Anemia...What May be Underlying.

If you can't figure out why you're always anemic, especially since you've changed your diet and take your iron supplements, it may not be an iron intake issue but your inability to absorb vitamin B12.

Yes, there are ties between anemia and vitamin B12.  I know that I've blogged about the wonders of vitamin B12 but I think this is also an important thing to know, especially if you (or someone you know) has ever developed atrophic gastritis (it's the last checkpoint of chronic inflammation of the stomach lining which is mostly attributed to infection with H.pylori) and has been iron deficient often.

If this is the case, vitamin B12 can't be absorbed effectively, leading to a deficiency in B12 which leads to a deficiency in the production of red blood cells.  Vitamin B12 is a very important component in the production of red blood cells.  This type of anemia is called pernicious anemia and can happen at any age but if you're over the age of 50, you have a higher chance of developing it.

What's the solution? There is a B12 injection as well as a nasal spray that cuts out the middle man, so to speak.  Have your levels checked for all of your vitamin & mineral levels - that's something I learned from a very knowledgeable neurologist!

If you want to read more about pernicious anemia, you can click here for the National Health Institute's information.  

All information on this blog is my own pursuit of information on the road to getting my BS in Nutrition Science and as a mode of studying.  

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