Usage of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) is linked with B12 deficiency and other adverse effects, like osteoporosis.  Your body produces stomach acids for good reason- to absorb vitamin B12 (cobalamin), iron and other essential nutrients.  While heartburn is a painful symptom of acid reflux, having too few stomach acids can also cause debilitating symptoms.

What are PPIs?

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are drugs that lower the amount of stomach acid your body produces.  It’s a popular treatment for preventing acid reflux symptoms like chronic heartburn, and it’s more effective than other acid secretion inhibitors like H2 blockers (Tagamet, Zantac).  Hospitals use PPIs to prevent stomach ulcers in 40%-70% of inpatients.  Examples of proton pump inhibitors are Prilosec, Prevacid, Nexium, Aciphex, and Protonix.

The following illnesses and conditions are treated with PPIs:

• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Barrett’s esophagus
• Dyspepsia
• Gastrinomas
• Zollinger-Ellison syndrome
• Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR)
• Peptic ulcer disease (PUD)
• Stress gastritis prevention.

The 20 Do’s and Don’ts of the GERD Diet

What are possible adverse effects of PPIs?

Severe vitamin B12 deficiency

Long-term PPI usage has been linked with nutritional malabsorption of vitamin B12 (cobalamin) and iron.  Your body needs gastric acid in order to digest vitamin B12 foods sources like beef, chicken, fish, and eggs.  Without stomach acids, vitamin B12 remains bonded to the food you eat and never enters the bloodstream, eventually resulting in vitamin B12 deficiency.  Similarly, insufficient stomach acids also result in iron deficiency.

Because stomach acid production reduces with age, senior citizens, in addition to PPI users, are advised to check their vitamin B12 levels periodically.  Other people at risk for B12 deficiency are vegans, people who suffer from autoimmune and gastrointestinal disorders and anybody who has had gastric bypass or other gastrointestinal surgery.

Gastrointestinal Surgery for Crohn’s (IBD) and B12 Warnings

Osteoporosis

Long-term PPI usage has been linked with increased risk of hip, spine, or wrist fractures resulting from severe osteoporosis.  Researchers believe that PPIs inhibit calcium absorption and bone growth.  In studies, high doses of PPIs were directly linked with osteoporosis, and that risk increased over time.

It should be noted that osteoporosis is also a vitamin B12 deficiency side effect from PPIs, as vitamin B12 benefits include sustained bone mass.

Increased chances of intestinal infection

Long-term and short-term PPI usage can lead to clostridium difficile infection (diarrhea), according to scientific studies published by the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Gut Bugs:Winning the Bacteria Battle

Community-acquired pneumonia

If you stay at a hospital and are given proton pump inhibitors, your chances of acquiring pneumonia during your visit is increased by 30%, according to studies. While the use of PPIs for preventing stress-related ulcers is a valuable life-saving procedure, a significant amount of hospital patients who receive PPIs are not at risk for suffering from ulcers.

Rebound acid hypersecretion

If you try to wean off proton pump inhibitors, you’re likely to experience severe withdrawal effects, including sudden overproduction of stomach acids- hypergastrinemia. For this reason, PPI users become dependent on the heartburn drugs, and may suffer from adverse effects such as diarrhea, stomach tumors, and neoplasia.  Dependence on PPIs happens quickly, as early as one month into prescription.

Heart disease

Studies have linked PPI usage with decreased effectiveness of clopidogrel (Plavix), a medication prescribed for heart disease.  Also, decreased vitamin B12 is linked with increased risk for heart disease and stroke through elevated levels of homocysteine.

12 Healthy Heart Habits, Including Vitamin B12 Supplements

Please tell us…

Have you been diagnosed with GERD, or one of the other illnesses treated with PPIs?  If so, have you noticed vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms like chronic fatigue, “pins and needles” in hands and feet, memory loss, and anxiety?

As always, we welcome your comments, inquiries, and suggestions!

Read more about vitamin B12 deficiency and your gut:

Leaky Gut Syndrome Symptoms and Causes

Absorbing Vitamin B12, a Metabolic Gastrointestinal Journey

5 Ways to Prevent Diverticulosis-Diverticulitis Gastro Illness

Sources:

Proton Pump Inhibitor Use Linked to Clostridium Difficile Infection

Proton Pump Inhibitors Should Have Black-box Warnings, Group Tell FDA

Long-term Proton Pump Inhibitor Therapy and Risk of Hip Fracture- JAMA

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease- NEJM

Acid Blockers Linked to Pneumonia Risk

In a recent video that’s sure to change your perception of autism, Carly Fleischmann, a not-so-typical autistic teenager tell us what it’s like inside her head, explaining why other autistic children act the way they do- bizarre behaviors that continue to puzzle autism experts, like head banging, swaying, and refusal to make eye contact with other people.  Only instead of using verbal communication, of which she is incapable, Carly has learned how to communicate using iPad apps for autism.

Branded “autistic” from birth

Born autistic, Carly started showing the first signs of autism as an infant; developmental delays like her inability to start crawling, sitting upright, walking, or talking at the same age as her twin sister Taryn told her parents that something was amiss.  Experts said that she was mentally retarded, and close friends recommended sending Carly to an institution, but her parents refused.

“I could never do it,” admitted her father.  “How can you give up your kid?”

Instead, they introduced Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), a popular therapy for autism, which also helped her with her severe verbal apraxia.  With ABA, autistic children learn small tasks, one at a time, at their own rate of learning, using positive reinforcement.  From the age of four, Carly started receiving 40-60 hours of one-to-one ABA per week.

“I am autistic, but that’s not who I am.  Take time to know me, before you judge me.”

Still, Carly suffered severe autism, and progress was slow; she would rock back-and-forth incessantly for hours, lash out, break furniture, have sudden angry outbursts, and didn’t seem to comprehend anything that was going on around her, or understand what family members would say in front of her.

But looks can be deceiving…

“You know, I can hear you.”

At the age of 11, Carly was working with a therapist, and she was not happy about it.  She was in one of her “off moods,” and didn’t feel like sitting still to learn her vocabulary.  Sitting in front of a touch-screen device, she communicated her first word- “No.”

That one word opened up the floodgates for her; she started typing more words like “hurt” and “help.”

“People look at me and assume I am dumb because I can’t talk.”

Over the course of months, and after much coaxing from therapists, Carly learned how to type every time she wanted to say something.  She learned how to say things to her parents that she was never able to express verbally, things like “I love when you read to me, and I love that you believe in me. I love you.”

For the first time, Carly, a teenager with autism, had control over her environment.  For the first time, Carly was able to have conversations with her parents.

“I stopped looking her as a disabled person, and started looking at her as a sassy, mischievous teenaged girl,” says her dad.  “She sees herself as a normal child locked in a body that does things that she has no control over.”

Carly describes her symptoms of autism

In her writing, Carly conveys a deep understanding of the world around her.  Likewise, she struggles to get others to understand what her world is like…

On chronic pain: “You don’t know what it feels like to be me, when you can’t sit still because your legs feel like they are on fire, or it feels like a hundred ants are crawling up your arms…I want something that will put out the fire.”

On head banging: “Because if I don’t, it feels like my body is going to explode. It’s just like when you shake a can of Coke.  If I could stop it, I would, but it’s not like turning a switch off.  I know what is right and wrong, but it’s like I have a fight with my brain over it.”

On covering her ears, moaning, and rocking: “It’s a way for us to drown out all sensory input that overloads us all at once.  We create output to block out input.”

On refusing eye contact: “People say that we have a hard time processing information.  It’s not really true, our brains are wired differently.  We take in many sounds and conversations at once.  I take over a thousand pictures of a person’s face when I look at them.  That’s why we have a hard time looking at people.”

On autism experts: “How can you explain something you have not lived or if you don’t know what it’s like to have it?  If a horse is sick, you don’t ask a fish what’s wrong with the horse.  You go right to the horse’s mouth.”

Carly becomes a delegate for autistic kids everywhere

Today, Carly communicates with other nonverbal autistic kids on the internet.  She Twitters like any other teen, and she has a large fan base on Facebook and her blog, Carly’s Voice.

Carly has been the subject of many television talk shows and news segments, like Larry King Live, 20/20, and Ellen, to whom she donated over $500.00 to the Make it Right Foundation.

“Everyone has an inner voice waiting to come out.”

She has also interviewed celebrities like autism advocate Holly Robinson Peete and Joe Mantegna, who has a daughter with autism.  She is also working on her first novel.

Here is her story:

Why post this story on a vitamin B12 blog?

If it seems strange that a site containing information on vitamin B12 deficiency and the vitamin B12 patch would also focus in autism, then know this:

• Vitamin B12 is brain food. In a study focusing on 50 autistic children who were given vitamin B12 supplements, nine of the children saw improvement in language and socialization, in addition changes in biomarkers for oxidative stress.
• Vitamin B12 is good for the nerves. By supporting the myelin sheathe that insulates your nerve cells, vitamin B12 protects you from severe nerve damage like apraxia and paresthesia
• Vitamin B12 deficiency occurs with autism. Many children with autism also have vitamin B12 deficiency.  By supplementing with extra B12, parents of autistic children note a marked decrease in their child’s autistic behaviors.

Read more about autism:

Autism, B12 and Your Child

Autism Facts and Misconceptions- 9 Common Myths about Autism

Autism Videos for Kids, Teens and Parents: You Tube’s Top 10

8 Great Tracking Devices for Autistic Kids, GPS+

6 Great Diets for Autistic Children

Special Needs for Special Pets: Animal Therapy Success Stories

Sources:

Autistic Girl Expresses Unimaginable Intelligence

Unlocking Carly: Using one finger, autistic teen uses iPad, laptop to communicate

Carly Fleischmann — Overcoming Autism

4 Promising Autism Treatments, From Vitamin B12 to Alzheimer’s Drug Namenda

Images, from top:

Pink Sherbet Photography, Horia Varlan

Keeping your heart healthy requires making many lifestyle changes; most people don’t realize that avoiding vitamin B12 deficiency is just as essential for your heart as eating heart-healthy foods, exercising, and reducing stress.  Below are some pointers for preventing cardiovascular disease, including reasons why extra vitamin B12 supplements are beneficial for a healthy heart.

1- Monitor your vitamin B12 levels

Vitamin B12, or cobalamin, supports many necessary functions in your body.  Vitamin B12 helps you produce plenty of red blood cells, helps maintain your nervous system, assists in building DNA, and generally improves metabolism, cognitive functioning, strength, and energy.

Vitamin B12 is also an essential nutrient in the prevention of heart disease and stroke.  By lowering homocysteine levels, vitamin B12 also lowers your risk for coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. The American Heart Association urges people to eat a healthy diet that includes folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 for optimal heart health.

Goal: Get tested! Elderly individuals, people diagnosed with pernicious anemia, patients of gastrointestinal disorders, or anybody who has had gastrointestinal surgery involving the removal of the ileum (gastric bypass) cannot absorb vitamin B12 in the stomach, and must take B12 supplements in order to avoid suffering B12 deficiency.  To find out if you are at risk, request a blood screening for vitamin B12 deficiency from your doctor.

Read more about vitamin B12 and heart disease-

B Vitamins prevent Cardiovascular Disease- B6, B12 and Folate

2- Get moving

All health experts agree that incorporating at least 30 minutes of exercise per day, at least 5 days per week, is the single most important lifestyle change you can make for your heart.  Conversely, increasing evidence indicates that living a sedentary lifestyle- watching several hours of television each day, sitting at a desk for long periods without breaks, and shunning exercise- is one of the biggest contributing factors to heart disease.

Goal: Break it down! If you’re daunted by the idea of spending 30 minutes on a treadmill, plan three 10-minute breaks in the day for exercise, instead.  Walk your dog or do a window-shopping run around the mall (without stopping!).  If you work at a desk, set your timer to alert you to get up and stretch at regular intervals.

Staying Fit with Fibromyalgia: 13 Pain-Free Workouts

3- Eat more heart-healthy foods

Prevent cardiovascular disease by following a low fat, low cholesterol diet.  Avoid saturated trans-fats, and opt instead for small doses of healthy monounsaturated fats, like olive or canola oils.  If you normally eat red meat, switch instead to lean poultry, which also contains plenty of vitamin B12.  In addition to cutting down on fats, you should also eat more vitamin-enriched foods that are low in salt and refined carbohydrates.

Goal: Spice it up! Train your tongue to like nutritious, low-fat foods that have fewer “empty” calories.  Go for high-fiber vegetables, grains, and legumes, lower-fat meats, cheeses, and spreads, and shake things up with dashes of cayenne pepper, ginger, cumin, paprika, turmeric, and granulated garlic.  By focusing on the spices, you’ll feel more satisfied, and less likely to miss that fatty mouth-feel of fried foods.

The Best- and Worst- Cooking Oils for Heart Health

4- Mind your weight

Numerous studies conclude that obesity is one of the greatest health risks that affect people today.  Being overweight overburdens your entire body, contributing to illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, and other life threatening conditions.

Goal: Size it down! By cutting down the size of your plate, you alternatively cut down your dress size.  Try using smaller plates, include veggies, omit surgery drinks, eat slower, and resist the urge to go for seconds.

Vitamin B12 for Weight Loss- Why it Works

5- Don’t ignore the elephant in the living room

If you think you might be suffering some of the symptoms of heart disease, such as breathlessness, heart palpitations, increased sweating, call your doctor right away.  Ignoring even the smallest signs can be a matter of life or death.

Goal: See your doctor! Pay attention to bodily cues, and schedule a checkup, immediately.

6- Keep your emotions in check

Stress, anxiety, and depression are all taxing on your heart.  Succumbing to anger increases your chances for heart attack, as well.

Goal: Talk it out! When you feel nervous, sad, or stressed, confide in a friend or close family member.  If you’re uncomfortable asking others for help, schedule a meeting with a psychiatrist or social worker, instead.

Can Elevated Homocysteine (Low B12) cause Mental Illness?

7- Snuff out the cigarettes

At the very least, you should quit smoking in order to improve your heart health and your lungs.  Smoking is linked with many kinds of cancer, asthma, and chronic bronchitis.

Goal: Don’t give up! If you’ve tried to quit smoking in the past, then try again.  Research shows that the more times you attempt to quit smoking cigarette, the greater the chances of eventually reaching that smoke-free goal.  Ask your healthcare provider about quit-smoking programs, or try using a patch.

Smoking and Vitamin B12 Deficiency

8- Cut down on alcohol

If you drink more than two alcoholic beverages per day, then you need to cut it down.  Research shows that drinking too much alcohol is dangerous for the heart, as well as the liver.

Goal: Seek help! If the notion of keeping your alcohol drinking down to one or two beers each day sounds overwhelming, then you might require extra assistance from Alcoholics Anonymous.

B12 and Alcohol Consumption

9- Sleep soundly

If you snore, then you might be a candidate for heart failure or stroke, according to latest research on the heavy risks of snoring.  Obstructive sleep apnea is one of many factors that may lead to cardiovascular disease.

Goal: Wear your mask! So far, the best treatment for severe sleep apnea is wearing a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure device (CPAP) while sleeping.

10- Take care of your choppers

Over time, your teeth develop a layer of plaque that contains bacteria.  Unless you brush and floss regularly, you can get gum disease, causing bacteria to seep into your blood supply and contributing to heart disease.

Goal: Floss it! Floss and brush morning and evening, and floss after meals.

What your Gums have to Say about your B12 Level

11- Set reasonable goals

Don’t fall victim to the “all or nothing” attitude.  You don’t have to become a health and fitness enthusiast, but nor should you throw up your hands in despair.  Accept that with every one success come numerous setbacks, and that lifestyle changes happen slowly, over a period of weeks, months, or even years.

Goal: Take baby steps! All successful weight-loss and fitness experts encourage you to set small, reachable short-term goals, in addition to the long-term goal of better health.  This allows you to feel a small measure of success, and gives you the motivation you need to stay on the wagon.  Congratulate yourself for losing 10% of your weight, losing a dress size, or every time you make a healthy food choice.

12- Respect your medications

Don’t think that just because you feel better, that you can stop taking your blood pressure medications.  Many heart patients make that common mistake.  If you are unhappy with a side effect of certain medications, then ask your doctor for an alternative.  Conversely, don’t rely on medications alone to keep you healthy. It is essential to follow a heart-healthy diet, in addition to exercising and reducing stress, for optimal cardiovascular health.

Goal: Get organized! Keep your meds somewhere where you won’t forget them.  If necessary, store a batch of precut tablets in a pill keeper.

Brain Drain Medications- Drugs that Drain the B12 out of you

Read more about vitamin B12 deficiency:

Vitamin B12 Deficiency. Are you at Risk?

Pernicious Anemia: Your 13 Most Frequently Asked Questions, Answered!

Why do my Arms and Legs often Fall Asleep? B12 and Paresthesia

Sources:

5 Essential Heart Health Habits

17 Worst Habits for Your Heart

Homocysteine, Folic Acid and Cardiovascular Disease

‘Wake Up’ To Health Risks Of Heavy Snoring

So you’re sitting at your desk, and suddenly your legs fall asleep.  You try to shake it off, but that annoying numbness and tingling sensation just doesn’t want to leave without a fight.  Paresthesia, a neuropathic ailment often associated with vitamin B12 deficiency, causes “pins and needles,” numbness, and painful burning in your hands, arms, feet, and legs.

What are the symptoms of paresthesia?

Paresthesia causes numbness and tingling sensations, primarily in your hands, arms, feet, and legs.  People who experience paresthesia say they feel like their legs or arms are “falling asleep.” Others describe it as a burning pain in one or more limbs, “pins and needles,” or severe itching.

Is paresthesia serious?

Sometimes, paresthesia happens as a response to hyperventilating, anxiety, or just putting too much pressure on one nerve for too long.  Other times, paresthesia occurs as part of a chronic condition, and the only way to put an end to the constant numbness and prickling sensations is to find out what is causing your symptoms, and the best way to treat it.

What causes your arms or legs to “fall asleep?”

Many chronic conditions, illnesses, or drug interactions can cause neuropathic pain symptoms such as paresthesia.

• B12 deficiency: Numbness and tingling in the hands and feet are usually the first symptoms noticed by sufferers of vitamin B12 deficiency or pernicious anemia.  Vitamin B12 protects the myelin sheath, the fatty layer that protects your peripheral nerves.  Left untreated, vitamin B12 deficiency causes damage to the nervous system, resulting in peripheral neuropathy.  In addition to limbs falling asleep, other symptoms of B12 deficiency are loss of fine motor control, trouble walking, fatigue, memory loss, “brain fog,” depression, disorientation, anxiety, insomnia, stomach upset, breathlessness, loss of appetite, and hallucinations.  Vitamin B12 Deficiency. Are you at Risk?

• Nerve damage: Other types of nerve damage result from Lyme disease and frostbite.
• Elderly individuals suffer from paresthesia caused by vitamin deficiency, in addition to poor circulation in the arms and legs, or peripheral vascular disease (PVD).
• Arthritis: Various types of arthritis cause neuropathic pain symptoms similar to paresthesia, in addition to carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Autoimmune diseases: Lupus, celiac disease, and multiple sclerosis (MS) sometimes cause chronic paresthesia.
• Migraines: If you get migraine attacks, then you might also experience frequent pins and needles, or legs falling asleep.
• Seizures and stroke are correlated with paresthesia.
• Shingles: symptoms include numbness, tingling, and burning sensations in the skin.
• Drugs: Drug interactions that may cause paresthesia symptoms are beta-blockers, beta-alanines, anticonvulsants, narcotics, opiates, and Lomotil. Also read: Brain Drain Medications- Drugs that Drain the B12 out of you

How do you get rid of numbness and tingling?

The quicker you get your blood flowing to your extremities, the sooner you will start to feel relief.  As soon as you feel your arms or legs starting to fall asleep or feel tingly, do one or all of the following:

• 1- Pump your arms.
• 2- Clench and unclench your fists.
• 3- Kick your legs.
• 4- Walk it off.
• 5- Stand up, holding onto a chair or wall for support.  Put all your weight on the foot that is falling asleep, rise up on your tiptoes, and then lower to the ball of your foot.  Repeat the movement, pumping up and down, without resting the heel on the floor, until pain goes away.
• 6- Massage hands, arms, legs, or feet gently.

These are helpful tips for temporarily relieving paresthesia. However, if you experience numbness, tingling, burning, or other painful symptoms frequently, then it is crucial to visit a doctor.  A blood test will determine if you have vitamin B12 deficiency, or one of many other likely conditions.

Read more about vitamin B12:

Vitamin B12 Deficiency. Are you at Risk?

Multiple Sclerosis and Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Sources:

Paresthesia

Numbness and tingling: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

What makes your arms, legs and feet fall asleep?

Image credits, from top:

Alex Holzknecht, Teleyinex, Zabowski, Josiah Mackenzie, healingdream

Are you at risk for developing vitamin B12 deficiency, one of the leading, fastest growing forms of malnourishment today?  Most people with B12 deficiency don’t even know it.  Find out why B12 is important for healthy living, and whether you are getting enough.

What are the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency?

Vitamin B12, an essential nutrient called cobalamin, occurs naturally in meat and other protein foods such as beef, poultry, fish, eggs, and milk.  Vitamin B12 is one of the B-complex vitamins, and plays many important roles in your healthy lifestyle, and unless you get enough vitamin B12 from your diet or from vitamin B12 supplements, then you might experience the following symptoms:

• Constant tiredness, fatigue for no apparent reason
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Confusion
• Lack of appetite
• Insomnia
• Lack of concentration
• Short-term memory loss
• Irritability
• Muscular aches
• Tingling, numbness or pain in your hands and feet
• Sore, swollen red tongue
• Altered taste perception
• Hallucinations
• Difficulty walking smoothly
• Poor hand-eye coordination and motor skills

Untreated, vitamin B12 deficiency could lead to pernicious anemia, neurological damage, increased risk for heart attack and stroke, osteoporosis, early onset dementia, and misdiagnosis of psychotic illnesses.

Low B12 means Low Thyroid- Hypothyroidism and B12 Deficiency

So, who’s at risk for B12 deficiency?

Even if you eat plenty of meat and milk, you may be susceptible for vitamin B12 deficiency, as there are many other risk factors involved…

If you fit into any one of the following categories, then you are highly susceptible to vitamin B12 deficiency:

• Do you have diabetes? If you are diabetic, and you take metformin, then you are vulnerable to B12 deficiency, since metformin blocks your ability to digest vitamin B12 properly.
• Have you had weight loss surgery? If you have had any bariatric surgery such as gastric bypass, or any other gastrointestinal surgery that involves removing a piece of the small intestine called the ileum, then you need to take vitamin B12 supplements regularly.  The ileum is the bottom-most part of the small intestine, and is principally responsible for absorbing vitamin B12.
• Do you suffer from autoimmune disorders? If you suffer from any autoimmune disease that involves damage to the digestive system, then you are at risk for many forms of malnourishment, including vitamin B12 deficiency.  Examples of autoimmune disorders that correlate with vitamin B12 deficiency are Crohn’s disease, celiac disorder, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and lupus.
• Are you a senior citizen? The elderly are highly susceptible to B12 deficiency.  As you age, your body produces fewer stomach acids that are necessary for digesting vitamin B12 from the foods you eat.  Also, older people tend to eat less and have sensitive stomachs, all of which can lead to malnourishment. In order to avoid B12 deficiency, it is crucial to include extra B12 supplements in your daily vitamin regimen.
• Do you take heartburn medication? If you suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or if just take many antacids, then you might become deficient in vitamin B12, as stomach acids are essential for digesting vitamins such as B12 from your food.
• Are you an alcoholic? Frequent alcohol use inhibits your body’s ability to absorb nutrients like vitamin B12 properly, and causes malnourishment.
• Does vitamin B12 deficiency or pernicious anemia run in your family? Some people are unable to produce intrinsic factor, an essential chemical your stomach makes to access and digest vitamin B12 from food sources.  If you have this autoimmune disorder, then you must supplement with a form of vitamin B12 that dispenses the vitamin directly into your bloodstream.  To date, the most popular methods are vitamin B12 shots and vitamin B12 patches.

How can I find out if I have vitamin B12 deficiency?

The only way to find out if you have vitamin B12 deficiency is to visit your doctor and ask for a vitamin B12 blood test.  If you test positive, then he will likely prescribe a regimen of vitamin B12 supplements.

Read more about preventing vitamin B12 deficiency:

Brain Drain Medications- Drugs that Drain the B12 out of you

WhichTests check Absorption of Vitamin B12?

Sources:

Vitamin B12 Deficiency Risk Factors – Am I at Risk of Vitamin B12 Deficiency? – Third Age

Vitamin B12- Mayo Clinic

What Is Vitamin B12 Deficiency? What Causes Vitamin B12 Deficiency?

Image credits, from top:

heather aitken, ValetheKid, soylentgreen23, Martin Kimeldorf’s Pixel Playground

“What is vitamin B12,” you ask? Vitamin B12, or cobalamin, is a member of the B-complex vitamins.  A water-soluble vitamin, B12 is stored in your liver and is necessary for avoiding vitamin B12 deficiency.

What are the benefits of vitamin B12?

Vitamin B12 wears many hats.  It is essential for a vast number of important bodily functions.

• Red blood cells! Vitamin B12 helps your body produce plenty of red blood cells that are required for carrying oxygen throughout your body.  With enough B12, you would suffer pernicious anemia.
• Memory! Vitamin B12 assists in cognitive skills such as memory, concentration, and comprehension.  Without enough B12, you would suffer early onset dementia, short-terms memory loss, depression, anxiety, and difficulty concentrating.
• Heart health! Vitamin B12 controls the level of homocysteine in your blood, a protein associated with heart attack and stroke.  Without enough B12, you are at a higher risk of dying of heart disease or stoke.
• Bone health! Scientists have found a high correlation between B12 deficiency and osteoporosis- loss of bone mass- in elderly individuals.  Without enough B12, you would suffer from brittle, easily broken bones in your hipbones and spine.
• Senses! Vitamin B12 keeps communication flowing between your brain and various nerve sites, such as your fingers, toes, mouth, eyes, and ears.  Without enough B12, you would suffer neurological damage such as tingling, numbness or pain in your hands, feet, and tongue.
• Nervous system! Vitamin B12 protects the myelin sheathe of your nervous system.  Without enough B12, you would have difficulty controlling your muscles in your arms and legs.
• DNA! Vitamin B12 promotes DNA synthesis.  Without enough B12, you would suffer abnormal cell growth, possibly leading to cancer.
• Metabolism! Vitamin B12 boosts energy.  Without enough B12, you would feel sluggish, confused, chronically fatigued, and be more prone to weight gain.

What foods have vitamin B12?

Vitamin B12 occurs naturally in animal-based proteins.  The following food sources have the highest levels of vitamin B12:

• Meat! Beef, particularly lean beefsteak and beef organs, such as liver and heart
• Chicken! Poultry, including lean chicken, turkey, and duck
• Fish! Seafood, including tuna, halibut, salmon, crab meat, clams, and oysters
• Eggs! Don’t skip the yolks- they are extremely high in this B vitamin
• Milk! Dairy products, including milk, hard cheese, yogurt, and kefir

But I eat plenty of protein, and I take vitamin supplements.

Even if you eat plenty of foods with vitamin B12, you are not immune to B12 deficiency.  Many multivitamins and B-complex pills include vitamin B12, but not in sufficient amounts to prevent vitamin B12 deficiency in individuals who are at risk.

The only way to get enough B12 is by taking vitamin B12 supplements. Some popular B12 supplements are vitamin B12 sublingual pills, prescribed vitamin B12 shots, and vitamin B12 patches.

Read more about vitamin B12:

I was Blinded by B12 Deficiency, says Vitamin B12 Patch Fan

What are the Symptoms of Pernicious Anemia- B12 deficiency?

Can Elevated Homocysteine (Low B12) cause Mental Illness?

Sources:

Vitamin B12- Mayo Clinic

What Is Vitamin B12 Deficiency? What Causes Vitamin B12 Deficiency?

Image credits, from top:

ostephy, imelenchon, jzlomek, chamomile, clarita

Vitamin B12 patch users swear by the increased energy and reduction of B12 deficiency symptoms they have encountered since switching to a B12 patch.

Read what one Vita Sciences B12 patch fan has to say:

Blinded by B12 deficiency…or Multiple Sclerosis?

“Nine months ago, I woke up blind in my right eye. I can’t even explain the terror and trauma if this has never happened to you…after 4 hours at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary ER with an amazing and attentive team of doctors, nurses, and technicians, I was given the new and tentative diagnosis of optic neuritis, and referred to a neuro-opthamalogist who confirmed this diagnosis.  I was told from the very beginning that there was a good chance it was caused by Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Multiple Sclerosis and Vitamin B12 Deficiency

In the meantime, things got worse…

“An MRI confirmed demyelination - but if you know much about neuro problems, it’s another hint at MS and not a confirmation.  However, not long after that, my symptoms took a turn for the worst. I was deteriorating fast – far faster than one would from the Relapsing/Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) that I was on the path to being diagnosed with.

“I was getting severe headaches that felt like my brain was cannibalizing itself, severe burning, tingling pains all over my body, severe muscle spasms that were almost constant, ghost itches that I couldn’t even find to scratch.  I had trouble falling asleep at night because my head would keep jerking violently and my legs would kick.  A few times, I lost control of my faculties in my sleep and regularly fell over when I got out of bed in the morning.  Sometimes when I woke up I wouldn’t be able to tell where my limbs were.

Top Ten Signs of a Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Oh no, you didn’t just say the “H” word…

“I had, after all, spent 10 years getting called a hypochondriac by multiple healthcare professionals, until I finally got diagnosed with insulin resistance by the best endocrinologist ever who actually took me seriously.  I was sure I didn’t have ten years to waste arguing without dire consequences.

Paging Dr. Wikipedia…

“I asked my doctor if I could be tested for a B12 deficiency.  ‘No,’ she told me.  ‘I’m sorry, you have MS.’

“Okay, the internet is my BFF and from the massive amount of research I did online, reading abstracts, reading full articles, reading the blogs of people with MS, and talking to real life victims… this was not MS.

The Aha! Moment

“I looked deeper into the B12 deficiency to discover that I had been on three medications that inhibit B12 absorption for extended periods (Paxil, Metformin, and Omeprazole).  I had suffered stomach problems since infancy without successful diagnosis, and I am a semi-vegetarian (eat meat a couple of times a year and turn a blind eye – no pun intended – when soups are made with beef or chicken broth).

These are all things that lead to a B12 deficiency.

Vitamin B12 pills are a lost cause

I started taking sublingual B12 tablets while trying to build my case to confront my doctor with my evidence…no change.

“…sublingual pills are like putting a handful of grain into a silo – you will never fill it up just like you will never re-fill your B12 stores with sublingual pills.”

Skeptical, but ready to try the B12 patch

“I did some more research and discovered the B12 patch.  I was a skeptic and was already planning to spend my life getting B12 shots after I won the battle with my doctor, but I was desperate. I could barely work anymore, I was suffering anxiety attacks, and I was so sick and so tired all of the time and didn’t feel like I had the time to fight it out with my doctor.

A very important package arrives

“I got my B12 patches in the mail almost two weeks ago and I am now almost symptom free, except for some tingling, which seems fair enough since my myelin sheaths probably need to heal.  I expect that takes time.  I’m not fully convinced even now that the B12 patch stopped this dead in its tracks- It seems too crazy.  I’m in a watch and wait mode; I will still be following up with my doctor and deciding if the shots are a better option, but for now, I’m just happy to have my life back.

“Problems I didn’t even realize could be caused by a B12 deficiency also seem to be improving; my stomach, my acne, my insulin resistance.  Who knows if it will last- I can only hope.

“I talk about my symptoms in past tense in my post, but up until only a week and a half ago, it was my daily reality.”

Use it or lose it

“To be honest, for the people who don’t have trouble absorbing B12 you probably won’t feel a difference using this product.  But I would use it, just to be sure that you’re getting your B12, because the medical community is apparently not inclined to diagnose a B12 deficiency.

“And if you go down that path, you could get misdiagnosed with MS, psychosis, Alzheimer’s, ALS, and much, much, more.  And it’s not worth losing your quality of life over, if it’s as simple as sticking a patch on your neck, or getting a shot every month – especially since damage can be irreversible if it isn’t caught early enough.

“Please harass your doctor into giving you the appropriate tests.  There is plenty of info out there on B12 deficiencies so you can go to an appointment well informed.  Just visit my BFF, the internet.”

One year later…

“Update – 1 year later: Still using the patches.  My symptoms aren’t 100% gone in the long term, but they are about a quarter as severe as a year ago… maybe less…Still thrilled.”

Read more about vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms:

Balance your B12, Balance your Nerves

Benefits and Sources of Vitamin B12, and How to Avoid Deficiency

“I’ve heard of the X Factor and Fear Factor…But what’s Intrinsic Factor?”

Sources:

Amazon review

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Chicago study links low levels of vitamin B12 with memory loss

A 2011 study that focused on 121 community-dwelling participants of the Chicago Health and Aging Project found a strong correlation between vitamin B12 deficiency and memory loss.  Scientists measured methylmalonate levels to determine vitamin B12 deficiency.

• They found a direct relationship between low levels of vitamin B12, reduced brain volume, and decreased cognitive skills, such as loss of short-term memory.
• Scientists noted poorer memory skills, slower thinking processes, and impaired comprehension skills as attributes associated with elevated methylmalonate levels- an indicator of vitamin B12 deficiency.
• Also considered were plasma homocysteine levels, which scientists also connected with loss of brain mass.  High levels of homocysteine are common in vitamin B12 deficiency.
• Scientists concluded that methylmalonate, an indicator of vitamin B12 deficiency, has a direct impact on brain volume, and that vitamin B12 has multiple benefits on brain chemistry beyond just memory skills.
• In 2008, a UK study conducted by the University of Oxford produced similar results; namely, that vitamin B12 deficiency is a likely cause of brain atrophy, dementia, and short-term memory loss among the elderly.

How to keep Vitamin B12 Deficiency from Shrinking your Brain

For the elderly, eating foods with vitamin B12 isn’t enough

Eating plenty of foods rich in vitamin B12 is always a good idea; such foods include protein sources like beef, chicken, fish, eggs, milk, and cheese. But for the elderly, the problem isn’t really eating enough sources of vitamin B12, but rather digesting them.  Part of the aging process involves making less stomach acids that are necessary for absorbing vitamin B12 from foods.  As a result, many elderly individuals who include meat in their diet still run a high risk for getting B12 deficiency.

Unless blood tests indicate healthy levels of vitamin B12, senior citizens must supplement with vitamin B-12 (cobalamin) with a routine prescribed B12 shot in order to avoid the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency.  Another popular option is adding a vitamin B12 patch.

Memory loss in B12 deficiency for the young and old

It isn’t just the elderly who should be concerned with memory loss- short-term memory loss is one of many symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, regardless of age.

Vitamin B12- How much do you need?

Other symptoms of dangerously low B12 levels are:

• Chronic fatigue
• Depression
• Difficulty concentrating
• Anxiety
• Paranoia
• Aggressive behavior
• Hallucinations
• Balance problems
• Poor muscular control
• Numbness or tingling in hands, arms, feet, and legs
• Sore, red swollen tongue
• Altered taste perception

Long-term exposure to vitamin B12 deficiency could result in severe neurological damage, pernicious anemia, increased risk for heart attack, stroke, and cancer, and osteoporosis.

Read more about vitamin B12 deficiency and memory loss:

12 Ways to Avoid Alzheimer’s Disease

FDA Approves Brain Scan to Detect Alzheimer’s Disease

Adult ADHD Could Lead to Dementia

Sources:

Low Vitamin B12 Linked to Smaller Brains and Cognitive Decline

Vitamin B12 Levels Linked to Memory Skills and Brain Size

Low Vitamin B12 May Speed Brain Shrinkage

Low Vitamin B12 Linked to Smaller Brain Size

Elevated Plasma Homocysteine Is Associated with Increased Brain Atrophy Rates in Older Subjects with Mild Hypertension

Vitamin B12, cognition, and brain MRI measures- A cross-sectional examination

Vitamin B12 status and rate of brain volume loss in community-dwelling elderly

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Was a bee, Sean.lewis29, Ambro, photostock

Numerous studies linking elevated homocysteine with mental illness prove that symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency caused by low B12 (cyanocobalamin) in the blood are often mistaken for mental health issues, such as depression, dementia, and schizophrenia.

What is homocysteine?

Homocysteine is an amino acid that your body makes when you eat meat products.  Having too much homocysteine in your blood supply causes damage to your arteries and increases your risk for heart disease and stroke.

B-Gone, Heart Disease

What is B12, and how does it regulate homocysteine?

Vitamin B12 is a nutrient that occurs exclusively in animal-based foods such as beef, chicken, fish, eggs, and milk products.  Some of the riches sources of vitamin B12 are organ meats (liver, heart), oysters, and clams.

Together with vitamin B6 and folic acid, vitamin B12 helps break down homocysteine and keep them at a safe, healthy level.  Without sufficient stores of these essential vitamins, homocysteine levels would escalate, leaving you at a high risk for developing diseases associated with elevated homocysteine levels, such as pernicious anemia, neurological damage, and cardiovascular disease.

Elevated homocysteine plasma levels are one of many symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency.

B Vitamins prevent Cardiovascular Disease- B6, B12 and Folate

What are symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency?

Typical early signs of B12 deficiency are:

• Constant fatigue
• Depression
• Disorientation
• Anxiety
• Paranoia
• Memory loss
• Frequent numbness or tingling, “pins and needles”
• Legs or arms constantly “falling asleep”
• Loss of balance
• Weakened muscular control
• Altered taste perception
• Red, swollen tongue

B12 Deficiency: Don’t Ignore the Symptoms

What illnesses are associated with elevated plasma homocysteine levels?

Scientists believe that homocysteine is behind a wide variety of conditions and illnesses, from visual problems and eating disorders, to heart disease and schizophrenia. Currently, most scientists agree that elevated homocysteine levels share a significant correlation with the following diseases:

• Atherosclerosis (hardening and narrowing of the arteries)
• Increased risk of heart attacks
• Increased risk of strokes
• Blood clots
• Alzheimer’s disease

How many studies link elevated plasma homocysteine levels with mental illness?

A growing number of scientific studies prove a significant correlation between vitamin B12 deficiency, homocysteine levels, and mental health problems, such as schizophrenia, depression, chronic fatigue, dementia, and even eating disorders in women.

1- In Beersheva, Israel, a study focused on treating patients of Alzheimer’s and cerebrovascular disease with folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 supplements.  In this randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study, scientists of Ben Gurion University noted a marked decrease of schizophrenia symptoms in patients who received the vitamin supplements.

2- In Boston, Massachusetts, a Tufts University study linking low vitamin B12 and cognitive impairment in the elderly noted a direct correlation between vitamin B12 deficiency and anemia, macrocytosis, and cognitive problems such as dementia.

3- In another study by Ben Gurion University, scientists measured plasma homocysteine levels in females with eating disorders. They found a significantly high level of homocysteine in females between the ages of 16-20 who had eating disorders.

4- Elevated plasma levels of homocysteine in females with eating disorders were also the focus of this German study that linked excessive homocysteine with depression, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

5- A Swedish study on older patients with mental illness concluded that age and plasma homocysteine levels more accurately predict cognitive functioning skills than brain imaging, as measured by the Mini mental state examination (MMSE).

Read more about vitamin B12 deficiency and mental illness:

Teen Mental Illness: Unnoticed, Undiagnosed in America

Worried about Low B12 Lab Results?

The Many Benefits of Vitamin B12…

Sources:

Homocysteine Blood Test Information on MedicineNet.com

Effects of dietary supplements on depressive symptoms in older patients: a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial- PubMed NCBI

Homocysteine-reducing strategies improve symptoms in chronic schizophrenic patients with hyperhomocysteinemia- PubMed NCBI

Folate and vitamin B-12 status in relation to anemia, macrocytosis, and cognitive impairment in older Americans in the age of folic acid fortification- PubMed NCBI

Plasma homocysteine levels in female patients with eating disorders- PubMed NCBI

Plasma homocysteine, brain imaging and cognition in older patients with mental illness- PubMed NCBI

Depressive symptoms may explain elevated plasma levels of homocysteine in females with eating disorders- PubMed NCBI

Public health significance of elevated homocysteine- PubMed NCBI

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digitalart, Suat Eman, jscreationzs, ponsulak

Difficulty absorbing B12 leads to pernicious anemia, chronic fatigue, and other symptoms of vitamin deficiency.  In order to test absorption of vitamin B12, a blood test (the Shilling test) is required, in addition to other B12 blood tests.

What is vitamin B12 deficiency?

Vitamin B12 is a mineral that we absorb from animal products like meat, chicken, fish, eggs, and milk.  Vitamin B12 is essential for your nervous system, red blood cell production, DNA synthesis, and cognitive functioning.  Without it, you might experience symptoms like fatigue, memory loss, depression, tingling in the hands and feet, altered sense of taste, difficulty walking steadily, and decreased motor control. (Absorbing Vitamin B12, a Metabolic Gastrointestinal Journey)

Who is at risk for vitamin B12 deficiency?

Most people will never experience vitamin B12 deficiency.  That is because generous amounts of B12 are stored in your liver.  However, an increasing number of people are falling victim to low B12 levels- individuals who are unable to absorb vitamin B12 naturally from foods.

People who cannot absorb vitamin B12 are:

• Individuals who cannot produce intrinsic factor, a protein required for vitamin B12 absorption.
• Individuals who have had the part of the small intestine responsible for making intrinsic factor removed, as is common procedure in bariatric surgeries (gastric bypass) and gastrointestinal surgeries for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), such as Crohn’s disease.
• Anybody who is unable to produce enough stomach acids in order to absorb vitamin B12- these include the elderly, sufferers of gastric autoimmune diseases, diabetes patients who take metformin, and people who take strong antacid medications for acid reflux, such as heartburn (GERD) sufferers or pregnant mothers.

What if I am not tested for vitamin B12 absorption?

Left untreated, vitamin B12 deficiency could result in pernicious anemia, the inability to produce sufficient levels of red blood cells. Other dangerous side effects that stem from being unable to absorb vitamin B12 are elevated risk for heart attack and stroke, neurological damage, and dementia.

If you suspect you might have vitamin B12 deficiency…

• if you notice symptoms like being tired all the time, talking in slow, unpronounced speech, more difficulty remembering things than normal,
• if you’ve been diagnosed with comorbid conditions like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, Crohn’s disease, Celiac disease, or hypothyroidism, or
• if you’ve had weight loss surgery or another types of gastrointestinal procedure…

…then it’s crucial that you request a B12 blood test for vitamin B12 levels, in addition to a Schilling test that measures your ability to absorb B12.

(Gastrointestinal Surgery for Crohn’s (IBD) and B12 Warnings)

The vitamin B12 absorption Schilling test

The Schilling test is more than just a test for B12 levels.  While the standard test for vitamin deficiency checks vitamin B12 levels, the Schilling test determines the reason for your problem with absorption of vitamin B12.

There are four stages of the Schilling test for B12:

• In stage one, you take two doses of vitamin B12; one is an oral radioactive dose of cobalamin, and the other is a vitamin B12 injection. A urine test determines your absorption of B12
• In stage two, you take another radioactive dose of vitamin B12- this time, with intrinsic factor.
• Before going on to stage three, you are required to take antibiotics for two weeks.  Next, a lab technician determines if bacterial growth is the cause of your lack of B12 absorption.
• Finally, stage four determines if your vitamin B12 deficiency results from a pancreatic disorder.  You will take pancreatic enzymes for a few days, followed by another radioactive dose of vitamin B12.

Read more about vitamin B12 absorption:

Cruising for a Bruising? Choose Vitamin B12 Shots or Anemia

Balance your B12, Balance your Nerves

6 Degrees of Vitamin B12- B12 Deficiency and Autoimmune Disease

Sources:

Schilling test: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

Schilling Test- What is a Schilling Test? (PDF)

The Schilling Test & B12- LIVESTRONG.COM

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