Vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to a range of symptoms, which can have a significant impact on your overall wellbeing.
A doctor has highlighted the warning signs of a vitamin deficiency that could cause “memory issues, confusion, or cognitive changes”, as well as some painful oral health concerns. These symptoms may indicate a lack of vitamin B12.
To maintain our health at its peak, we rely on an range of vitamins and minerals, which should ideally come from a well-rounded diet. A shortfall in these vital nutrients can impair the body’s normal functions.
Vitamin B12 is particularly important and is mainly found in animal products like meat, cheese, and eggs, leading to a higher risk of deficiency in vegans and vegetarians. The vitamin is essential for producing red blood cells and affects the oxygen levels throughout our bodies.
The NHS warns that a deficiency can result in severe fatigue, pins and needles sensations, mouth ulcers, muscle weakness, vision issues, and problems with memory, understanding, and judgement.
Doctor O’Donovan, who holds an MBBS, an MRes in Ageing and Health, and a DPhil in Digital Education, offers insights and guidance to nearly 400k followers on YouTube. In one of his latest videos, he discusses the dangers of not getting enough vitamin B12, reports the Mirror.
In the video, he explained: “If you’re experiencing vague symptoms like forgetfulness, feeling tired and weak, or even numbness and tingling in your hands or feet these could all be signs of a vitamin B12 deficiency. Now this is a very treatable condition that happens if you’re not consuming enough vitamin B12 in your diet or if your body isn’t absorbing it properly. It can affect anyone at any age but typically people aged over 60 are most affected.”
Discussing the causes of B12 deficiency, the doctor stated: “Vitamin B12 deficiency happens if you aren’t eating enough vitamin B12 or your body isn’t absorbing the B12 that you’re consuming properly.
“Now, one of the most common causes of vitamin B12 deficiency is from people who don’t eat enough foods that are naturally have vitamin B12 in them or they don’t eat foods that are fortified with vitamin B12. Another reason for not getting enough vitamin B12 is that your body isn’t absorbing enough of it.
“Causes for this could include gastritis which is inflammation of the stomach lining and it’s a common cause of B12 deficiency, it can cause this due to a lack of hydrochloric acid in your stomach which is needed for the absorption.
“People who’ve got something called pentious anemia, which is a rare medical condition, can’t make enough intrinsic factor which is the protein that is made by your stomach to help absorb B12.
“Diseases that affect the digestive system like Crohn’s disease and celiac disease can also prevent your body from fully absorbing B12, similarly people who’ve had gastrointestinal surgery like gastric bypass, which is a type of weight loss surgery, can also have difficulty in absorbing enough vitamin B12.
“Similarly alcohol use disorder can damage your digestive system and cause the deficiency. Finally, a rare condition that’s called Transcobalamin 2 deficiency, which is a rare genetic disorder, impairs the transport of vitamin B12 within the body.”
Signs of Vitamin B12 deficiency
When discussing the indications of Vitamin B12 shortage, Dr O’Donovan noted: “It can cause a range of different things including physical, neurological and even psychological symptoms. Now the symptoms of the vitamin B12 deficiency can develop slowly and they can get worse over time, some people may not actually have any symptoms despite having low levels of B12 in their bodies.”
He elaborated, revealing: “People with vitamin B12 deficiency can have neurological symptoms and or damage without anaemia which as I mentioned was the lack of red blood cells.
“For general physical symptoms, you might see signs such as feeling extremely tired or weak, suffering from nausea vomiting or diarrhoea, losing your appetite and weight unintentionally, experiencing a sore mouth or tongue or noticing your skin turning a yellowish hue.
“Neurological symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency which are those affecting the brain can include numbness or tingling in your hands and feet, vision problems, having a hard time remembering things or getting confused easily or having a difficult time walking or speaking like you usually do.
“Psychological symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency can include feeling depressed, feeling irritable, experiencing a change in the way you feel or behave so as you can see it’s a huge range of potential symptoms that could display if you have a B12 deficiency.”
The doctor also wrote in the caption: “Maintaining adequate Vitamin B12 levels is vital for energy, healthy blood cells, and proper neurological function. If you suspect a deficiency, consult with a healthcare professional for testing and personalised advice.”
