Vitamin B12 - What to Know ? Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet
June 05, 2017
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Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that
is naturally present in some foods, added to others, and available as a dietary
supplement and a prescription medication
Do you get enough vitamin B12?
You’ll want to make sure that you do, in
order to stay healthy. Vitamin B12 does a lot of things for your body. It helps
make your DNA and your red blood cells, for example. Since your body doesn't
make vitamin B12, you have to get it from animal-based foods or from supplements.
And you should do that on a regular basis, because your body doesn’t store
vitamin B12 for a long time.
How Much to Get?
The answer depends on things including your
age, you’re eating habits and medical conditions, and what medications you take
The average recommended amounts, measured in
micrograms (mcg), vary by age:
Infants up to age 6 months: 0.4 mcg
Babies age 7-12 months: 0.5 mcg
Children age 1-3 years: 0.9 mcg
Kids age 4-8 years: 1.2 mcg
Children age 9-13 years: 1.8 mcg
Teens age 14-18: 2.4 mcg (2.6 mcg per day if
pregnant and 2.8 mcg per day if breastfeeding)
Adults: 2.4 mcg (2.6 mcg per day if pregnant
and 2.8 mcg per day if breastfeeding)
Food Sources of Vitamin B12
You can get vitamin B12 in animal foods,
which have it naturally, or from items that have been fortified with it.
Animal sources include dairy products, eggs,
fish, meat, and poultry. If you’re looking for a food fortified with B12, check
the product’s Nutrition Facts label.
Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Most people in the U.S. get enough of this
nutrient. If you’re not sure, you can ask your doctor if you should get a blood
test to check your vitamin B12 level.
With age, it can become harder to absorb this
vitamin. It can also happen if you have had weight loss surgery or another
operation that removed part of your stomach, if you drink heavily, or if you’ve
taken acid-reducing medications for a long time.
You may also be more likely to
develop vitamin B12 deficiency if you have:
Atrophic gastritis, in which your stomach
lining has thinned
Pernicious anemia, which makes it hard for
your body to absorb vitamin B12
Conditions that affect your small intestine,
such as Crohn's disease, celiac disease, bacterial growth, or a parasite
Immune system disorders, such as Graves'
disease or lupus
You can also get vitamin B12 deficiency if
you follow a vegan diet (meaning you don't eat any animal products, including
meat, milk, cheese, and eggs) or you are a vegetarian who doesn't eat enough
eggs or dairy products to meet your vitamin B12 needs. In both of those cases,
you can add fortified foods to your diet or take supplements to meet this need.
Pregnant or New Mom?
Are you a pregnant woman on a vegan or
vegetarian diet, and plan to only breastfeed your baby? You should talk to your
doctor before you have your baby, so that you have a plan in place for how
you’ll get enough vitamin B12 to keep your baby healthy.
Without enough vitamin B12, your baby could
have developmental delays and not thrive and grow like he should.
Symptoms of Vitamin B12 Deficiency
If you have vitamin B12 deficiency, you could
become anemic. A mild deficiency may cause no symptoms. But if untreated, it
may lead to symptoms such as:
Weakness, tiredness, or lightheadedness
Heart palpitations and shortness of breath
Pale skin
A smooth tongue
Constipation, diarrhea, loss of appetite, or
gas
Nerve problems like numbness or tingling,
muscle weakness, and problems walking
Vision loss
Mental problems like depression, memory loss,
or behavioral changes
Treatment
If you have pernicious anemia or have trouble
absorbing vitamin B12, you'll need shots of this vitamin at first. You may need
to keep getting these shots, take high doses of a supplement, or get it nasally
after that.
If you don’t eat animal products, you have
options. You can change your diet to include vitamin B12-fortified grains, a
supplement or B12 injections, or a high-dose oral vitamin B12 if you are
deficient.
Older adults who have a vitamin B12
deficiency should take a daily B12 supplement or a multivitamin that contains
B12.
For most people, treatment resolves the
problem. But, any nerve damage that happened due to the deficiency could be
permanent.
Prevention
Most people can prevent vitamin B12
deficiency by eating enough meat, poultry, seafood, dairy products, and eggs.
If you don't eat animal products, or you have
a medical condition that limits how well your body absorbs nutrients, you can
take vitamin B12 in a multivitamin or other supplement and foods fortified with
vitamin B12.
If you choose to take vitamin B12
supplements, let your doctor know, so he or she can make sure they won't affect
any medicines you're taking. Source
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