Have you been feeling a bit draggy lately? Tired? Lightheaded? Vulnerable to colds ?
There could be many causes, but one to consider is a vitamin B12 shortfall.
B vitamins in general, helping all cells in the body function properly. They help the body convert food into energy, create new blood cells and maintain healthy skin cells, create DNA and healthy cell reproduction and to maintain the nervous system, brain cells and other body tissues.
Specifically, B12 (also known as cobalamin) helps create red blood cells and stabilizes DNA. A drastic B12 shortfall can result in fatigue, anemia, unexplained weight loss, cancer, heart attacks and stroke can lead to death.
The human body cannot manufacture vitamin B12. It can only obtain B12 externally from food or from supplements. What’s more, B12 is found only in animal products: dairy, meat, eggs and fish. B12 deficiency is becoming increasingly problematic for two reasons, according to the Harvard Health newsletter of March 2022:
The increasingly popular vegan diet that avoids all animal products, making it impossible for the body to get the B12 it requires to function.
An also popular bariatric surgery, which prevents the absorption of key nutrients, including B12.
Are you a vegan?
Let’s take a look at the vegan diet first.
I’m well aware that I’m stirring a hornet’s nest here, but any eating plan that cannot provide the nutrients that humans need is not a healthy diet. We humans are dependent on animal products for survival.
In addition to B12 shortfalls, strict vegans are also at risk of iron, zinc, iodine, calcium, vitamin D and Omega-3 fatty acid shortfalls. Here’s a link https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8746448/ to a Dutch analysis of 141 studies. I’ll save the bigger picture and my take on a vegan diet for a future post, bit it’s worth noting here that the lack of B12 alone can cause serious health problems.
Let me add just for posterity that I believe many, even most of us eat far too much meat. A more plant-based diet is a key to optimal health and is environmentally sustainable. As the Dutch researcher mentioned above said, “There were nutrient inadequacies across all dietary patterns, including vegan, vegetarian and meat-based diets. As plant-based diets are generally better for health and the environment, public health strategies should facilitate the transition to a balanced diet with more diverse nutrient-dense plant foods through consumer education, food fortification and possibly supplementation.”
Bariatric surgery
Now to weight loss surgery: Gastric bypass surgery and gastric sleeve surgery can be a game changer for people who are unable to lose weight for a variety of reasons. But there is a tradeoff. Gastric surgery changes the acid secretion in your stomach, diminishing your ability to absorb a variety of vitamins, including all B vitamins and particularly B12.
“People undergoing bariatric surgery are at high risk of developing neurological, cognitive, and mental disabilities and cardiovascular disease due to deficiency in vitamin B,” said researchers in the United Arab Emirates and Australia in a joint study published in 2021.
The same researchers note that all types of bariatric surgery can cause malabsorption of other essential nutrients can impair immune function and contribute to neurodegenerative disorders, including psychiatric disorders and Alzheimer’s disease.
This is why liquid supplements and injected B12 are essential for virtually anyone who has had weight loss surgery.
Conclusion
If you are a vegan, I urge you to reconsider that choice, at least as far as supplementation goes. Vitamin B12 injections, fish oil supplements and a few other key nutrient supplements are essential to your health.
If you are contemplating or you have had bariatric surgery, please consult with your healthcare professionals about the correct types of supplements and prepare to stay on them indefinitely.
Have you been feeling a bit draggy lately? Tired? Lightheaded? Vulnerable to colds ?
