Dr. Berg Table of Contents
What does Vitamin B12 do?
What would the first sign of a methylcobalamin deficiency look like ?
That’s a vitamin B12 deficiency .
You It’s kind of important since it controls your DNA , your red blood cells , your myelin sheath that surrounds the nerves , like kinda like this cord .
If I were to take off the insulation of this cord and touch with another piece of metal , it would short circuit and you can get electrocuted .
So myelin is the surroundings of your nerves to protect them .
And when that goes , you start getting all sorts of tingling and numbness and burning and things like that .
Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency
And vitamin B12, does have a lot to do with supporting your spinal column , your brain .
And , you know , if you’re deficient , it could end up with a bit of permanent damage and cause you to be in chronic pain because of the nerve damage as well as depression and even muscle wasting .
But other than that , well , there’s a couple more side effects blurry vision , tinnitus , anemia , mouth ulcers , sore throat , and hair loss .
You could be deficient in vitamin B12 long before you start to feel any effects. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t damage being done. One of the first symptoms you would eventually feel is extreme fatigue.
Vitamin B12 toxicity
On the flip side challenge with this deficiency of methylcobalamin is a toxicity .
So in other words you can have symptoms from having not enough and symptoms from having too much .
I’m gonna put this research down below .
But , as far as toxicity from vitamin B12 , that’s usually gonna happen if you’re taking the synthetic version .
Not the methylcobalamin , but the cyanocobalamine .
I mean , cyanol .
What is that ?
That’s cyanide that combines with the , cobalt , and it makes this very complex vitamin .
And that has to be converted into the methylcobalamin .
And for various reasons I’m gonna talk about , it can build up in the body and cause acne , palpitations , anxiety , red skin on your face like red cheeks , headaches , insomnia .
And , also , another condition called akathisia , where the person is so restless that they just can’t sit still .
They have intense agitation , and sometimes to the point of feeling suicidal , right , from a b twelve toxicity .
You might say , well , how would I get that ?
You could also experience symptoms if you have too much vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 toxicity will typically occur if you’re taking too much synthetic vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin)—not the natural version (methylcobalamin).
Well , take a look at the back of some of these energy drinks or these , 1 a days or even some of the supplements or fortified foods .
They really jack up that vitamin B12 to , like , between 8,000 to 14000 percent of the RDAs .
vitamin B12 should only be given in micrograms , not like massive massive amounts unless it’s in a natural form called the methylcobalamin form .
So for that reason I don’t recommend doing the inexpensive synthetic cyanocobalamin .
Cyanocobalamin can build up in the body and cause symptoms such as:
- Acne
- • Palpitations
- • Anxiety
- • Red cheeks
- • Headaches
- • Insomnia
- • Akathisia
- • Suicidal thought
First sign of vitamin B12 deficiency
Now what would be the first sign that you would feel initially if you started becoming deficient in b 12 ?
Well , that symptom is are you ready for this ?
Asymptomatic .
There is no symptom .
And what I mean by that is , like , it takes a long time for you to feel the effects of a b twelve deficiency as it’s brewing in the oven .
The damage is being created , but you don’t necessarily feel it because it’s deep into this nervous system .
However , one of the first symptoms that you would feel would be extreme fatigue .
Other signs of vitamin B12 deficiency can include:
- • Chronic pain
- • Depression
- • Muscle wasting
- • Blurry vision
- • Tinnitus
- • Anemia
- • Mouth ulcers
- • Sore throat
- • Hair loss
Vitamin B12 deficiency causes
Now how does one become deficient in vitamin B12 ?
It could be because of your diet , because you don’t eat animal products .
There is no vitamin vitamin B12 in plants .
Okay ?
It’s in animal products or bacteria that can create vitamin B12 .
So if someone’s plant based or vegan , they can develop a vitamin B12 deficiency unless they take vitamin B12.
But the more likely reason why someone’s deficient , especially if they’re older , is absorption .
They don’t have good absorption in their digestive system .
Either there’s something wrong with the stomach .
They don’t have hydrochloric acid . Because think about it .
Animal products have vitamin B12 .
So when you digest meat , you have to break down that protein .
If you don’t have enough hydrochloric acid , you can’t break down the protein to dislodge that vitamin B12vitamin .
Top causes of vitamin B12 deficiency:
- Malabsorption
- • Plant-based or vegan diets
- • Gastric bypass
- • Atrophy of the stomach
- • Gastritis
- • H. pylori infection
- • Ulcers
- • Inflammation in the intestines
- • Aspirin
- • Alcohol
- • Junk foods
- • Antibiotics
- • Antacids or PPIs
- • Birth control pills
- • Pregnancy
- • Lactation
- • Smoking
- • Polymorphism
Foods high in vitamin B12 are animal products. There is no vitamin B12 in plants.
So it’s all locked up in the protein , so you never pull it out .
So hydrochloric acid is a very important thing to help you get vitamin B12 , and so many people have a loss of stomach acid or their stomach acid is not strong .
The way that someone should identify as an indicator they need more acid is if they have gas , indigestion , acid reflux , GERD .
If this is surprising to you , you should watch the video I have on the topic after we’re done with this video , and I’ll I’ll put that link down below .
But other problems with the stomach too , like , having part of your stomach removed , maybe gastric bypass , something like that .
That can create a vitamin B12 deficiency .
Or if you have atrophy of the stomach , for some reason , or gastritis , or you have this h pylori infection , and you have this ulcer because you’re going through stress , or you’re deficient in zinc .
So there’s a lot of different things that can go wrong with the stomach or the small intestine or the large intestine .
So if you have inflammation in your intestines , it could be from any condition that can be why you’re deficient in vitamin B12 .
Also , if you take aspirin , that can create a vitamin B12 deficiency .
If you drink alcohol , that can create it .
If you eat junk food , that can create it .
If you’re on antibiotics or you’re on some antacid or a PPI , that can create a vitamin B12 deficiency .
Or even if you’re on birth control pills , that’s also been known to create a vitamin B12 deficiency .
If a woman is pregnant or lactating , the need for that vitamin B12 goes up .
So it’s very , very important for a woman who’s either pregnant or lactating to eat super healthy .
If a person’s low on folate , they can have almost identical symptoms to a vitamin B12 deficiency because folate and b twelve work together .
Now the another interesting thing about , this is that if you’re a smoker , right , you’re breathing in cyanide .
Okay ?
And if you’re taking cyanocobalamin , a synthetic vitamin B12 , the cyanide version has to be dislodged and has to convert over .
Well , the cyanide from the smoking can lock back up that vitamin , and you’ll become deficient in vitamin B12 because you’re a smoker .
Another reason why you should quit .
But there’s one more reason why people are deficient that is very important to know about , and that’s a genetic reason .
And the term for that is called polymorphism , which I’m not gonna get too much into that .
All you need to know , it’s related to your genes , and the name of that gene is called MTHFR .
That’s a gene .
And if you have a problem with that gene , you’re gonna have a problem with the enzyme that it produces in relationship to being able to use or convert this vitamin B12 and folate .
So you’re getting problems with the synthetic version of both of these nutrients .
So folic acid would be the synthetic , version usually .
And it’s mostly in , like , enriched and fortified foods and synthetic vitamins .
If you have this genetic issue , you better avoid folic acid .
You need the folate version and it’s called methylfolate .
And you also need the methylcobalamin , not the cyanocobalamin , or you can have a lot of problems , relating to homocysteine building up , increasing risk of heart problems , stroke , depression or anxiety from that .
And another symptom would be you just can’t detoxify .
So if you just have a little toxicity in your diet it just really affects you in a bad way
