B 12 DEFICIENCY

Symptoms of B12 deficiency often go undiagnosed. This is largely because there are a variety of symptoms and very often they can be mistaken for something else. For example, many of the early b12 vitamin deficiency symptoms are often brushed off as the normal signs of aging. At the other end of the spectrum, some people experience very dramatic symptoms even when they are only experiencing moderately low (or low/normal) levels. In these cases, most of the time a B12 deficiency is not considered as a potential cause of the problem because the symptoms are so significant that it does not seem possible that moderately low or borderline b12 levels could be the culprit. Sadly, it is not at all uncommon for B 12 deficiency symptoms to be mis-diagnosed or the signs of b12 deficiency to be ignored all together!

Here are some of the common symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency:

• Neurological B12 Vitamin Deficiency Symptoms

• Mental confusion
• Delusions
• Paranoia
• Headaches
• Depression
• Impulse Control
• Pins and needles in the extremities
• Balance issues

• Gastrointestinal Symptoms of B12 Vitamin Deficiency

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Heartburn
• Bloating
• Loss of Appetite
• Weight Loss
• Diarrhea
• Constipation

• Other Symptoms of B12 Vitamin Deficiency

• Fatigue
• Paleness
• Shortness of breath that results from only very light exertion
• White spots on the skin (typically the forearm) due to decreased melatonin
• Hair loss
• Bruising that occurs without reason
• Dizziness

These varied B12 deficiency symptoms’ are the result of the body not creating sufficient red blood cells due to the decreased levels of B12.  Red blood cells are required to carry oxygen to all of your cells so having insufficient red blood cells essentially starves your body of oxygen.

Pernicious anemia

Pernicious anemia is caused by an autoimmune disease; a person’s own immune system attacks good parts of the body, as if they were bacteria or viruses.

The immune system of patients with pernicious anemia creates antibodies which attack the lining of the stomach, damaging cells that produce intrinsic factor. Intrinsic factor is a substance that is secreted by the gastric mucous membrane (lining of the stomach) and is vital for the absorption of vitamin B12 in the intestines. If the production of intrinsic factor is undermined, vitamin B12 cannot be absorbed into the body properly.

Where to Get Your B12

B12 is produced by microorganisms, bacteria, fungi, and algae, but not by animals or plants. B12 is found in animal products because they concentrate the nutrient after ingesting these microorganisms along with their food in their flesh, organs, and byproducts (e.g. eggs and dairy). Also, ruminant animals (such as cows, sheep, and goats) have bacteria in their rumen that produce vitamin B12.

The bottom line is that it seems the best way to supplement to maximize absorption and maintain optimal blood levels of B12 is for vegan adults (as well as non-vegan adults over the age of 60) should consider supplementing with these doses of vitamin B12 which any good multi-vitamin should provide!

NOTE ON B12 TESTING: One of the most important things to understand about B12 deficiency is that the serum B12 is not a very reliable marker for diagnosing B12 deficiency. When you measure B12 in the serum, you’re measuring all of the different cobalamins. Cobalamins are all the different B12 compounds. That ranges from the most inactive forms of cobalamin, like cyanocobalamin, to the more active forms of cobalamin, like methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin, which are referred to as active B12. That’s the type of B12 that can actually be delivered, get in the cells, and do what it’s supposed to do. Then there are intermediate forms of cobalamins, like hydroxocobalamin, which are not super active, but more active than something like cyanocobalamin.

When you measure serum B12, you’re measuring all of those different B12s. So it would be possible to have a normal or even high level of serum B12, and have most of that be inactive, and still be suffering from B12 deficiency, because you don’t really have enough of the active B12 that gets in the cells. What are those sensitive markers? Well, the most practical and most available at this time is methylmalonic acid, or MMA for short. You can test methylmalonic acid in the urine or the serum. Methylmalonic acid is an organic acid. It’s a by-product of normal cellular metabolism. It’s converted into succinic acid via a B12-dependent enzyme. That enzyme only can use active B12. So if methylmalonic acid (MMA) is elevated, it suggests there’s not enough active B12 to make that conversion. Therefore, it’s a sensitive indicator for active B12 deficiency. This is done through our OAT TEST (organic acid urine profile test).

LOW B6 symptoms:

Vitamin B6 – may be associated with less than optimum health conditions (low intake, malabsorption, or dysbiosis)

B6 is a water-soluble vitamin. Like the other B vitamins, it helps make energy in your body. B-6 was isolated in 1938. It’s needed for more than 60 enzymes to work in the body. It’s a vital part of making non-essential amino acids.

Pyridoxine is needed to help make neurotransmitters. These include gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. This vitamin is needed to help convert stored energy (glycogen) to blood sugar (glucose). Low levels of pyridoxine can lead to numbness or tingling in the hands and feet (peripheral neuropathy) and seizures. This vitamin is needed for red blood cells to form. It’s needed for iron to convert into hemoglobin. Low levels of pyridoxine can cause anemia and many other health problems.

Low B6 symptoms: Twitching, seizures, convulsions, mood or mental changes, anemia, fatigue, heart rate irregularities, pale skin, dizziness, headaches, cold extremities, unusual body sensations (numbness, tingling or burning in feet or hands), anxiety, chronic fatigue, insomnia, indigestion, skin rashes, panic attacks, hyperventilation, extreme pms, low progesterone production, restlessness, hair loss, cracks on tongue or lips, weakness, trigger finger, carpal tunnel, swollen hands, thumb-wrist-joints painful.

Foods High In B6

Sweet potatoes, Liver, tuna, salmon, chickpeas, poultry, cantaloupe, dark greens (spinach, kale, etc)

NOTE FOR PREGNANCY: Folic acid: Low folate is associated with a 47% increased risk of miscarriage; having both low folate and low vitamin B6 increase miscarriage risk by 310%.Vitamin B6 is crucial for the healthy function of the brain and nervous system and thus plays a critical role in the development of your baby. Specifically, it’s necessary for the healthy production of serotonin and norepinephrine, key neurotransmitters.

• Your baby requires a supply of Vitamin B6 for the healthy development of its brain and nervous system
• B6 can resolve some cases of morning sickness
• It helps you maintain healthy blood glucose levels
• It plays a role in preventing several issues in newborns, including eczema and low birth weight

Many women are first recommended B6 supplementation early in pregnancy, when nausea and vomiting are at their worst, as B6 can significantly alleviate the issue.

Vitamin B6 and Miscarriage

High vitamin B6 lowers chance of miscarriage by 50% improves fertility by 120%

Homocysteine, folate, and vitamins B6 and B12 were measured in preconception plasma. Relative to women in the lowest quartile of vitamin B6, those in the third and fourth quartiles had higher odds of conception (odds ratio = 2.2; odds ratio = 1.6, respectively), and the adjusted odds ratio for early miscarriage in conceptive cycles was lower in the fourth quartile (odds ratio=0.5). Women with sufficient vitamin B6 had higher odds of conception (odds ratio = 1.4) and a lower adjusted odds ratio of early miscarriage in conceptive cycles (odds ratio=0.7) than did women with vitamin B6 deficiency. Poor vitamin B6 status appears to decrease the probability of conception and to contribute to the risk of early miscarriage in this population.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17478435

Vitamin B6, B2, B12 and folate lower in women who miscarry

The median levels of all B vitamins examined, i.e. folate, vitamins B2, B6, and B12, were lower in miscarriage cases compared to the controls, although the difference did not reach significance except for vitamin B6 intake, which resulted in the border of significance (2.1 vs. 1.8 mg). It is important to point out that multivitamin supplementation is low in the Mexican population, as was the case in this small study population. Thus, these findings need to be replicated in larger studies to fully evaluate the protective role of these vitamins on miscarriage risk.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2890227/

Vitamin B6 can prevent stress from affecting fetal growth

High-dose vitamin B6 may counteract the adverse impact of glucocorticoids (which are increased by stress) on fetal growth.

http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0306987799909568

Vitamin B6 and Hormones

Vitamin B6 lowers prolactin

Vitamin B6 appears to reduce the production of prolactin, a hormone that causes testosterone to be taken up by tissues.

http://www.bentham.org/cnf/sample/cnf4-4/D0004NF.pdf

Vitamin B6 acts similarly to progesterone

Vitamin B₆ possesses progesterone-like effect but it does not intensify the action of progesterone. On the other hand, vitamin B₁₂ and vitamin A exhibit no progesterone-like effect and do not affect the action progesterone when they were given together.

http://www.springerlink.com/index/n3xp3xt315458323.pdf

Vitamin B6 increases progesterone

Administration of vitamin B6 at doses of 200-800 mg/day reduces blood estrogen, increases progesterone and results in improved symptoms under double-blind conditions.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6684167