You probably know what vitamin B12 is and how important it is to ensuring your health. Not only does B12 play a big role in the creation and maintenance of every cell in your body, it also is critical to ensuring your neurological function. Many enzymes in your body also require B12 for their creation and DNA replication also relies on the presence of sufficient B12.
A B12 deficiency can be caused by many things. Problems properly absorbing Vitamin B12 are the most common cause of a B12 deficiency. One common cause is pernicious anemia, a serious and sometimes fatal disease. People with compromised digestive tracks, either through illness or bariatric surgery, also sometimes experience low levels of B12. Mental confusion, fatigue, shortness of breath, low blood pressure, paleness, a racing heart and fatigue are all common symptoms of a B12 deficiency. Neurological symptoms that are sometimes mistaken for Alzheimer’s can also occur. Untreated, these symptoms may become permanent.
While a B12 deficiency is something that most people recognize as serious, most people do not understand that just having low-normal levels of B12 also carries some health risks with it. This is the point that many people begin to experience symptoms. Recently, it was shown that when you have low levels of B12 in your blood your levels of the amino acid homocysteine go up. Homocysteine is toxic at high levels and has been shown to cause many different illnesses including cardiovascular disease.
If you are experiencing symptoms of a B12 deficiency, chances are you will need to take b12 shots. Although oral B12 is fine for people who have high/normal levels of B12, they do not absorb well enough to combat deficiency symptoms. A B 12 injection sends the B12 directly into your blood stream which does away with any problems associated with absorption.
