Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms: 10 signs you are lacking vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is responsible for the production of red blood cells and keeping the nervous system healthy. Red blood cells carry oxygen around the body, but are unable to do so properly if there are too few of them or if they are abnormally formed. Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause red blood cells to become abnormally large, which can disrupt their ability to carry oxygen. This can lead to various health problems. But how do you know if you have a deficiency in the vitamin?
See your GP if you think you may have a vitamin B12 deficiency. This condition can often be diagnosed based on your symptoms and the results of a blood test
NHS
According to the NHS, there are 10 main symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency. These include:
- A pale yellow tinge to your skin
- A sore and red tongue
- Mouth ulcers
- Pins and needles
- Changes in the way that you walk and move around
- Disturbed vision
- Irritability
- Depression
- Changes in the way you think, feel and behave
- A decline in your mental abilities, such as memory, understanding and judgement.
Having these symptoms doesn’t mean you have vitamin B12 deficiency, but you may want to get them checked out in case.
Vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to anaemia – the general term for having too few red blood cells, or red blood cells which are abnormally formed.
Symptoms of anaemia include:
- Extreme tiredness
- Lack of energy
- Breathlessness
- Feeling faint
- Headaches
- Pale skin
- Heart palpitations
- Hearing sounds coming from inside the body, rather than from an outside source (this is known as tinnitus)
- Loss of appetite and weight loss.
The best food sources of vitamin B12
Eat these foods to maximise your vitamin B12 intake.
The best food sources of vitamin B12
“See your GP if you think you may have a vitamin B12 deficiency. This condition can often be diagnosed based on your symptoms and the results of a blood test,” said the NHS.
“It’s important for vitamin B12 deficiency anaemia to be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible because, although many of the symptoms improve with treatment, some problems caused by the condition can be irreversible.”
Complications associated with vitamin B12 deficiency include problems with the nervous system, temporary infertility, heart conditions and pregnancy complications.
Complications are uncommon, but can happen in people who have been deficient in B12 for some time.
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