Aunque se pueda tardar mucho tiempo en detectar unos niveles bajos de B12, no debes ignorar algunos de los síntomas que es posible sufrir en caso de déficit:
- Fatigue or weakness without apparent cause.
- Dizziness and balance problems.
- Mental confusion.
- Slow reflexes.
- Mood swings.
- Lack of motivation and apathy.
Consult your doctor or a specialist about any of these symptoms so that they can give you the best recommendations according to your particular situation and indicate how and when you should take this vitamin, whether it's prescribed or not.
Its deficiency can lead to a disease called pernicious anaemia; a lack of healthy red blood cells in the body.
Unfortunately, it can take years for symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency to appear in your body, so diagnosis can be complicated and can only be detected through blood tests.
This vitamin is also excreted in the urine, although not quickly; hence it is often stored in the liver or kidney.
As we age, our body finds it increasingly difficult to absorb the cobalamin we eat through food. As such, people of middle-age should take extra special care of their B12 levels.
People who suffer from pernicious anaemia also have difficulties in absorbing cobalamin. In such cases, specialists normally inject patients with vitamin B12 to increase levels in the body.
Those following vegan diets may also suffer deficits, as the natural sources of B12 are meat, fish, eggs, milk and dairy products.
Vegetarians can also have difficulty meeting their recommended daily intake if their diet doesn't include sufficient dairy products.
In all these cases, an intake of dietary supplements rich in B12, as well as foods fortified with B12, is essential. The aim is to meet the nutritional requirements of a vitamin that's essential for our body.