Animal products like meat and eggs are the only natural source of vitamin B12.
Animal products like eggs and meat are the only natural sources of vitamin B12.Matt Jonas/Digital First Media/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images
  • There is a link between deficiency of vitamins B12 and cognitive decline.

  • More research needs to be done on vitamins B12 and B6, but they are essential for producing energy.

  • Anemia, fatigue, sensory problems, and nerve damage can be caused by deficiency of vitamins D and D3

It's a good thing that you can get B12 through food or supplements because deficiency can cause long-term damage to your brain.

Eduardo Villamor is a professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan.

Villamor said more research is needed on the impact of vitamins on neurological behavior.

There is a lot of interest in the role of vitamins in the elderly. Fetal, infant, and child brain development are important areas of research.

If you're deficient in vitamins B12 and B6, you need to know how to get them.

Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency range from mild fatigue to severe neurological complications

People who don't have enough B12 can have a range of symptoms if they don't have enough.

He said that people with a mild B12 deficiency could become fatigued. A deficiency in B12 can lead to fatigue because it causes the body to produce more DNA and energy than it needs.

If the body lacks enough red blood cells, it may be deficient in vitamins B12 and B13. According to a hematologist and professor at UC San Diego Health, cracks or sores in the mouth can be caused by anemia.

Villamor said that a form of anemia called macrocytosis can be caused by a deficiency of vitamins B12 and B. The condition can show up on blood tests, but it doesn't usually produce symptoms.

Damage to the nerves outside the brain and spine can be caused by moderate deficiency. Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy include sensory problems like numbness or tingling in the hands and feet, as well as tongue inflammation that can result in sensitivity to spicy or acidic food.

Villamor said that severe deficiency could lead to serious neurological and psychiatric manifestations. There are neurological symptoms.

  • I don't like it.

  • There is impaired cognitive function.

  • It's depression.

  • Psychosis is a mental illness.

  • There is dementia.

If the B12 deficiency is not treated, some neurological symptoms can be permanent.

According to Villamor, a severe deficiency of B12 may cause more serious problems, such as inflammation and weakness of the heart.

Treating vitamin B12 deficiency

The people with the highest risk of B12 deficiency are those who don't eat meat or eggs. In low and middle income countries where animal foods can be expensive, these people might not eat enough animal foods.

If choice and purchasing power allow, the intake of animal foods can be used to prevent B12 deficiency. The treatments include injections or drips.

The doctor said that older adults who have undergone stomach surgery may have a type of malabsorption that causes them to be deficient in vitamins B12 and B6. Villamor said that people taking medication to decrease stomach acid could be at risk.

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