There are a wide range of symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, from mild to severe, which can affect your body, mind and mood.
In general, look for signs of:
1. Fatigue, lack of energy, muscle weakness, tingling in your extremities
2. Mental fogginess or problems with your memory, trouble sleeping
3. Mood swings, especially feelings of apathy or lack of motivation
Even though vitamin B12 is water-soluble, it doesn’t exit your body quickly like other water-soluble vitamins. B12 is stored in your liver, kidneys and other body tissues, and as a result, a deficiency may not show itself for a number of years.
This time lag is a serious concern, because after about seven years of B12 deficiency, irreversible brain damage can result.
Other symptoms of long-term, chronic B12 deficiency can include:
* depression
* dementia and Alzheimer's
* anemia
* neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions
* female fertility and childbearing problems
* heart disease and cancer
Blood tests for vitamin B12 deficiency aren’t as clear cut or helpful as they are for other nutritional deficiencies. Standard tests to assess vitamin B12 concentrations are limited because the clinical severity of vitamin B12 deficiency is unrelated to vitamin B12 concentrations.
Getting your B12 and MMA serum levels lab tested is one way to go, especially if you have a compelling reason to have “official” test results.
However, it is probably a more practical approach if you suspect or are concerned you are vitamin B12 deficient, to simply supplement your diet with B12 and see if your symptoms improve.
Vitamin B12 supplementation is completely non-toxic and inexpensive, especially when compared to the cost of laboratory testing. If you aren’t getting sufficient B12 in your diet, or you suspect your body isn’t able to efficiently absorb the vitamin, I recommend you begin supplementation immediately with either an under-the-tongue fine mist spray or vitamin B12 injections.
