Symptoms of a B12 deficiency

Many people who need to take a vitamin b12 supplement – or any vitamin supplement – don’t actually realise they might be deficient.

So, what are some of the warning signs that you have a vitamin b12 deficiency? Let’s take a look:

Pale and jaundiced skin

A common look among people who don’t get enough vitamin b12 is pale skin, or skin with a yellow tinge. The yellow tinge can also hit the whites of the eyes.

This is known as jaundice, and it results from problems with your body’s production of red cells caused directly by the lack of B12.

Feeling tired and fatigued

When you don’t have vitamin B12 in your body, it struggles to make red blood cells.

As a result, less oxygen is carried around your body, and you naturally start to feel weaker.

If you’re beginning to feel tired for no reason, it could be worth checking if you’re suffering from a vitamin b12 deficiency; it’s more common than you might think.

Pins and needles

We’ve all felt this sensation after we’ve sat in an uncomfortable position for too long. Unfortunately, pins and needles can also be a sign of a more serious B12 deficiency.

Essentially, a lack of B12 can actually cause a kind of nerve damage in more extreme cases as a result of the impact on myelin.

A fatty substance, myelin insulates and protects your nerves. Unfortunately, a lack of B12 means that your body won’t allow myelin to function in quite the same way.

Pins and needles can be a warning signal of B12 resultant nerve damage.

Poor balance and co-ordination

It’s remarkable that a single vitamin deficiency can have such a huge impact on your body, but it can.

See, as well as causing pins and needles, nervous system damage resulting from a lack of B12 can also cause issues with balance and co-ordination.

People with a strong B12 deficiency can even be more prone to falling over. Typically, this happens in more elderly people, but it can also occur in younger people if their deficiency remains untreated.

Vitamin B12 daily doses

If you’d like to guarantee your vitamin B12 levels reach the standards required, our daily doses can help. Get in touch to find out more!