has been removed or sectioned off, cells that secrete intrinsic factor (which binds to the B12) and hydrochloric acid are destroyed.  Therefore, none of the chemical reactions needed to obtain vitamin B12 can take place.

Vitamin B12 is necessary for proper nerve growth and red blood cell formation.  Signs of a vitamin B12 deficiency include dizziness, memory loss, depression, tingling of the hands and feet, loss of bladder control, fatigue, weakness and constipation.

A vitamin B12 deficiency that is left untreated can lead to paralysis, internal bleeding and death.

It is imperative that anyone who undergoes gastric bypass surgery should discuss with his/her doctor how to obtain vitamin B12 through injections or supplements.

The medical community has recently recognized that Vitamin B12 helps prevent heart disease.  The reason is that vitamin B12 is involved in the metabolism of homocysteine, a toxic amino acid.

When there is too much homocysteine in the bloodstream, the blood vessels become inelastic and are unable to dilate.  Then, fatty deposits stick to the walls of the arties.  This turns into plaque, which leads to heart attacks and strokes.  This plaque formation in the arteries is commonly known as atherosclerosis.

Although the relationship between vitamin B12 and heart disease has only recently become publicized, this information was actually discovered by Dr. Kilmar McCully over 30 years ago, in 1969.  At that time, he studied the occurrence of heart attacks in children, and concluded that the culprit was high levels of homocysteine, due to malabsorption of vitamin B12.  He wrote that vitamin therapy could counteract these problems in children as well as adults.

Dr. McCully argued with the common belief that the primary cause of heart disease is cholesterol.  The medical community did not acknowledge his research or his findings, so this was hidden from the public until recently.

There are many studies done over the last decade that support Dr. McCully’s claims.  For example, a study done in Israel found that men living in Israel were more likely to suffer heart attacks than men living in the United States.  The researchers concluded that this result was due to lower B12 plasma levels in the Israeli men.

Despite the knowledge of how vitamin B12 affects heart disease, doctors still check blood cholesterol primarily to determine cardiovascular risk.  Even so, many victims of heart attacks and strokes actually have blood cholesterol levels that are within the range of normal.

If you want to determine your likelihood of developing heart disease, tell your doctor to check your blood plasma B12 levels.

There are children who are brain-damaged as a result of a vitamin B12 deficiency.  Some of these children are born with an inability to properly metabolize B12, and this condition was not detected at birth.  In other cases, they were born to mothers who are overly concerned with their health, who exclude animal proteins from their diets.  Such diets are known as vegetarian or vegan.

Women today are concerned with unnecessary hormone injections in cows, chickens and pigs.  The implications of these hormones on humans are not yet known.  In addition, documentaries have reported that most farm animals are mistreated and bombarded with antibiotics, then sold to grocery stores for consumers.  Who would want to knowingly ingest such an animal and risk developing an antibiotic resistant illness?

Our generation is also well aware of the medical literature that reports higher mortality rates due to obesity, which recommends the reduction of fat intake.  For all these reasons, it would seem that the only way to be healthy is to eliminate animal proteins from our diets, right?

The answer is: wrong.  Animal protein is the only natural source for vitamin B12.  A woman who eats a strict vegan diet has no way of obtaining vitamin B12, unless she chooses to supplement.  This puts her at grave risk for a vitamin B12 deficiency.

A mother who does not consume any animal products is liable to put her baby in grave danger, especially if she chooses to nurse exclusively.  She can eat as many healthy fruits, vegetables and nuts as she can, and still be deficient in vitamin B12.

Vitamin B12 is necessary for nerve cell formation.  A vitamin B12 deficiency in a growing baby can cause neurological problems, developmental delays, and mental retardation.

In one case, a baby of a vegetarian mother ceased talking and stopped growing at eight months old.  Fortunately, a few months later one doctor diagnosed the vitamin B12 deficiency before permanent brain damage could set in.

Studies demonstrate that 80% of all people who are on vegan diets for at least two years have low levels of plasma B12.  Therefore, doctors need to test pregnant women for a vitamin B12 deficiency in order to protect unborn children from harm.

Jonathan E. Prousky, ND, MS_C has recently used vitamin B12 to treat a wide range of mental illnesses and neurological conditions in patients who are not deficient in vitamin B12.  He notes that there are many people with blood plasma B12 levels that are on the low end of normal according to accepted medical practice.  Even so, these people are still prone to symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency notwithstanding.

Dr. Prousky has successfully used vitamin B12 injections to treat all of the following neurological symptoms:  anxiety, delusions, depression, hallucinations, fatigue, mood swings, memory problems, muscle weakness, neuropathy and psychoses.  Since vitamin B12 is safe and effective, more doctors should make use of it to treat the mental and physical impairments as mentioned.

There are many studies that support this hypothesis.

In one study, twenty-nine people complaining of fatigue participated in a study.  All of them had seemingly “normal” blood plasma B12 levels.  Still, those who received the vitamin B12 injections reported increased happiness and feeling of well-being.

A second study involved 16 geriatric patients, between 60 and 85 years of age.  All of these patients had dementia, but normal liver function.  Following three months of treatment with vitamin B12, all of the patients had a marked improvement in their condition.

Yet another study evaluated the effects of vitamin B12 on patients with personality problems, as diagnosed using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI).  The participants had the following diagnoses:  depression (two patients), paranoid schizophrenia (one patient), insomnia (one patient), recurrent duodenal ulcer (one patient), cocaine addiction (one patient), angioneurotic edema (one patient) and others.

All of these patients were at least 16 years old and were not taking medication for their ailments.  Amazingly, even though their serum B12 levels had been within the range of normal, they all benefitted from high doses of vitamin B12 supplementation.

To substantiate these studies, Dr. Prousky has also utilized vitamin B12 to treat his own patients and has concluded that the findings of these studies are true and accurate.  His theory is that high doses of vitamin B12 can alter the chemical reactions in the brain and nervous system.

In conclusion, patients reporting mental and neurological disorders can benefit greatly from high doses of vitamin B12.

Here is a list of drugs that can cause a vitamin B12 deficiency in their users.  The primary reason is that these drugs interfere with the body’s ability to absorb vitamin B12.  Many people are totally unaware that these pharmaceuticals cause malabsorption of vitamin B12, and are therefore at risk for a vitamin B12 deficiency.

In general, people over age sixty have reduced levels of stomach acid.  The acid is necessary to aid in the extraction of vitamin B12 from the food we eat, such as meat, fish, eggs and dairy products.

To further complicate matters, doctors often prescribe medications to treat different stomach illnesses.  These medications reduce the levels of stomach acid even further, which greatly impedes the absorption of vitamin B12.

Here are some drugs that interfere with absorption of vitamin B12:

1. Drugs for heartburn and ulcers:  Prevacid, Prolisec, Protonix, Nexium, Zantac, Tagamet, Axid, Alternagel, Maalox, Mylanta, Riopan and Tums.
2. Drugs for diabetes, potassium deficiency and congestive heart failure:  Glucophage, Glucovance, K-Lor, K-Lyte, Klotrix, K-Dur, Micro-K, Slow-K and potassium chloride.
3. Drug to treat gout:  Cholchicine.
4. Drug to treat high cholesterol:  Questran.
5. Drug to treat infections:  Neomycin.
6. Drug to treat tuberculosis:  Para-aminosalicylic acid.

These drugs can be highly problematic for seniors, who are prone to vitamin B12 deficiencies to begin with.  To make matters worse, many doctors don’t routinely administer blood tests to check blood plasma B12 levels.  There are many seniors who suffer from memory loss, fatigue, clumsiness, difficulty sleeping and tremors, but are not aware that these symptoms can be easily alleviated by taking vitamin B12 supplements.

If you know anyone taking the medications mentioned above, please tell him to have his blood plasma B12 levels checked.

The symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency are strikingly similar to other illnesses.  For this reason, it is important to become familiar with the signs of a vitamin B12 deficiency in order to treat it properly.  People who are at greatest risk for this are smokers, vegans, anyone over the age of fifty, and children of vegans.  Here is a partial list of symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency:

1. Fatigue – Suffering from a lack of energy.  Since vitamin B12 is necessary for proper blood cell formation, a lack of vitamin B12 leads to smaller blood cells, and therefore carries less oxygen and nutrients to the rest of the body, leading to fatigue.
2. Memory loss – Forgetfulness of important information.  As mentioned previously, vitamin B12 is necessary for blood cell formation.  Low levels of B12 lead to smaller blood cells, and less nutrients for the body and the brain.  In the case of someone with a severe vitamin B12 deficiency, the memory loss can be mistaken for Alzheimer’s disease or senile dementia.
3. Depression – Feelings of sadness and worthlessness are often attributed to an underlying mental illness, and a vitamin B12 deficiency may go unnoticed.
4. Anemia – A low red cell blood count.  A vitamin B12 deficiency leads to the creation of fewer red blood cells in the body.
5. Vision loss – Vitamin B12 is necessary for the proper formation of nerve cells in the body.  Specifically, vitamin B12 is needed for the fatty membrane surrounding the nerve cells, known as the myelin sheath.  Without this myelin sheath, the electrical signals being passed by the nerve cells go haywire in the body, with many consequences.   This loss of vision can be reversed with injections of vitamin B12.
6. Dizziness – Poor coordination and clumsiness may be due to a severe vitamin B12 deficiency.  As mentioned previously, improperly formed nerve cells cause electrical impulses to be lost in transmission.
7. Muscle weakness –   Muscle weakness can be in the arms or legs, also due to nerve cell issues.
8. Tingling sensation in either the hands or feet – Low levels of vitamin B12 affects nerve cell development, and loss of muscle control is a symptom of a vitamin B12 deficiency.
9. Urinary incontinence – Also a loss of muscle control due to low levels of vitamin B12.
10. Paralysis – A total loss of muscle control sets in when stores of vitamin B12 are depleted from the body.

As you can see, many symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency can be easily confused with symptoms of other illnesses.  If you are suffering from any of the above, you should have your blood tested for a vitamin B12 deficiency.

The habit of smoking has been shown to cause a vitamin B12 deficiency, as a result of a study in Thailand.  This study was done by researchers at the University of Mahidol in Bangkok, Thailand.

The country of Thailand was well-suited for this study since it is estimated that 23% of the 52 million people residing there are smokers.  This is unfortunate as smoking has been linked to respiratory illnesses, heart disease, strokes, cancer and higher mortality rates.  The components of cigarettes are to blame.  Besides nicotine, there are hundreds of chemical compounds in cigarettes that cause these illnesses.

Vitamin B12 is necessary to help the body break down a toxic amino acid, known as homocysteine.  High blood levels of homocysteine lead to plaque buildup in the arteries, which causes heart disease and strokes.  These high levels of homocysteine are usually indicative of a vitamin B12 deficiency.  For purposes of this study, homocysteine blood concentrations of the volunteers were measured, in addition to vitamin B12 blood plasma levels.

Scientists at the Unversity of Haidol enlisted a total of 271 healthy men between the ages of 19 and 62 years old.  They were residents in suburban and urban areas of Bangkok, Thailand.  These volunteers consisted of 174 smokers and 97 non-smokers.  The study measured overall homocysteine concentrations, as well as plasma vitamin B12 levels.

The results indicated that smokers had higher levels of homocysteine and very low levels of vitamin B12, indicating a vitamin B12 deficiency.  The scientists have hypothesized that  the toxic substances inherent in cigarettes deactivate the vitamin B12.

If you are a smoker, you are probably suffering from a vitamin B12 deficiency and should supplement your diet with vitamin B12.