Vitamin Deficiency: Vitamin B12 deficiency can be sneaky, harmful

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The human body needs vitamin B₁₂ to make red blood cells, nerves, DNA, and carry out other functions. The average adult should get 2.4 micrograms a day. Like most vitamins, B₁₂ can’t be made by the body . Instead, it must be gotten from food or supplements.

And therein lies the problem: Some people don’t consume enough vitamin B₁₂ to meet their needs, while others can’t absorb enough, no matter how much they take in. As a result, vitamin B₁₂ deficiency is relatively common, especially among older people. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey estimated that 3.2% of adults over age 50 have a seriously low B₁₂ level, and up to 20% may have a borderline deficiency.

What harm can having too little of a vitamin do? Consider this: Over the course of two months, a 62-year-old man developed numbness and a “pins and needles” sensation in his hands, had trouble walking, experienced severe joint pain, began turning yellow, and became progressively short of breath. The cause was lack of vitamin B₁₂ in his bloodstream, according to a case report from Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital published in The New England Journal of Medicine. It could have been worse—a severe vitamin B₁₂ deficiency can lead to deep depression, paranoia and delusions, memory loss, incontinence, loss of taste and smell, and more, according to another article in today's New England Journal. 

From Oli G

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