Vitamin B12 helps in DNA synthesis
Vitamin B12 or Cobalamin is a water soluble vitamin which is very essential to the human body. Vitamin B12 is required in the synthesis of red blood cells and DNA. Deficiency of vitamin B12 is known to disrupt several bodily functions and there are various signs that can detect it.
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An adult human being needs atleast 1.5 micrograms of vitamin B12 per day.
What happens when your body does not have enough Vitamin B12?
When the level of vitamin B12 is low in the body, the patient gets too tired and is listless all the time, nausea and diarrhea are also commonly seen in these people.
The common symptoms associated with vitamin B12 deficiency are: yellow tinge on the skin, red tongue, mouth ulcers, pins and needles, disoriented walk, disturbed vision, irritability and depression.
It is said that people who are older are more likely to be deficient in vitamin B12 in comparison to others. The requirement of vitamin B12 varies from person to person depending on age and sex.
The uncommon, lesser known symptoms
It is unimaginable to link vitamin deficiency with neurological disorder. However, vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to several neurological side effects. A 2018 research study had found a rare combination of acute exacerbation of psychiatric manifestations, brain atrophy, severe anemia with coronary insufficiency, and premature graying of hair in a 55 year old man deficient in vitamin B12.
The patient was presented with complaints of irrelevant talk for 10 days. He was advised coronary angiogram by the cardiologist as there was evidence of coronary insufficiency in his electrocardiogram, the study report says. His memory was disturbed, judgment impaired, had a changed personality as he had become isolated, apathetic, and withdrawn. He was also unwilling to think and depressed, the report adds.
How does vitamin B12 deficiency affect the body?
Vitamin B12 plays a crucial role in the body. It helps in the production of DNA.
The vitamin is involved in the proliferation, maturation, and regeneration of neural cells because of which the deficiency of this vitamin leads to cognitive dysfunction.
Its deficiency is associated with hematologic, neurologic, psychiatric, gastrointestinal, dermatologic, and cardiovascular manifestations, the study says and explains that deficiency of this vitamin leads to accumulation of methylmalonyl-CoA and homocysteine in the serum, which are risk factors for coronary artery disease
How does vitamin B12 work in the body?
Vitamin B12 helps in DNA synthesis.
It helps in the formation of red blood cells and nerve cells.
When we eat food, Vitamin B12 binds to the protein in the food and enters the stomach. After reaching the stomach, the hydrochloric acid and other enzymes unbind the vitamin from protein and from here it is absorbed by the intestine.
Vitamin B12 source
Vitamin B12 is abundantly found in animal products. People who eat these products or in other words, those who are non-vegetarians get vitamin B12 easily from the type of food they consume.
Animal products like fish, meat, eggs and dairy products are rich in vitamin B12.
Risk factors
Not having animal products in the diet can lead to major vitamin deficiency.
Medications that alter the acid level in the stomach can also hinder the absorption scope of vitamin B12. "A much more common cause of B12 deficiency, especially in older people, is a lack of stomach acid, because stomach acid is needed to liberate vitamin B12 from food. An estimated 10-30% of adults over the age of 50 have difficulty absorbing vitamin B12 from food," a Harvard report says.
Intestinal surgery can also lead to less absorption of the vitamin.