Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient needed to protect DNA and RNA, support energy, protect
your nerve and brain cells, form healthy red blood cells, and maintain a positive mood. So yes, this
vitamin, known as cobalamin, which is only 1 out of the 8 b vitamins you need, does a lot in the
body, and its important that you ensure you are getting enough b12. And although its not common
to have a deficiency in vitamin b12, the risk is still there for some, in fact, approximately 6% of
adults 60 or younger have vitamin B12 deficiency. ANd The rate jumps to 20% in people older than
60. So this video, will be different than the others you find on youtube throwing out a bunch
of different symptoms of b12 deficiency without really giving you a perspective, or lets say a
timeline of what happens first. Whats early or whats too late. This video will be different.
Youll know exactly what are the early signs that tend to happen first, then ill get into
the intermediate progression of the deficiency and who is maybe more at risk for b12 defiency,
and what you can do right now to make sure those symptoms dont play out to any more severe than
they need to. Also definitely stay tuned till the end of this video, because ill be going
over one mistake that you may not even know that youre doing thats stopping your b12 from getting
absorbed, so make sure to watch till the end. Lets start out with the big picture,
what does vitamin b12 do. If i were to narrow it to 2 things to make it simple and not confuse you,
I would say these are the most important things vitamin b12 does that you should know of.
The first is to maintain the myelin sheath. You see, myelin is found on our nerve fibres,
surrounding our nerves and helping the nerves to speed up impulses. To put it simple, it allows the
nerve signals and electrical impulses to transmit quickly and efficiently along the nerve cells
in our body. If we dont get enough vitamin b12, the myelin could get compromised, and the normal
healthy nerve impulses slow down and can cause pain. The second major thing vitamin b12 does,
is to help mature your red blood cells. Because Without enough healthy and mature red blood cells,
your tissues and organs don’t get enough oxygen. Without enough oxygen, your body can’t work as
well and can lead to what is known as pernicious anemia, which is a disease in which the production
of red blood cells are impaired as a result of the body's inability to absorb and get enough
vitamin B12. So I feel like thats a good starting point to understand the big picture, we need the
b12 to have healthy nerve signals and we also need the b12 to have healthy red blood cell production.
Now lets start out with the early signs of vitamin b12 deficiency are and who is even at risk for
developing them. Because if you know immediately if your at risk, you can take the necessary steps
right away to avoid them from getting worse. The earlier and mild signs of b12 deficiency
are. Feeling more tired and feeling like passing out, rapid heartbeats, cold hands and feet,
easy bruising and bleeding, a sore and red tongue known as glossitis, and the big one,
which is having anemia, or a reduced number of red blood cells, because remember, b12 makes the
red blood cells to mature, and without enough b12, vitamin b12 deficiency anemia could arise,
which is essentially when you get the wrong shape of red blood cells forming,
that are very large and are shaped like an oval, not round like healthy red blood cells need to be.
This then causes the bone marrow to make fewer red blood cells. And In some cases the red blood cells
dont last longer than they should, and a number of issues stems off from there. SO those are
some of the mild symptoms. And keep in mind that Symptoms of b12 deficiency tend to be nonspecific,
so your doctor may suspect other conditions or deficiencies as some of these symptoms can cross
over as other conditions as well so keep that in mind. And we talked about that in the magnesium
deficiency video too, so if you havent watched that one, ill link it above right here. Now,
in these mild deficiency symptoms, its important to know if you are at risk of them getting worse.
And the 3 groups of people who are at more risk are, starting with the first group are. 1.)
Vegetarians and vegans. This is because vitamin b12 is only found naturally in animal products.
Even though some plant-based milks or grains may have been fortified with vitamin B12,
vegan diets are often limited in b12, putting them at risk of deficiency. The second group
are those who their medicines put them at risk for b12 deficiency. So anyone taking metformin,
as metformin can block absorbtion of b12 and anyone taking acid blockers for heartburn
or any of these guys, are at risk too, as they disrupt b12 absorption as well. The third group
who are risk are: those whove had gastrointestinal issues, like Gastritis, celiac disease, and
inflammatory bowel disease, or any condition that disrupts nutrient absorption, will also likely
disrupt b12 absorption as well. So what can you do to offset this and find a balance. You can look
to supplementing b12 if your doctor recommends you need to get on board with b12. So if youre looking
for a b12, you need to know of the 2 major types first, obviously there is more, but the 2 big
players are cyanocobalamin and metyhlcobalamin. And before you take vitamin b12, it is important
that you get a confirmed deficiency result from a lab test or your doctors office,
proving that you are in fact deficient. Because you shouldnt be taking b12 if you arent sure. Now
with that said, , Cyanocobalamin is a synthetic form of vitamin B12 found only in supplements,
while methylcobalamin is a naturally occurring form that you can get through either food sources
or supplements. And the Research shows that cyanocobalamin may be absorbed better in your
body, while methylcobalamin likely has a higher retention rate and lasts longer in the body. But
Other studies have found that the differences in absorption and retention are really small,
so both can work just fine. If i were to recommend one, its going to be the 1 mg of methylcobalamin
once a day. And I always recommend a product from a reputable company that has third party testing,
and Now this isnt a sponsored video at all, and am not paid to say any of this, the reason why I look
to thorne supplements is because: they are the only supplement manufacturer to collaborate with
Mayo Clinic on wellness research and content. And there manufacturing facility is annually certified
by GMP and certified by NSF International yearly, so they get a lot of third party
testing to make sure that when you buy b12, you actually are getting b12, and not harmful
substances that can get mixed in. Now, not saying you have to go with thorne’s version,
but make sure that when you do purchase a b12, it does have a third party testing to make sure the
quality is there. Now lets move onto some moderate conditions, that hopefully wont have to come about
once your on board with a good supplement. Youll start preventing the more moderate sympotoms like,
more hair loss, joint pain, the feeling of pins and needles, especially in the hands and feet,
that can be hard to get used to, and the more severe forms of b12 deficiency
which can be reduced heart function, changes in your reflexes, memory problems, blurred vision,
and mood changes that can lead to depression. Which hopefully we’ll never get too, since we
would be tackling on the deficiency early on. And since you stayed tuned till the end, I told
you I was going to tell you the one thing that could be stopping your b12 from being absorbed
efficiently, and something to keep note of is your vitamin c. Vitamin C can destroy vitamin B12,
especially at large doses. So a sneaky way to get around this is: take your vitamin C two or
more hours after taking your vitamin b12. Hit the red subscribe button down below,
and let me know what your thoughts are down below. I know this isnt a complete breakdown
of everything you need to know, but I hope its a good starting point. Always speak with your doctor
and pharmacist before starting any new supplement, and as always, ill see you guys on the next one.