Many vitamin epidemics come and go, but vitamin B12 should not be ignored

Along Roberta H. Unding, MS, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital

The Great Courses Daily, edited by Kate Findley and proofread by Angela Shoemaker

Many supplements over the years Vitamin E etc. It is hyped by the media. Vitamin B₁₂However, it’s worth the hype. For a variety of reasons, many of us suffer from this vitamin deficiency.Professor Anding explains the role of B vitamins₁₂ And what leads to a shortage?

Vitamin B₁₂ role

Vitamin B₁₂ Unique to B vitamins..The body can store a supply of B vitamins₁₂ Up to 2 years in the liver, in contrast to all other B vitamins that you need to have a consistent daily intake.

B₁₂, favorite Folic acidIs required for the production of red blood cells and the maintenance of a normal central nervous system. It also plays an important role in the metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrates.

Absorption of vitamin B₁₂ Proper gastric acid production is required, and intrinsic factor is also required.Intrinsic factor is secreted by gastric parietal cells that unlock B vitamins₁₂ From food.

defect

Gastric bypass, used to manage obesity, reduces the amount of acid produced by the stomach due to the smaller stomach, which in turn reduces the amount of intrinsic factor that interacts with food.Loss of gastric juice and hydrochloric acid also occurs naturally Aging process.. About 30% of people over the age of 50 can suffer from malabsorption of vitamins.

“When the doctor told my mother that she had a problem with red blood cells, my mother thought it was iron because she knew it,” said Professor Anding. “She actually had B₁₂ Deficiency, not because she isn’t eating B’s food source₁₂But the problem is that she was 85 years old and didn’t have enough intrinsic factor. “

People who have just undergone gastric bypass surgery can get enough B vitamins because vitamin B deficiency can take years to develop.₁₂ In their blood on the first visit to the doctor. Over a period of time, they lose their ability to absorb sufficient amounts from their diet.

From time to time, to make up for the deficiency, you can receive injections or large doses of up to 500 milligrams.However, the injection will only work if you are already B₁₂ Not as a preventive strategy, but inadequate.

Other populations at risk include vegans because of B vitamins₁₂ Included in animal foods.For vitamin B₁₂ The deficiency continues untreated, you can actually develop a form of anemia called pernicious anemia, an inappropriate immune response.

You can end up with macrocytic anemia, macrocytic anemia, and cause irreversible nerve destruction. Recent research Also, the shortage of B₁₂, Like folic acid, may increase the likelihood of neural tube defects and again show the interaction of B vitamins.

If you are at risk, you need to monitor B₁₂ Carefully status. Vitamin B₁₂ There is no known toxicity.

Heart disease and B vitamins

There is a relationship between B vitamins and heart disease due to the synergistic effect between the B vitamins. B₆, Folic acid, and B₁₂ Everything is closely linked, and a deficiency of any of these vitamins can lead to elevated levels of homocysteine ​​in the blood.

Perhaps you had homocysteine ​​levels elicited by your healthcare provider. Increased levels of the protein homocysteine ​​are markers of increased risk of heart disease. The question is whether it is directly related to homocysteine ​​or a marker of poor diet that increases the risk of heart disease.

Professor Anding suggests that it is also a potential marker of these B vitamin interactions. For example, suppose you eat a lot but drink a fair amount of alcohol with your friends on the weekends. Then you have to ask yourself, does an increase in homocysteine ​​levels indicate that your diet is poor, or is the effect of alcohol on all these B vitamins?

“This is a great example of how nutrition is all woven together. The B vitamins probably really show this and all of clinical nutrition,” said Professor Anding.

This article was edited by Kate Findley, writer for The Great Courses Daily.,and Proofreading by Angela Shoemaker, proofreader and copy editor of The Great Courses Daily..

Professor Roberta H. Anding is a registered dietitian, director of sports nutrition, and a clinical nutritionist at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital. She also teaches and lectures in the Department of Pediatrics, Adolescent Medicine and Sports Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, and the Department of Exercise at Rice University.