Most people get more than enough B12 from eating meat, eggs, milk, and cheese. Normally, the vitamin is absorbed by your digestive system—your stomach and intestines. Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia usually happens when the digestive system is not able to absorb the vitamin.
Vitamin B12 requires for the proper functioning of the body including blood cells, nerve cells, brain, and other parts too. Deficiency of vitamin B12 may lead to anemia because of a reduction in healthy red blood cells, said Dr. Sukeshini, Consultant & Sports Physiotherapy, Fitness Coach.
Symptoms –
-Body can get fatigued easily
-breathlessness
-numbness
-tingling in hand, leg, or feet
-poor balance
-memory problem
Risk –
–Vegans:- plant do not produce vitamin B12, therefore, strict vegetarian and vegans are at high risk of vitamin B12 deficiency if they don’t eat grains
Weight loss surgery:- these types of surgeries interferes with the ability of the body to extract vitamin B12 from the food hence at high risk of deficiency of the same
Crohn’s disease:- conditions in which there is trouble in nutrient absorption can lead to a deficiency of vitamin B12
Way to fulfill the daily requirement
– deficiency can be prevented by diet
– strict vegetarians or vegans can eat bread, cereals, or other grains that are fortified with vitamin B12
– eat meat, eggs, poultry, dairy products, and other foods from animals
– mild deficiency can be corrected with a standard multivitamin
– severe deficiency can be corrected by either weekly shots of vitamin B12 or daily high dose vitamin B12 pills