B12 Deficiency's: Who is at risk?

Vitamin B12 is found mainly in animal products but is present in some fish. Research over the past decades has contributed high animal product intake with high cholesterol, heart disease, and a risk for cancers. There has also been an increased awareness of how animals are treated at the meat lots. Add in religious beliefs and the reasons are plenty on why some people choose to become vegetarian and/or vegan, or to limit their intake of red meats. With this lifestyle choice, the intake of vitamin B12 is diminished greatly and in some cases, the intake of vitamin B12 is non-existant. As I read various articles on vitamin B12, vegetarians and vegans were not the only people at risk of Vitamin B12 deficiency. People with Chron's Disease and Ciliac Disease are also at risk. Chron's and Ciliac disease Vitamin B12 deficiency is due to malabsorption issues caused by the disease, not due to choosing to not to eat animal products.

I have choosen to focus this blog post on the hidden dangers of vitamin B12 deficiency that may occur in people who choose to limit their intake of vitamin B12. There is more of a concern for strict vegans than there is for the many types of vegetarian lifeystyles due to vegans non-intake of dairy and meats. To view food sources of Vitamin B12 click here and scroll down to the food chart.

The role of vitamin B12 in very basic terms is to:

support production of red blood cells and prevent anemia

allow nerve cells to develop properly

help your cells metabolize protein, carbohydrate, and fat

The New England Journal of Medicine reported on a young 33-year old male who was experiencing eye problems as well as other health issues. The health problems he was experiencing was linked to a very strict vegan diet that had became his lifestyle since he 20 years old.  His health history did not include any smoking, alcohol use, or other substance use that may cause eye problems. The article stated that "no evidence of a compression of the visual pathway or of a toxic, infectious, or inflammatory cause of the blindness. Mitochondrial-DNA analysis showed no mutation for Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy."

The study continues with results of the patients vitamin and mineral levels which found that "the plasma level of folate was low (5.4 nmol per liter; normal range, 7.5 to 28), as were the levels of vitamin B₁ (4 nmol per liter; normal range, 6 to 40) and vitamin B₁₂ (114 pmol per liter; normal range, 150 to 720). There were also deficiencies of vitamins A, C, D, and E and zinc and selenium, but plasma levels of iron, ferritin, vitamin B₆, and nicotinamide were normal."   The patient was tested for malabsorption issues in the stomach and none were found. After all the testing of this patient, the doctor's concluded that the permanent eye problems were caused by vitamin deficiencies due to the strict vegan diet. Other studies (Miller NR, Newman NJ. Walsh and Hoyt's clinical neuro-ophthalmology. 5th ed. Vol. 1. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1998:663-79) have concluded that a lack of Vitamins B12 and B1 may be responsible for optic neuropathy.

I have choosen to highlight this study as a means to educate on the hidden dangers of vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Although the study was specific to a strict vegan, anyone who limits their intake of foods, suffers from digestive or intestinal disorders, and even some medications (antibiotics, birth control pills, cholesterol-lowering drugs) can develop nutritional deficiences.