Motivated by the health benefits of a plant-based diet, Carly Minsky, then in her mid-twenties, saw cutting out meat and fish as a natural and desirable step.
At first, she says, she “felt great” as she enthusiastically devoted herself to her new regimen.
“I started to get very tired,” Carly recalls. “It wasn’t just fatigue, it was extreme fatigue.” She also put on weight.
“I was like this for six years and didn’t know what was wrong, and by 2020 I was so exhausted I could barely walk,” said the 33-year-old journalist from London. increase.
Finally, in 2021, concerned that she might have a problem with her thyroid (which produces hormones that regulate her metabolism), she saw her GP and had a blood test.
Motivated by the health benefits of a plant-based diet, Carly Minsky, then in her mid-twenties, saw cutting out meat and fish as a natural and desirable step.At first, she “felt great” as she enthusiastically devoted herself to her new regimen, she says. But a year later, it was a whole different story.
Within days, Carly underwent surgery again, and her vitamin B12 levels dropped so dramatically that she needed emergency vitamin injections every other day for the next six weeks, after which she was put on high-potency vitamin B12. I was told that I needed to take pills daily. Cause? her meal.
Found primarily in animal and dairy products (meat, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, etc.), vitamin B12 is essential for many important bodily functions, including brain health and red blood cell production.
A deficiency can lead to health problems such as anemia (low iron in the blood), fatigue, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, nerve problems, and mental health problems.
People over the age of 60, who are likely to be diet deficient, and those with pernicious anemia, an autoimmune disease that means the body cannot properly absorb B12, are at risk.So are vegans. .
Earlier this year, the National Institutes of Health (NICE) reported that 6% of the population under the age of 60 is deficient in vitamin B12, rising to 11% among vegans.
Carly was still eating cheese and eggs and drinking milk, but her intake from years of vegetarianism wasn’t enough and her vitamin B12 levels were dropping.
“My GP said I had dangerously low levels and needed an injection of B12 right away,” she says. “It was a great shock.
“It took me two months of injections to feel better, but I still take vitamin B12 tablets daily.”
Most people get enough vitamin B12 from their diet — the recommended intake is 1.5 micrograms per day (an average diet containing chicken, fish, beef, and eggs should suffice).
“However, some people do not get enough vitamin B12, such as those on a restricted diet that does not consume animal products, or those who have a bad diet that includes a lot of processed foods.”
Found primarily in animal and dairy products (meat, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, etc.), vitamin B12 is essential for many important bodily functions, including brain health and red blood cell production.
She says vitamin B12 deficiency is a seriously neglected area of public health, affecting 10% of people over the age of 60.
“The human body cannot make B12, so we have to get it from food,” she explains. “Early symptoms of deficiency can be vague, such as palpitations, shortness of breath, fatigue and symptoms of anemia.
“However, as the deficiency progresses, neurological symptoms such as tingling in fingers and toes and loss of balance can occur.
This is because B12 is essential for the maintenance and formation of protective sheaths over nerves, ensuring rapid and effective transmission of messages, says Moez Dungarwalla, Ph.D., a consultant hematologist at Milton Keynes University Hospital. I’m explaining.
“A fatty substance called myelin is essential for the formation of these sheaths, and vitamin B12 plays an important role in the synthesis and maintenance of myelin,” he explains. “Some of the neurological problems caused by B12 deficiency are due to damage caused to the myelin sheath.”
In extreme cases, vitamin B12 deficiency has been linked to macular degeneration (which can lead to vision loss), heart disease, cognitive impairment, dementia, stroke, and psychosis.
However, as former counselor Steven Wright discovered, vague or absent early symptoms can mean that some people are unaware that they are suffering from a potentially serious deficiency.
The 70-year-old from Dorset found out at a GP check-up two years ago that he had a vitamin B12 deficiency. Routine blood tests revealed that he was severely deficient in vitamins and required injections every six weeks for the rest of his life to prevent the development of neuropathy.
Doctors attribute his deficiency to his age and his unhealthy diet.
Some pre-existing conditions can also lead to a deficiency, the most common being pernicious anemia, says David Smith, emeritus professor of pharmacology at the University of Oxford.
“Pernicious anemia affects 1 in 1,000 people and 1 in 500 people over the age of 60,” he says. “This is an autoimmune disease with familial links. We don’t know what causes it, but it interferes with the absorption of vitamin B12 in the gut.
Other diseases that impair vitamin B12 absorption include decreased gastric acid secretion (also common with age), Crohn’s disease, and celiac disease.
Some drugs, such as metformin (used to treat diabetes) and proton pump inhibitors such as omeprazole (used to treat acid reflux), block the absorption of vitamin B12.
Fortunately, most patients’ symptoms are reversible.
Professor Smith explains: “Most people can improve their low vitamin B12 status by taking tablets. A good starting dose for him is 1 microgram per day. Many patients with pernicious anemia require injections. is.
However, many people do not realize that they are lacking until they receive damage.
“Irreversible changes can occur in the nervous system if someone does not get treatment,” says Dr. Pavord. This includes difficulty walking due to weakness. loss of balance and sensation; and visual impairment.
In addition to the B12 jab, Steven adopted a low-carb regimen, lost three stones and felt much more energetic. say.
Carly’s symptoms resolved within two months of starting vitamin B12 treatment. “My energy seemed to come back,” she says.
