According to Mount Sinai, vitamin B12 deficiency can cause permanent nerve damage if left untreated. Two signs that this applies to can appear on someone’s hands and feet. Specifically, if you notice a numbness or tingling sensation.
This complication has been reflected in the NHS, adding that other complications may include:
• Vision problems
• amnesia
• pins and needles
• Loss of physical coordination
• damage to parts of the nervous system;
• Infertility
• Gastric cancer.
On stomach cancer, the NHS wrote:
Pernicious anemia is one of several causes of vitamin B12 deficiency, along with diet, conditions affecting the stomach and intestines, and medications.
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What is pernicious anemia?
Pernicious anemia is an autoimmune condition in which the body’s immune system attacks itself. It is the most common cause of B12 deficiency in the UK.
How does it affect your stomach?
In the stomach, vitamin B12 binds to a protein known as intrinsic factor. This mixture allows the B12 to be absorbed by the rest of the body.
Pernicious anemia causes the immune system to attack cells in the stomach that produce this endogenous factor. This means that the body can no longer absorb vitamins.
At the time of writing, scientists still don’t know why pernicious anemia occurs, but we do know that women over the age of 60 are at increased risk for the condition, especially if they have a family history of the condition. I’m here.
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How is B12 deficiency treated?
Treatment for each will depend on the cause of the deficiency. When dieting, your doctor may recommend increasing your consumption of vitamin-rich foods such as:
• meat
• fish
• milk
• Cheese
• egg
• Selected fortified breakfast cereals.
If the dietary changes prove inadequate, an injection of vitamin B12 may be prescribed. There are two types of B12 injections: hydroxocobalamin and cyanocobalamin.
Regarding the timing of these injections, the NHS added:
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How much vitamin B12 does the human body need?
The recommended daily dose for adults between the ages of 19 and 64 is approximately 1.5 micrograms per day. A level that can be maintained with proper diet.
However, this all depends on your diet. Vegans may not be getting all the vitamin B12 they need and may need to use other means such as supplements to get a healthy amount.
Not getting enough vitamin B12 can cause health problems, but there’s little evidence about what happens when you get too much.
The NHS wrote about overdosing on vitamin B12:
Although the health hazards of taking too much vitamin B12 are unknown, there are known health problems that can result from taking too much of another common vitamin, vitamin D.
Vitamin D is a chemical that the body produces when exposed to sunlight. While you cannot overdose on vitamin D from the sun, it is possible to overdose from supplements.
When this happens, a condition known as hypercalcemia occurs. This weakens bones and damages the heart and kidneys.
The recommended dose of vitamin D in the UK for adults is 100 micrograms, but the vitamin is also found in fatty fish, red meat, egg yolks and liver.
