Vitamin B12 deficiency is widespread in Switzerland. As our body has high vitamin B12 reserves, a deficiency is often only noticed years later. If there is not enough vitamin B12, this can lead to nerve damage, hair loss, memory loss and depressive moods. Find out now about the causes, symptoms and treatment options for vitamin B12 deficiency.

Why vitamin B12 is so important for us

Vitamin B12 is one of the few vitamins that our body cannot produce itself. Good amounts of vitamin B12 are found in animal products such as meat, fish, eggs and milk. Our body needs vitamin B12 to form blood cells and nerve sheaths as well as for energy metabolism.

Vitamin B12 deficiency: causes

A vitamin B12 deficiency always occurs when our body is supplied or absorbed with less vitamin B12 than it needs over a longer period of time. The most common causes of a vitamin B12 deficiency include:

• Strict vegetarian or vegan dietas vitamin B12 is primarily found in animal products.
• The absorption of vitamin B12 in the intestine is impaired, often due to chronic inflammatory bowel disease or coeliac disease (gluten intolerance).
• Taking medication for diabetes, heartburn and stomach ulcers.
• Regular and increased consumption of alcohol.
• Increased vitamin B12 consumption due to kidney or liver disease.
• Deficiency of the intrinsic factor protein, which is required for the absorption of vitamin B12. This can be caused by partial or complete removal of the stomach and chronic gastritis.

As mentioned above, a vitamin B12 deficiency is all too often only recognized after many years, as the body can compensate for the deficiency for a while using stored reserves. In people who have hardly any vitamin B12 reserves - vegetarians/vegans and breastfed babies if the mother eats a vegan diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding - deficiency symptoms usually occur more quickly. The risk group for vitamin B12 deficiency also includes alcoholics and older people. Older people are at risk because the efficiency of the gastrointestinal tract decreases with increasing age and vitamins are therefore less easily absorbed.

Recognizing symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency

The symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency are varied and therefore generally not easy to diagnose. As our body needs vitamin B12 for a variety of processes for the nerves, blood formation and cell division, the symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency often affect the eyes, hair, nerves and muscles. Common symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency include

• Hair loss
• Anemia
• Depressive moods
• Tiredness, signs of exhaustion
• Difficulty concentrating and Memory impairment
• Headaches and migraines
• Muscle weakness
• Food intolerances and allergies
• Paralysis
• Tingling arms and legs
• Burning tongue
• Unsteady gait with increased risk of falling
• Developmental disorders in infants

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Diagnosis of a vitamin B12 deficiency

A vitamin B12 deficiency is suspected if symptoms such as tingling in the hands and feet and an increased presence of red blood cells are observed. If these symptoms occur, the vitamin B12 level in the blood is then measured using blood tests.

If the deficiency is detected early, it can be compensated for by changing the diet or taking vitamin B12 supplements so that damaged nerves can recover.

Treatment options for vitamin B12 deficiency

As with vitamin D deficiency, vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms are treated by changing your diet or taking supplements. We show you both options in detail.

Dietary changes

The right diet can prevent a vitamin B12 deficiency. If there is already a deficiency, this can be specifically compensated for by changing your diet. Meat, milk and eggs should then be consumed in sufficient quantities.

Vitamin B12 supplements

Vitamin B12 supplements are particularly interesting for vegetarians and vegans to compensate for not eating animal foods. Vitamin B12 can be taken as a dietary supplement (e.g. as tablets or drops) or injected directly into the bloodstream via infusions in patients with advanced stages of nerve damage.

In addition to vegetarians and vegans, vitamin B12 supplements are also often a suitable option for older people to alleviate their deficiency. For them, the deficiency is often due to the fact that vitamin B12 cannot be absorbed in sufficient quantities from the meat they consume.

We recommend our VITA B12 vitamin B12 drops as a vitamin B12 supplement. Our VITA B12 is vegan and is also suitable for pregnant and breastfeeding women. As with all the food supplements in our online store, we attach great importance to the highest quality. And deliberately avoid colorants, additives and preservatives. The supplement is also free from yeast, soy, milk, gluten and lactose and is therefore also very popular with vegans. The high quality of VITA B12 has also been confirmed by Apotheke,blog with the test rating "VERY GOOD".