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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Is your eye twitching??

If it's been going on for a very long time, it could be the beginning of a B12 deficiency...most especially if you're a vegetarian/vegan or have gastrointestinal issues.  If you suspect that you may not be getting enough, please contact your doctor and get some lab work done because this is a very important water-soluble vitamin!

A water-soluble vitamin (versus a fat-soluble vitamin) isn't stored in the body like its counterpart but must be replaced daily.  Vitamin B12 is usually derived from animal products these days because people now wash all their fruits and vegetables constantly...you see, B12 comes from the bacteria in dirt.  Surprised?  Remember eating dirt as a kid?  Who says kids are dumb??

So I realized recently that I've been forgetting to take my B12 supplement on a regular basis.  Well, first of all, I've been really sick with the flu or at least that's what it's felt like.  I believe that my acupuncture session speeded the symptoms along because I went from feeling fine to "oh my lights! I've been hit by a two-trailer truck" sort of sick.  So, lying on the couch, finally getting around to watching the series "How I Met Your Mother", I started thinking about the reason I went to the acupuncturist in the first place and what she said to me.  When she looked at my anatomical drawing and ALL the circles of where I had pain, she said that she wouldn't be surprised if I had fibromyalgia. Oh no, I don't have that syndrome...do I?...No, not me...but then again...crap, I don't want to have that syndrome!  How did I get here to this place of general pain and fatigue??  My lower back hurts but I know that it's because of my iliopsoas (week lower ab muscles)...my neck hurts but that's because of my scalenes and trapezius (studying, playing video games, crocheting, reading)...But the one thing I couldn't explain away was the burning pain I've been getting in my quads from the smallest of efforts - I had to give up weight lifting because the pain was so bad that it was raising my blood pressure to a scary level too damn fast.  Then I came home and got sick.  And I started thinking.  My eye has been having this horrible nervous sort of tick for a couple of months now and I've been trying to ignore it by eating things with more potassium but it never went away.  Then, I thought about my B12 supplements.

B12 is needed by our bodies (essential nutrient) but only has about a 56% absorption rate in a healthy individual.  It's needed for a few metabolic functions but it's extremely important to nerve function.  What regulates pain reception/perception and muscle function??  The nervous system.  Holy carp!  So I hit the B12 bottle and have been taking my supplement (on top of the enriched milk-like products and cereals I have) everyday for the past three days.  And, guess what?  My eye stopped twitching!!  I'm too drained yet to test out the rest of the issues plus I probably need more time of taking it regularly.

There is no upper limit (UL) intake for B12 because it has such a low (super low) risk of toxicity, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). If you take Prilosec, Prevacid or Zantac (or any sort of stomach acid neutralizer) for gastric issues, these drugs might interfere with the absorption of B12 (B12 from animal sources is freed from those sources via a breakdown by gastric acids, FYI).  Also, if you've been taking antibiotics as that will change the flora in the intestines that are needed to interact with the B12 bacteria...again, check with your doctor.  There are also diabetes' drugs that affect the B12 absorption. This isn't something to just ignore - your nervous system controls EVERYTHING, not to mention that B12 is also important to energy metabolism and the metabolism of homocysteine (elevated amounts have been associated with cardiovascular disease and dementia).  If any of these are your situation, I hope that your medical professional is testing your vitamin and mineral levels on a normal basis - just saying.

This is a VERY important vitamin!  I'm not taking chances ever again, either...I'm taking my supplement every single day and I'm going to make my family take theirs as well.  If you want more information, check out the NIH's site http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional#h7

So, go on - what are you waiting for??  Have you taken your B12 yet??


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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