Do I need supplements? Vitamin B12

My daughter woke up one morning more exhausted than when she went to bed. She had no motivation, no light in her eyes, no color in her skin. She looked anemic, but I couldn’t figure why. She eats a varied diet and takes a green supplement daily. I couldn’t find anything wrong. I took her to my mentor. The best thing about having an experienced doctor/mentor is that the problem gets fixed and I get to learn. That’s an efficient appointment.

She was low on Vitamin B-12. A major component of many energy drinks, B-12 promotes energy production. Although often thought of as a nutrient that only vegetarians need to be concerned with, more doctors are finding deficiencies in people who eat meat. What’s up?

Absorption is key

I soon found out that the iron my daughter in my daughter’s dinner steak was not being absorbed. Vitamin B-12 works together with folic acid to make red blood cells, which carry iron. If one or the other is lacking, there either aren’t enough blood cells to carry iron, or they develop in poor shapes which cannot carry the large iron molecule. Oxygen binds to the iron and is carried to all the cells. Without iron, oxygen can’t be carried; without oxygen, nothing in the body works.

It seems simple enough. But why would an otherwise healthy 20 year old, who eats very well and takes her vitamins be anemic? Oatmeal for breakfast, lots of green tea, fruits and vegetables. Some meat at dinner with more veggies. She tends to run alkaline, which is supposed to be good for the body.

Except that B-12 requires acid to separate it from the protein in which it comes. If stomach acid is insufficient, it may not be separated out during digestion. This can be an issue for the elderly, especially, who tend to have low amounts of hydrochloric acid in their digestive systems. People over 60 are most at risk for developing a B-12 deficiency. My daughter was outside the curve of normal, but had a mild case of megaloblastic anemia. Her symptoms of debilitating fatigue were just the beginning. It could’ve been worse.

The neurologic symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency include numbness and tingling of the hands and, more commonly, the feet; difficulty walking; memory loss; disorientation; and dementia with or without mood changes…. Tongue soreness, appetite loss, and constipation have also been associated with vitamin B12 deficiency. The origins of these symptoms are unclear, but they may be related to the stomach inflammation underlying some cases of vitamin B12 deficiency and to the progressive destruction of the lining of the stomach.  – Linus Pauling Institute

So, do I need this?

Vitamin B-12 deficiency is becoming more common. Studies of autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, are showing that many of them are related to a B-12 deficiency.  Vitamin B-12 is water soluble, which usually means the nutrient is carried out of the body just as fast as you can take it in. But in this case, the liver has the ability to store B-12 as needed, so you can reverse a deficiency quickly as your stores come up. The Linus Pauling Institute states that vitamin B-12 is not toxic, as it does not build up in the tissues.

The good news for my daughter was that, once I found what she needed, she was back up to normal by the next day. She doesn’t have to remember to take the supplement every day, because now that she’s aware of how her diet impacts how she feels, she is more intentional about what she eats.  And being intentional about what we eat is really how any of us stay healthy.

I proudly use and recommend AzureWell supplements for a whole-food, professional grade adjunct to your personal wellness plan. Type in BEND10 for 10% off your first TWO orders!

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” Virginia Woolf

#health #supplements #vitamins #foodandnutrition #diet #womenshealth #wholefoods #vitaminb12 #nutrition #azurewell