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.

Prevacid, also known as Lansoprazole, has many side effects.  This medication is used to neutralize acid in the stomach.   Doctors prescribe it to treat ulcers and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), otherwise known as acid reflux.  It is also commonly administered to people undergoing chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer.

The most common side effects of Prevacid are stomach pain and diarrhea.   In addition, the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) has recently announced that patients who took Prevacid for a year or more are at greater risk for fractures.   But there are other side effects, as well.

Some patients taking Prevacid have reported thinning hair and hair loss.  Furthermore, they have reported decreased blood cell size as indicated by MCV values.  (MCV stands for Mean Cell Volume.)  The purpose of blood is to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the organs of the body.  A decrease in the size of the blood cells would result in fatigue, which is another side effect of Prevacid.  All of these symptoms are indications of a vitamin B12 deficiency, and can be easily remedied with vitamin B12 supplementation.

In fact, women who have complained about hair loss and fatigue benefitted greatly from taking vitamin B12, even though they were still taking Prevacid.  They have stated that their hair grew back, and that they felt more energetic.

If you are taking Prevacid, and if you are suffering from hair loss or fatigue, you can relieve these symptoms by supplementing your diet with vitamin B12.

Vitamin B12 supplementation has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of complications in those suffering from kidney disease.  It is commonly known that people with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have kidneys that don’t function anymore.  However, with dialysis treatment at prescribed intervals, these patients can live normal lives.

Patients undergoing dialysis, unfortunately, still have high levels of a toxic amino acid known as homocysteine.  These high levels of homocysteine put the patients at an increased risk for heart attacks and strokes.  The reason is that this amino acid encourages the buildup of plaque in the arteries.

The two nutrients responsible for the metabolism of homocysteine are folic acid and vitamin B12.  When a person with high levels of homocysteine is given folic acid and no additional vitamin B12, the body is unable to destroy the homocysteine.

Doctors try to lower the homocysteine levels of patients with ESRD by giving them folic acid.  As mentioned previously, folic acid alone cannot reduce homocysteine without additional vitamin B12.  That’s why this doesn’t work.

There are studies that support this theory. In one study in the U.S., doctors took twenty-four patients on hemodialysis and divided them into two groups.  One group received the standard folic acid therapy and a small dose of oral B12.  The other group received folic acid and B12 injections (a higher dosage).  The group receiving the B12 injections had a plasma homocysteine levels that were 32% lower than their counterparts.

Researchers in Japan conducted a similar study on twenty-one hemodialysis patients.  This study also compared homocysteine levels of patients who received folic acid alone to patients who received folic acid and B12 injections.  Within three weeks the patients who received the injected B12 fared much better than the control group.

If you know anyone who has kidney disease and is on dialysis, tell him to supplement his diet with high doses of vitamin B12.

The symptoms reported by someone with a vitamin B12 deficiency and by someone with multiple sclerosis (MS) are strikingly similar.  These symptoms include the following:

1. Tremors
2. Fatigue
3. Gait Problems
4. Numbness
5. Depression
6. Weight loss
7. Memory loss
8. Pain
9. Incontinence
10. Vision loss

As mentioned in a previous blog, many doctors still confuse the effects of a vitamin B12 deficiency with multiple sclerosis, because the symptoms are identical.  The reason for this are the similar origins of these conditions.

Multiple sclerosis is caused by a disruption in the insulation surrounding the nerve cells that keep the electrical impulses on track.  This insulation is a fatty sheath known as myelin.  The breakdown in myelin wreaks havoc on the neurological system in the body.  Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease, meaning that the body attacks its own myelin.  Scientists still don’t know why this happens, but it is known to have genetic causes.

While multiple sclerosis is not curable, a vitamin B12 deficiency is.  A severe vitamin B12 deficiency causes the breakdown of myelin, which also leads to neurological impairments that are found in patients with MS.  This is why testing MS patients for a vitamin B12 deficiency is crucial.

There are cases where MS victims have symptoms that are not a result of a vitamin B12 deficiency.  However, the possibility exists that these patients may be helped with vitamin B12 injections.

Victims of multiple sclerosis where the age of onset was before eighteen usually have blood plasma B12 levels that are very low.  It is suspected that this vitamin B12 deficiency may leave some people more prone to MS.

Since vitamin B12 is necessary in the formation of myelin, it is possible that people with MS may need extra vitamin B12 to reverse the damage.

Although studies are inconclusive at this point in time, it is possible that patients with MS may benefit from extra vitamin B12 in their diets.

The symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency often mimic those of multiple sclerosis.  These symptoms include neurological impairments that can strike a person at any age.  Unfortunately, doctors often don’t test for a vitamin B12 deficiency until after a person suffers for years.  Sometimes, the neurological damage sustained due to the vitamin B12 deficiency is irreversible, and a person may become paralyzed.

Here is a partial list of symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency, along with actual examples of victims:

1. Vision loss:  A 28-year-old woman with vision loss was discovered to have B12 plasma levels that were one-third of normal.  Her vision returned after she received injections of vitamin B12.
2. Dizziness:  A woman who underwent a gastrectomy suffered from poor coordination, also turned out to have a severe vitamin B12 deficiency.
3. Muscle weakness:  When one woman reached middle age, there was a sudden onset of a mild tremor and weakness in her arm.  This was reversed with vitamin B12 supplementation.

In the above-mentioned cases, blood tests were able to detect the vitamin B12 deficiency.  However, some people have normal blood levels of B12, but are unable to metabolize the B12.  This is known as cobalamin G, which is hereditary.

A woman with cobalamin G nearly lost her life because of a misdiagnosis.  When she was in her early 20’s, she began to experience tingling in her extremities and started to lose control of her hands and feet.  Her serum B12 levels were normal, so the doctors diagnosed her with multiple sclerosis, a disease which causes paralysis.

Finally, when she was 27-years-old, she became very anemic.  She subsequently underwent a bone marrow test.  The results of this test were indicative of a B12 deficiency, and she was finally given B12 injections, along with medication to regulate her homocysteine levels.  The degree of her weakness in her legs were reduced, but continued to bother her.

Had the doctors diagnosed her properly with cobalamin G at an earlier point in time, her difficulty walking could have been prevented.

Unfortunately, there are doctors who still confuse symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency with multiple sclerosis.  Awareness of this problem can prevent future suffering.

Many people with Celiac disease also have a vitamin B12 deficiency. The primary reason is that the symptoms of Celiac disease include malnutrition and malabsorption of vitamins and minerals.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder. The lining of the small intestine destroys itself in the presence of gluten proteins, found in wheat. As a result, the symptoms of Celiac disease include diarrhea and abdominal pain. Some people with this disorder experience constipation, nausea or lactose intolerance.

Many people with Celiac disease with also suffer from fatigue, seizures, depression, joint pain, nosebleeds and muscle cramps.

People with Celiac disease tend to have difficulty absorbing vitamins and nutrients from the foods they eat. Consequently, they are more prone to anemia, and a deficiency in one or more of the following: iron, folate, vitamin B12, and vitamin K.

The cause of this disorder is primarily genetic. It is found more often in people who are Caucasian and of European ancestry, and more frequently in women than in men.  It can happen at any age.

Treatment for Celiac disease includes abstaining from foods containing wheat or other adverse proteins. In addition, individuals with this disorder must supplement their diets with vitamin B12, iron, folate and vitamin K.

My friend, Barbara J., told me the story of how her birth control method caused her vitamin B12 deficiency.

When Barbara’s youngest son was born, she felt the need to take birth control. Therefore, she obtained a prescription from her doctor for NuvaRing. NuvaRing contains the hormone estrogen. Unfortunately, at the time Barbara did not know that estrogen can cause the user’s blood plasma B12 levels to drop.

Barbara had been using the NuvaRing, an estrogen-containing contraceptive, for ten months. At this point she started feeling weak. Her immune system went haywire as she became continuously sick. First she got recurring cold sores. Then she got swine flu. When that was over, she developed Strep throat, a bacterial infection. Upon completing the antibiotic regimen for Strep throat, a different bacterial infection set in – Cellulitis -from a skin lesion. Believe it or not, but shortly after she also had a second case of Cellulitis in the area of a mosquito bite. Just when she thought her luck couldn’t get any worse, she was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection (UTI).

After the UTI, she realized that these things are not coincidental. She went to her regular primary care physician, who did a blood workup on her. The doctor told her that her vitamin B12 levels were extremely low. Her doctor started her on a weekly series of B12 injections immediately. Within a few days of her first injection, she felt much better.

Furthermore, she usually gets terrible hay fever in the fall with extensive episodes of  sneezing and headaches. Amazingly, her seasonal allergy symptoms were milder than they usually were in the fall following her series of B12 injections.

Although Barbara no longer receives injections of vitamin B12, she was advised by her doctor to continue supplementing her diet with vitamin B12.

The medical literature has demonstrated a strong correlation between vitamin B12 and depression. Vitamin B12 is naturally found if fish, meat, eggs and chicken. However, some people choose to avoid these foods, and there are those who don’t absorb it from the foods they do eat.

Vitamin B12 affects our nervous system. It is necessary for the breakdown of a toxin in the body, known as homocysteine. Vitamin B12 is also a requisite for the formation of DNA and phospholipids. Phospholipids are fatty acids that make up the membrane surrounding every nerve cell. It becomes quite apparent that a vitamin B12 deficiency can have numerous consequences on the body.

Low vitamin B12 levels in the body can alter the functioning of the brain cells. The nerve cells of the brain affects how we think and feel. A B12 deficiency can lead to depression, dementia, violent behavior, paranoia, schizophrenia-like symptoms and fatigue. Although the presence of low stores of B12 doesn’t cause all cases of mental illness, there is evidence that this condition causes mental illness in some people.

A study done at the National Institute of Aging evaluated a group of physically disabled women over age 65. This study found that women with low blood B12 plasma levels were twice as likely to suffer from depression as their counterparts with normal levels. The research was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, May 2000 issue.

In a second study, Dutch researchers examined 4,000 people for symptoms of depression. Blood tests of all of these patients were taken and charted. They found that those who presented with high homocysteine levels (indicative of a B12 deficiency) had a stronger incidence of depression than those with normal levels. This study was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, 2002.

In summary, someone who is suffering from depression or other mental illness should be evaluated for a B12 deficiency.

A study done in Germany demonstrates that pregnant vegetarian women may not have an adequate supply of vitamin B12. This study was performed at the German Institute of Human Nutritrion in Postdam-Rehbrücke located in Nuthetal, Germany.

Vitamin B12 is only found naturally in foods derived from animal sources. However, many women are opting to restrict themselves to diets of predominantly plant origin in the belief that this will increase their lifespan and reduce the likelihood of death from cancer and heart disease.

Many pregnant vegetarians are choosing to include eggs and milk in their diets to supply them with vitamin B12, which is necessary for proper nerve formation in the fetus. Hence, their diet is referred to as the “lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet.” This particular study in Germany was done in reaction to other studies that showed that infants born to mothers on strictly vegetarian (vegan) diets were deficient in vitamin B12.

A woman who is B12 deficient is at a greater risk during pregnancy for pre-eclampsia and other pregnancy-related complications. Furthermore, the fetus is at greater risk for neural tube defects. A breast-fed infant of such a woman has a greater likelihood for developmental abnormalities and growth failure.

The purpose of the study in Germany was just to compare the blood plasma vitamin B12 levels of women who ate a traditional western diet (meat eaters) with women on a vegan diet and ovo-lacto-vegetarian diet.

Over one hundred pregnant women were recruited for the study and divided into three groups: The ovo-lacto-vegetarian group, the low-meat eater group, and the control group. The ovo-lacto-vegetarians were women who never ate meat at all in the three years prior to the study. The women in the control group were not on any diet (regular meat eaters). Blood samples were taken from all the women throughout their pregnancies.

As far as Body Mass Index (BMI) is concerned, the vegetarians and low-meat eaters had lower pre-pregnancy BMIs than the control group (meat eaters).

With regard to B12 concentrations, the vegetarian and low-meat eaters had much lower levels of vitamin B12.  There was not much difference between the vegetarian and the low-meat eaters groups.

In summary, the study demonstrates that women on vegetarian diets are at greater risk for a B12 deficiency, thus placing their infants at a greater risk for neural tube defects.

If you are pregnant and do not eat much meat, it is highly recommended that you supplement your diet with vitamin B12.

Many vegetarians and vegans don’t get enough vitamin B12 from their diets, as well as other important components of a healthy diet. There are many nutritional elements that are naturally found in animal products such as meat, chicken, fish, eggs and cheese.

Food is essential for survival. Food gives us energy and nutrition. The nutrition derived from food affects the health of our blood, cells, and organs, in addition to our brain and spinal cord.

Vitamin B12 is vital for blood formation and tissue expansion. A vitamin B12 deficiency could lead to insufficient red blood cells, fatigue and neuropathy. Since vitamin B12 is not found in plant-based foods at all, vegetarians need to supplement their diets with this vitamin.

Animal products are complete proteins. This means that they contain all eight of the essential amino acids for optimal body function. These are the building blocks of cells. In contrast, plant-based foods only contain some of these amino acids. Therefore, it is recommended by nutritionists that plant-based protein foods (such as beans and tofu) should be eaten together with whole-grain foods (such as rice, oats and quinoa, etc.).

Iron is necessary in the red blood cells to carry oxygen. If there is not enough iron in the blood, the organs do not get enough oxygen and the person feels tired. Animal protein is rich in iron. Nuts have iron, but should be consumed together with foods rich in vitamin C, such as citrus fruits and tomatoes. Combining these food groups will help a person obtain more of the iron from the nuts and beans.

Knowledge of proper nutrition will help a vegetarian live a healthy, productive life.