Symptoms of Vitamin B Deficiency

Vitamin B is not just one vitamin but a collection of vitamins known as the B Complex. Vitamin B is sometimes known as the "energy vitamin" and is vital for an energetic and long life. Vitamin B is a natural vitamin, even an herbal vitamin, as it can be derived from natural-occurring sources such as potatoes, bananas, cereal, lentils, liver, turkey, and tuna. It is required for the manufacture of red blood cells, enzyme activity and for amino acid metabolism. Vitamin B is water-soluble, so it must be replenished every day through the diet or supplements. Vitamin B is also essential for the breakdown of carbohydrates into glucose, breakdown of fats and proteins, muscles in the stomach and intestinal tract, skin, hair, eyes, mouth, and liver.

Vitamin B Deficiency

Millions of American suffer from a Vitamin B deficiency for several reasons. These include any kind of stress (emotional or physical), too many processed foods in the diet, an abundance of refined sugar, all of which will rob the body of its Vitamin B stores. Recreational or prescription drugs can deplete Vitamin B, poisons in the environment or personal care product can deplete Vitamin B, malnutrition either due to poverty or by not eating the right foods to begin with, or the effects of cooking as most people do not eat ample amounts of raw food which is where the Vitamin B is destroyed so people are not getting enough in their diet. Vitamin B deficiency can be masked by many things and too often people are not even aware that they are deficient. Deficiency, while uncommon in humans, may result in hair loss, dry scaly skin, cracking in the corners of the mouth (called cheilitis), swollen and painful tongue that is magenta in color (glossitis), dry eyes, loss of appetite, fatigue, insomnia, and depression. There is an indication that certain mental disorders may be caused by Vitamin B deficiency. If Vitamin B deficiency becomes long-lasting or chronic, other problems are likely to show up. Problems with the adrenal system are a classic symptom of Vitamin B deficiency. Though the typical Western diet provides people with far more than the current RDA for B-12, certain individuals are at risk for a deficiency. In some instances, people who avoid animal products — such as vegans and followers of a macrobiotic diet — can develop a deficiency in vitamin B12 as a result of not eating enough B12-rich foods.

Vitamin B-12 is essential for maintaining healthy nerve cells and red blood cells; a deficiency in the vitamin can cause symptoms ranging from the subtle — including fatigue and mild dizziness — to more severe complications like nerve damage, anemia and even dementia. In a study of 98 middle-aged and older women, researchers found that 6 micrograms of B-12 per day seemed to be enough to prevent signs of mild vitamin B12 deficiency.