Vitamin B12 deficiency causes pernicious anemia, which creates horrible symptoms like painful tingling in your hands and feet, numbness, chronic fatigue, memory loss, depression, and even chronic clumsiness.  What’s really behind all these debilitating symptoms, you wonder?  Deranged DNA…

You’re mad, I tell you- Mad!

Pernicious anemia (PA) tends to creep up on you, like a scary monster in a B movie.  You might not even realize you have B12 deficiency until you start noticing weird symptoms.  Your hands and feet fall asleep on you while you sit at your computer.  It feels like thousands of fire ants are crawling up your legs. Sometimes, you could swear that your mouth was on fire, like you ate a red chili pepper.

Only you didn’t…

Then PA attacks your brain, causing brain fog.  You struggle to find the right words in conversation, left hanging while you awkwardly try to remember what you were trying to say.  You walk into a room and immediately forget what you came in for.  You forget to buy things on your mental shopping list.  You wake up feeling drugged, exhausted, even though you had plenty of sleep the night before.

If you didn’t have your name printed clearly for you on your driver’s license, you just might forget it…

Pernicious Anemia and B12 Deficiency- Historically Fatal, Still Formidable

Pernicious anemia is Abby-normal

Pernicious anemia is an autoimmune disorder in which your body interferes with production of a very necessary protein- intrinsic factor.  Intrinsic factor is produced in your stomach, and you need it to digest vitamin B12 (cobalamin). Without intrinsic factor, your body cannot extract vitamin B12 from food sources like beef, chicken, fish, and eggs.  Instead, the vitamin B12 just passes through your intestines, without ever entering the blood stream.

Say goodbye to B12…

DNA production goes awry

If pernicious anemia sounds frightening, it’s because it does wicked things to your body.  You need vitamin B12 for many important bodily functions, like protecting the nervous system, enhancing cognitive development, and maintaining adequate supplies of energy.

Most importantly, your red blood cells need vitamin B12 for DNA synthesis.  With pernicious anemia, DNA synthesis in the red blood cells comes to a standstill, while RNA synthesis keeps chugging along.

And then, things get really weird…

Franken-DNA is born

The result is microcytic anemia, a type of megaloblastic anemia causing enlarged red blood cells.  Not only are your blood cells too big to function normally, but they are also deformed.  Your poor large red blood cells remain trapped inside your bone marrow, unable to leave because they have grown enormous in size.

Remember Alice, trapped in the White Rabbit’s house?  Yeah, it’s kind of like that.

Hey, where’re all the red blood cells at?

Trapped in your bone marrow!  And your body needs red blood cells to transport oxygen throughout the body.  But with vitamin B12 deficiency, very few red blood cells manage to escape their “prison” in your bones, because they are too big to exit. Your red blood cell levels go way down, and you start to feel tired, anxious, and wiry.

It’s because you are not getting enough oxygen.

Top Ten Signs of a Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Treating macrocytic anemia

Managing macrocytic anemia is simple enough if you know what’s causing it.  Pernicious anemia from low B12 levels is just one cause.  Other causes of enlarged red blood cells are alcoholism and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), among others.  With alcoholism, B12 deficiency symptoms can still be the underlying cause of macrocytic anemia.

Vitamin B12 deficiency can be treated with vitamin B12 supplements.  However, if your body can’t digest vitamin B12 because of lack of intrinsic factor, then you will have to use vitamin B12 supplements that bypass the digestive system and go directly into the bloodstream.

Examples of vitamin B12 supplementation used for pernicious anemia are routine B12 shots, sublingual B12 pills, and vitamin B12 patches.  The B12 shots require a doctor’s prescription, and can be painful, as they have to be inserted into thick muscular tissue.  B12 pills and vitamin B12 patches are readily available over-the-counter (OTC).  Many patients have reported a burning sensation while using sublingual B12 tablets that dissolve under the tongue.  No discomfort or irritation is reported with usage of the vitamin B12 patch.

Did you find this article helpful?  Please share your opinion!

Have you noticed any of the symptoms described?  If you know anybody who exhibits any of these symptoms, please share this information with them.

Read more about pernicious anemia and vitamin B12 deficiency

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

Painful Tingling in Hands and Feet- What’s Up with That?

Sources:

Macrocytosis

Macrocytosis: What causes it?

Macrocytosis and Macrocytic Anaemia

Images, from top:

twm1340, Purestock

If you feel tired all the time, then join the club- the vitamin B12 deficiency club, which is becoming the top cause of chronic fatigue allover.  Vitamin B12 is crucial for brain health, and if you don’t get enough, you run the risk of suffering the red blood cell disease pernicious anemia- one of many vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms.

Why am I so tired all the time?

Fatigue causes you to feel sluggish, slow, confused, and constantly in a “brain fog.” You’re exhausted before you even step out of bed, and all day at work.  On the drive home, you catch yourself several times nodding off at the wheel.  By the time you’re ready to pack it up and call it a day, you’re almost too tired to change into your pajamas, sorely tempted to climb into bed, clothes, shoes, and all.

The Vitamin B12 Patch for Energy

Why are you so tired all the time? Many conditions can cause chronic fatigue, and most of them begin with vitamin B12 deficiency.

What is vitamin B12?

Vitamin B12 is of the vitamin B complex vitamins, and occurs in foods like beef, poultry, fish, eggs, and milk.  Some of the best sources of vitamin B12 are organ meat, lean turkey, crabmeat, halibut, and yogurt.  Normally, sufficient amounts of B12 are stored in your liver, unless you are prone to vitamin B12 deficiency.

What is vitamin B12, and why is it so important?

What are the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency?

Tiredness is at the core of the most common symptoms of B12 deficiency:  depression, chronic fatigue, anxiety, short-term memory loss, disorientation, trouble concentrating or remembering words, painful numbness or tingling in hands and feet, loss of balance while walking, muscular feebleness, and insomnia.

Here are some illnesses and chronic conditions linked to vitamin B12 deficiency:

• Pernicious anemia

Vitamin B12 helps your body produce red blood cells needed to carry oxygen.  Without it, you would suffer a blood disease known as pernicious anemia.  Some symptoms of pernicious anemia are tiredness, lightheadedness, and inability to concentrate.

What are the Symptoms of Pernicious Anemia- B12 deficiency?

• Cancer

Vitamin B12 is necessary for a healthy metabolism, promotes healthy cell development, and DNA synthesis.  Becoming deficient in vitamin B-12 increases your risk for abnormal cell growth and cancer.

• Fibromyalgia

Scientists found that a high correlation exists between vitamin B12 deficiency and sufferers of fibromyalgia, an autoimmune disease that causes symptoms such as severe pain, skin sensitivity, sleep problems, and chronic fatigue.

Boost Energy and Beat Fatigue All Day Long- 8 Sure-Fire Tips

• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

People with gastrointestinal disorders such as IBD- Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis- have extreme difficulty absorbing vitamin B12.  Symptoms such as sluggishness, diarrhea, and unexplainable exhaustion might be confused with IBD symptoms; in fact, vitamin B12 deficiency is a likely culprit that often is overlooked.

Celiac and B12- Celiac Disease and Vitamin B12 Deficiency

• Depression

Vitamin B12 supports cognitive functioning- low B12 levels are common among people suffering from severe psychological disorders, including schizophrenia, clinical depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD).  Tiredness is one of many complaints of people suffering from depression and anxiety.

Can Elevated Homocysteine (Low B12) cause Mental Illness?

• Heart disease

Vitamin B12 controls the amount of homocysteine in your blood.  High levels of plasma homocysteine are strongly associated with heart disease and stroke.  Some of the first symptoms of heart disease are heart palpitations, breathlessness, and fatigue- all of which are symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency.

Treatment for B12 deficiency

A blood test is necessary in order to diagnose vitamin B12 deficiency.  Not all doctors screen for low B12, so you will need to request a plasma vitamin B12 test.  If necessary, your doctor will prescribe B12 injections or sublingual B12.

Read more about vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms:

Is Vitamin B12 the Secret to the Fountain of Youth?

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

Vitamin B12 Deficiency. Are you at Risk?

Sources:

Sluggish? Confused? Vitamin B12 May Be Low

How to Stop Feeling Tired All The Time

Image credits, from top:

Disney Wiki, striatic, Tambako the Jaguar

Being tired all the time is a symptom of B12 deficiency, but it can also signal hypothyroidism (low thyroid), a thyroid disease that occurs with low B12 levels.  Because hypothyroid symptoms are similar, vitamin B12 deficiency often goes undetected.

B12 deficiency causes fatigue, depression, and other mood disorders often associated with an underactive thyroid. If you’ve been diagnosed with thyroiditis, then it’s also important also to recognize the symptoms of B12 deficiency, and know whether you might require more vitamin B12 (cobalamin).

What is hypothyroidism?

Hypothyroidism is an autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) that occurs in the thyroid gland, causing inflammation, and reducing its ability to produce sufficient amounts of thyroid hormones.  Hashimoto’s disease is one example of thyroiditis that causes low thyroid levels.  Sometimes, thyroid treatment for hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid), such as radioactive iodine or surgery, can backfire, causing underactive thyroid symptoms.

Why am I always tired?  Symptoms of hypothyroidism

Symptoms of low thyroid include:

• Empty facial expressions
• Husky, gravelly voice
• Chronic fatigue, tiredness
• Sluggish, droning speech patterns
• “Brain fog,” or confusion
• Depression
• Uncontrolled weight gain
• Droopy eyelids
• Puffy, bloated face
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Dry skin and hair
• Sparse hair, including eyebrows
• Tingling and numbness in the hands and feet
• Muscular pain
• Feebleness
• Slow resting heart rate
• Orange-colored skin on the hands and feet
• Heavy menstrual periods in women

Vitamin B12 for Healthy Hair, Skin and Nails

Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms

Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble nutrient that is responsible for making red blood cells, controlling DNA synthesis, regulating the nervous system, and improving cognitive functioning.  Without proper levels of B12, you may suffer pernicious anemia, neurological damage, dementia, or heart attack resulting from elevated homocysteine levels.

Low B12 symptoms include:

• Depression
• Chronic fatigue, tiredness
• Anxiety
• Short-term memory loss
• “Brain fog,” or confusion
• Difficulty concentrating
• Neurosis
• Altered taste perception
• Swollen, red tongue
• Tingling and numbness in the hands and feet
• Awkward hand movements
• Loss of balance
• Clumsiness and stumbling
• Sleep problems

Balance your B12, Balance your Nerves

Thyroid disease and low B12 levels

In a study conducted in Sapir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel, patients with autoimmune thyroid disease received blood screening for vitamin B12 deficiency.  Researchers noted a significantly high percentage of people with AITD who also had B12 deficiency, in addition to pernicious anemia symptoms, a blood disease associated with low B12 levels.

Another study conducted in Pakistan by Aga Khan University produced similar results; namely, a 40% prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency among patients with hypothyroidism.

Hypothyroidism treatment

If you are a patient of hypothyroidism, then physicians strongly recommend routine blood testing for vitamin B12 deficiency, regardless of thyroid hormone levels.

Read more about B12 deficiency:

6 Degrees of Vitamin B12- B12 Deficiency and Autoimmune Disease

Worried about Low B12 Lab Results?

Female Rapper Missy Elliot, 15 Celebs with Thyroid Disorders

Sources:

Prevalence and evaluation of B12 deficiency in patients with autoimmune thyroid disease- PubMed NCBI

Hypothyroidism- PubMed Health

Vitamin B12 deficiency common in primary hypothyroidism- PubMed NCBI

Hypothyroidism & Vitamin B12 Deficiency- LIVESTRONG.COM

Vitamin B12 deficiency common in primary hypothyroidism

Image credits, from top:

vitasamb2001, jscreationzs, Ambro

It’s all about the delivery method

Does it matter if I get my vitamin supplements from a B12 patch or a vitamin B12 pill? Aren’t they equally effective at preventing B12 deficiency symptoms? No, and here’s why..

What is sublingual delivery?

“Sublingual delivery” implies that medication is absorbed through the blood vessels under your tongue, and dispensed directly into your bloodstream, making it one of the most efficient, quickest and practical ways to get your vitamin supplements. The tablet, when placed under the tongue, dissolves immediately through your blood capillaries and is disbursed into your bloodstream. Because they are utilized so quickly, sublingual vitamin pills need only contain a small fraction of the amount of vitamins per dose as non-sublingual pills in order to achieve the same results. (More on this later.)

How are non-sublingual pills absorbed?

A vitamin pill that you swallow reaches your bloodstream indirectly. First, it must travel through your esophagus and your stomach, after which time it is absorbed in your intestinal tract.  For proper digestion of vitamin B12, your body must make sufficient stomach acids and have the protein, intrinsic factor. Because regular vitamin pills are harder to digest than sublinguals, they are prescribed at a hight dose, generally 1,000 mcg. per pill.

New Study: Diabetes Drug Metformin Causes Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Regarding vitamin B12 tablets sold as “sublingual B12 pills”

The vitamin B12 tablets which are labeled “sublingual” do dissolve in your mouth, but that’s where they stay until they are swallowed. You are instructed to place one under your tongue, but instead of disappearing through your membranes, they most likely enter the body the same way as any other tablet you would swallow- through the esophagus, on to the stomach, and eventually released into the blood. Furthermore, the so-called sublingual B12 pills have exactly the same amount of vitamin B12 per dose as the other pills, proving that they are really no different, after all. (Refer to earlier note about sublingual dosage.)

How does transdermal delivery work?

Transdermal patches bypass the digestive system completely by going straight into your bloodstream.  Our B12 patches contain 1,000 mcg. of vitamin B12 per unit- the same amount contained in weekly B12 injections which are prescribed for patients with vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms.

What are the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency?

Vitamin B12 is needed for red blood cell production, DNA synthesis, mental clarity, regulating homocysteine levels and maintaining a healthy nervous system. Deficiencies in B12 could cause severe neurological damage, pernicious anemia and increased risk for stroke or heart attack.

The most common symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency are:

• Chronic fatigue
• Depression
• Short-term memory loss
• Sleep difficulties
• Aggression
• Numbness and tingling in hands and feet
• Altered taste perception
• Vision abnormalities
• Dizziness
• Decrease in coordination and physical balance

Read more about the signs of vitamin B12 deficiency:

B12 Deficiency: Don’t Ignore the Symptoms

Suffering from Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue? B12 to the Rescue!

Natural Treatments for the Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease

Sources:

http://www.sv.vt.edu/classes/MSE2034_NoteBook/MSE2034_kriz_NoteBook/diffusion/apps/body.html

We’ve all heard of overeaters binging themselves into a state of depression- a vicious circle which is difficult to get out of. But eating for happiness?

Vitamin B-12 deficiency is linked with depression

Vitamin B12 is essential for many aspects of brain development, such as myelination (the production of a protective layer around the brain) and the distributing of neurotransmitters to and from the brain. So it comes as no surprise that the Mayo Clinic suggests eating foods rich in vitamin B-12 as a means of preventing the onset of clinical depression.

“Eat to live, don’t live to eat.”

That’s a great motto if you happen to be an android. The fact is, eating is a sensual experience which we were meant to enjoy. (Why else would we have taste buds?) The key to good nutrition is finding foods you love that will love you right back.

Male depression is on the rise. Is it the recession or “Manpression?“

Here are some yummy appetizers and entrées which are naturally high in vitamin B-12:

• Fish tacos- Made popular by Rubio’s, the fish tacos is a tasty fusion of Cal-Mex and seafood cuisine.  Take a soft flour tortilla, add some fiery mango salsa, a dab of sour cream and a grilled fish fillet (hint: salmon is high in B-12).  It’s a wrap!

Fresh Catch

• Are you a Sushi lover? Then you’re going to love this- sushi and sashimi recipes typically include such high-in-B12 ingredients as roe (fish eggs), octopus, crab, shrimp, and mackerel. Pass the soy sauce!

Got Bento?

• New England clam chowder- just the name elicits images of salty sea breezes, sailboats and clam bakes. Don’t have any recipes handy? Here is a list of variations on this classic soup recipe.

Soup-er with Saltines!

• Lean cuts of lamb are high in vitamin B-12 and a popular staple of many Middle Eastern cuisines. Here is a flavorful Lamb Moussaka recipe, as featured in epicurious.
• Tuna casserole is one of America’s fave comfort foods and it’s simple to make- combine canned tuna, cooked broad noodles, and a can of concentrated mushroom soup. Top it with some fried onions and pop it in the oven for 30 minutes. Tuna is high in B-12 and omega-3 fatty acids.

Family Favorite

• Hamburgers barbecued with low-fat ground beef chuck are a great source of vitamin B-12. Serve it up on whole-grain buns with a side of oven roasted root veggies for a healthy upgrade from the typical artery-clogging burgers ‘n fries.

Sources:

Newsmax

HealthAliciousNess.com

How does Vitamin B12 deficiency occur? What are my options if I need B12 supplementation? What will happen to me? These are the questions over 99 % of individuals with B12 deficiency ask themselves. This blog is designed to answer these and other questions concerning vitamin B12, its’ deficiency and its’ supplementation. With instructions concerning lifestyle and dietary changes, as well as information from scientific studies about this specific physiological problem, we hope you will feel 100% well again.  

The human physiology of vitamin B12 is very complicated, and due to this is prone to problems leading to vitamin B12 deficiency. Unlike most nutrients, absorption of vitamin B12 actually begins in the mouth where small amounts of unbound crystalline B12 can be absorbed through the mucosa membrane. In the stomach a specific gastric enzyme is needed to separate B12 from the food ingested, and a protein must bind with it for it to be absorbed and processed through the body. Proper absorption of vitamin B12 requires an intact and functioning stomach, exocrine pancreas, intrinsic factor, and small bowel. Problems with any one of these organs makes a vitamin B12 deficiency possible and likely.

However, there can be some genetic aspects in the problems associated with malabsorption, and due to the complexity of B12 assimilation in the body, geriatric patients, many of whom are hypo-acidic due to reduced GI tract cell function, have an increased risk of B12 deficiency. For these individuals supplementation becomes a necessary step, otherwise their life quality and life expectancy can plummet.

B12 supplements come in a few forms, most commonly though in an ingestible pill, sublingual pill or spray and the injection. With malabsorption in the GI tract, swallowing vitamin pills equals to flushing them down the toilet, as around 80%-90% of hard vitamins will not get absorbed. The sublingual B12 becomes the next possible step in supplementation; however this too is a fairly poor choice. Although researchers are not fully sure why this occurs, in most cases of sublingual use, only around 5% of the vitamin is absorbed by the body. The only truly viable choice in this case is to begin B12 injections, which unfortunately are not the most pleasant of experiences, and can be expensive.

The option of B12 patch was designed specifically for these sorts of situations, when the oral supplementation is no longer an option and a scheduled appointment for shots is not something you’re looking forward to. By avoiding the GI tract completely, in the same way that the injection does, the patch is able to deliver the required B12 to the system, without needing to involve all the complex mechanisms involved in B12 absorption. A study has shown that it is 95% more effective than the sublingual option, and a number of doctors are happy to report that it is as effective for their patients as the injection could have/had been. This patch is also a great option in case of B12 deficiency associated with autism, as the patch is not intrusive and easily removable. More information about autism and B12 will be available in later posts.

So if you are in need of B12 supplementation, or know someone who is struggling with the limited medical help available for their condition, or just want that extra energy kick that B12 delivers, consider the B12 Patch. Of course always consult your doctor before beginning any lifestyle changes or new regiments, but if and when you need a boost of B12, the patch is a greatly viable option. 

When it comes to nerves and nerve conduction vitamin B-12 plays a special role. One of the reasons the body needs this nutrient is to manufacture myelin, the fatty sheath that wraps around nerve fibers, insulating them and allowing them to conduct their electrical impulses at a better pace. A vitamin B12 deficiency can also raise blood levels of homo-cysteine, an amino acid that is thought to be toxic to nerves, which can cause subsequent ringing in the ears.  Vitamin B₁₂ in turn sheathes ear nerves and may help prevent tinnitus emergence and its symptoms.

    Vitamin B12 deficiency is associated with chronic tinnitus,” says Dr. Attias. “Long-term exposure to noise depletes the body’s levels of B12 and so makes the ears more vulnerable to noise-induced damage.” If you have tinnitus, and especially if you also have memory problems, ask your doctor to check your blood level of vitamin B₁₂.

Research from the Institute for Noise Hazards Research and Evoked Potentials Laboratory at Chaim-Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan and from Tel Aviv University, both in Israel, looked at a group of 385 people with tinnitus and found that 36 to 47 percent suffered from vitamin B₁₂ deficiency. All of the people low in B₁₂ received injections of 1,000 micrograms weekly for four to six months. At the end of that time, their hearing and tinnitus were evaluated. Fifty-four percent reported improvement in their tinnitus, and approximately one-fourth reported reductions in the measured loudness of their tinnitus.

     Most people get enough vitamin B₁₂ from foods but often an individual is unable to absorb the B12 in their GI tract, which will eventually cause a deficiency. Strict vegetarians, who eat no meats, dairy products or eggs, are also at risk for deficiency, since B12 comes only from animal products. If your doctor determines that you have issues with absorbing B12 the vitamin you will need to supplement it. Those with an absorption problem will need to opt for either injections of B12 by your doctor, sublingual B12 pills from your pharmacist (studies show this method can also be poor in terms of absorption)  or a transdermal B12 patch available online.