Vitamin B12 deficiency and hypothyroidism — B12 deficiency can be sneaky and contribute serious consequences!
Do you struggle with fatigue, tingling hands, and feet, anxiety, brain fog, shortness of breath, or heart palpitations? It could be B12 deficiency. Many physicians overlook this condition and the patients may not get proper treatment, leading to serious consequences.
Hypothyroidism And B12 deficiency
The prevalence of b12 deficiency is common among people with hypothyroidism since they don’t absorb this essential vitamin very well.
So if you have hypothyroidism it is important to check the b12 levels despite the antibody status.
The symptoms of B12 deficiency
The following are the main symptoms you may experience when you are deficient in B12.
- Tingling sensation or numbness in your hands, legs, or feet
- Brain fog
- Cognitive difficulties
- Tiredness
- Weakness
- Loss of appetite
- Anemia
- Swollen or inflamed tongue
- Memory loss
- Problems with balance
- Depression
- Confusion
- Heart palpitations
- Muscle pain
- Joint pain
- Pins and needles sensation
What is B12 and why is it important?
B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that is derived mainly from red meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products. Our body doesn’t make B12, you need to get it from food sources.
The human body needs enough b12 to make red blood cells, support healthy regulation of the nervous system, convert carbohydrates into glucose and energy production, for healthy skin, hair, and nails, helps to make DNA, and to support thyroid function. Its deficiency can affect many systems and their functions in our body.
Who is at risk for developing a b12 deficiency?
If you are a strict vegetarian: Plants don’t make b12. So if you are a strict vegetarian, the chances are high to develop B12 deficiency
If you don’t have enough stomach acid: You need enough stomach acid to absorb b12. Many people as they get older get deficient in stomach acid. Another leading cause of low stomach acid in the US is the overuse of acid blockers.
If you are diabetic and using Metformin: The use of Metformin, a medication widely used to treat Diabetes can inhibit the absorption of B12.
The use of contraceptive pills: The studies have shown that the use of contraceptive pills can lower serum levels of B12 in our body
If you have Crohn’s disease and celiac disease: The autoimmune diseases like celiac disease and Crohn’s disease may also affect the intestine’s ability to absorb the B12 levels.
MTHFR gene mutations: Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), is an enzyme that helps us to methylate and the methylation process helps us to detoxify the heavy metals from our body. The people with MTHFR gene mutations have decreased ability to detox and it is linked to many chronic illnesses including Hashimoto's and hypothyroidism. They are also deficient in B vitamins such as folate, b6 , and b12. They need to supplement with active forms of folate (5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid), B6 (Pyridoxal 5’-Phosphate) and B12( methylcobalamin) to replace the deficiency into sufficiency.
Understanding the lab results
In many labs, the vitamin B12 standard reference range is 200–700 pg/m whereas the optimal level of B12 is considered as 500–1300 pg/ml
What do you need to know about the B12 supplements? Which form of B12 supplement works better?
Vitamin B12 supplements are commonly available in two different forms — cyanocobalamin and methylcobalamin. Cyanocobalamin is a synthetic form of B12 which is bound to a toxic molecule called cyanide.
Methylcobalamin is the best form of vitamin B12 and it is the most expensive and natural. It does not contain any toxic cyanide and it is absorbed better by the body.
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References :https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-Consumer/ Acessed on 08/01/19https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3021928/ - Accessed on 08/01/19https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/ Accessed on 08/01/19https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441923/ Accessed on 01/15/20https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3410054/#:~:text=1.-,Introduction,OC)%20users%20than%20in%20controls - Accessed on 11/03/20https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18655403/ - 11/06/20https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/10953/mthfr-gene-mutation - Accessed on 11/09/20https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212958815001226#:~:text=The%20vitamin%20B12%20standard%20reference,weakness%20and%20depression%20%5B10%5D. - Accessed on 11/09/20
