Could it be that you have a B12 deficiency? Jessie Stephens was exhausted and in a bad mood.1 Sometimes it felt like she was drunk. She had difficulty speaking and when she tried to tell a story, she became confused and tired halfway through.
Worried, she called her sister and said: "I'm going crazy! I feel like I'm always 20 seconds behind - I can't seem to have a normal conversation with anyone because I can't quite make out what they're saying. It's like I'm stuck in a dream or underwater. I have no control over it!" Later, she went to the doctor because she had a cold that wouldn't go away. There, she took a blood test that gave her the answer to why she had been feeling so bad. She had a B12 deficiency - something she had never heard of. She was given B12 injections, and within an hour of the first injection, she felt better. "It felt like I was injected with 14 hours of sleep. I woke up from dreamland and was myself," she says.
B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that is produced by bacteria. It is important for both the nervous system and red blood cells and is mostly found in animal products that store B12 that they absorb from bacteria. But deficiency is surprisingly common even in those who consume milk and meat,2 as Jessie did. This is because the main reason for B12 deficiency is difficulty absorbing it.3
B12 deficiency occurs visibly gradually and gets worse over time. A small deficiency may not be visible, but low levels can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, dizziness, feeling cold, and much more.4-5 B12 deficiency is absolutely serious and can lead to permanent nerve damage, memory loss and even premature death. Among other things, low B12 levels lead to high levels of homocysteine, which can lead to blood vessel damage and heart disease.
Jessie was lucky to be diagnosed so early. Unfortunately, symptoms of B12 deficiency are often confused with other conditions and therefore misdiagnosed. Melissa writes about 20 years of B12 deficiency and misdiagnosis.1 She had many symptoms, including headaches, depression and fatigue, and her doctors told her that as a 40-year-old single mom, she was probably just overworked and needed more sleep, and that some of what she was experiencing was just normal aging symptoms. Her problems worsened and she started forgetting where she left her keys, forgetting appointments and even the date of her daughter's birthday. One day she found herself in her own kitchen with no idea where she was. When she finally got the right diagnosis and received her first B12 injection, the pain she had lived with all her adult life disappeared and the brain fog lifted overnight.
So we've seen that B12 deficiency can seemingly affect anyone, but how common is it really? A scientific study that took data from 18 different studies on vegans and vegetarians showed a deficiency of 62% in pregnant women, between 25% and 86% in children and up to 90% in the elderly.7 But what about those who are omnivores? The Farmingham Offspring study showed that almost 40% of the 3,000 people they followed had low levels of B12 despite consuming animal products.2 Why is B12 deficiency so common even among those who consume animal products containing B12?
The reasons for this deficiency can be divided into three categories: Poor absorption, low intake and, for some, an increased need for B12.4 Poor absorption is the most common cause, which in turn can be caused by anything from low stomach acid (as part of the normal ageing process) to various stomach problems such as Crohn's and Celiac disease. It can also be caused by various medications, such as the diabetes drug metaformin.8-9 Deficiency can occur both because we don't get enough foods containing B12 and because increased hygiene in our modern society has reduced the B12 content of what we eat.5 It is also possible that the B12 content of foods is lower due to soil depletion. There is a lower content of the mineral cobalt, which is needed to form B12, at the same time as there is an increased content of heavy metals, such as lead. One of the reasons for this is the use of pesticides.10 Pregnancy, AIDS, alcohol and smoking are among the factors that increase our need for B12. In such cases, more B12 is needed to avoid deficiency.
As we have seen, B12 deficiency is very serious. It can happen to almost anyone, and it's much more common than most people think. Despite this, many people are hesitant or outright against taking B12 supplements. Why is that?
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