Vitamin B12 Benefits

 

Vitamin B12, like any other vitamin, is necessary for your body.

Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin, meaning it needs to be consumed more than fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) because, unlike fat-soluble vitamins, water-soluble vitamins are not stored in significant amounts in the body. Usually, the excess is excreted through urine every day. Therefore, you need to consume it daily.

Since vitamin B12 contains the mineral cobalt, it is sometimes known as cobalamin.

Vitamin B12 plays a huge role in your body:

Creating red blood cells

New red blood cells need vitamin B12 and folate (vitamin B9) to grow and develop. If these vitamins are lacking, making DNA is hard, causing the immature red blood cells to die. This leads to anemia.

Maintaining nerve cells for nerve functioning

Vitamin B12 is needed to develop the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord).  Deficiency in vitamin B12 can lead to neurological issues (such as depression and mood changes).

Several studies show a link between depression and low levels of B12 but not a link between increasing the levels of B12 and a reduction in depression symptoms. However, it could be helpful to screen people for B12 deficiency in advance and give B12 supplements to delay or prevent the onset of depression to them.

Vitamin B12 deficiency is also associated with cognitive problems (problems with thinking, judgement and learning) and memory issues and may play a role in getting Alzheimer's disease and stroke.

One study gave B12 vitamins to people with mild cognitive issues and low levels of B12 and showed that most people improved their cognitive symptoms. However, other studies have not seen a connection between low levels of B12 and cognitive problems or an improvement in these symptoms after getting extra doses of B12.  More research is needed.

Keeping skin, hair and nails healthy

Skin 

If you have a very low level of B12, you may be subject to hyperpigmentation (dark spots) on the skin, as well as to vitiligo (light patches on the skin), mouth ulcers, eczema and acne.

On the other hand, too much B12 in the body can also give you vitiligo, mouth ulcers, eczema and acne.

Hair 

B12 deficiency is associated with hair loss. But there is not enough evidence to show that taking B12 supplements will help hair grow back.

Nails

If you have too little B12 in the body, your nails might turn brown-gray or bluish. This should change when you up the B12 level to normal. However, there are no studies showing that taking B12 if your levels are normal will help your nails grow stronger or longer.

Bone health

Several studies have positively linked B vitamins, including B12, with a lower risk of osteoporosis (a disease that weakens the bones) and hip fractures. 

Factors that cause vitamin B12 deficiency in the body include:

Intestinal malabsorption

Conditions that affect your small intestines like Crohn's disease, celiac disease, bacterial growth, or a parasite can lead to vitamin B12 deficiency so can having an autoimmune disease called atrophic gastritis, in which the stomach lining has thinned. This means the body does not make enough hydrochloric acid and intrinsic factor in the stomach, both needed to absorb B12. (Hydrochloric acid separates B12 from the protein it is attached to in food; the freed B12 then combines with intrinsic factor so that the body can absorb the vitamin.)

Also, if you have had weight loss surgery or another operation that removed part of your stomach, you might no longer make enough hydrochloric acid and intrinsic factor to absorb vitamin B12.

Pernicious anemia

Pernicious anemia is an autoimmune disease in which your body cannot make intrinsic factor, a protein that needed to absorb B12 mentioned above. Pernicious anemia is the most common cause of B12 deficiency.

Thus immune system disorders, such as Graves' disease or lupus, are linked with vitamin B12 deficiency, because people who have them tend to also have pernicious anemia or atrophic gastritis, which prevent absorption of the nutrient.

Alcohol

Misusing alcohol or drinking heavily can also make it harder for your body to absorb nutrients, including B12.

Medicines

Taking certain medicines can interfere with the absorption of vitamin B12. These include some heartburn medicines like proton pump inhibitors such as esomeprazole (Nexium).

Vegan diet

If you follow a vegan diet or you are a vegetarian who does not eat enough eggs or dairy products, you could be lacking in vitamin B12. You can add fortified foods to your diet or take supplements to meet this need.

Aging

With age, it can become harder to absorb this vitamin. Many people over 50 do not make enough hydrochloric acid in their stomachs to absorb B12 from foods.

The average recommended daily amounts, measured in micrograms, vary by age. For adults, it needs about 2.4 micrograms.

You can prevent vitamin B12 deficiency by eating animal products (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, etc.) or from foods that have been fortified with it (such as fortified breakfast cereals) or from supplements.

As mentioned, if you have vitamin B12 deficiency, you could become anemic. And if you are pregnant, without enough vitamin B12, your baby could have developmental delays and not thrive the way they should as B12 is very important for brain and spinal development.

A mild deficiency may cause no symptoms. But if untreated, it may lead to weakness, tiredness, lightheadedness, numbness, tingling, depression, mood swings and other symptoms.

A rare condition from a lack of vitamin B12 is optic neuropathy. This means that the optic nerve, the nerve that transmits visual information from the eye to the brain, is damaged. This can lead to a gradual loss of vision, as well as to your seeing blind spots. Less than 1% of people with B12 deficiency report getting optic neuropathy.

On the other hand, excess vitamin B12 in the body is rare because the excess can be excreted through urine. Usually, the manifesting side effects are an indicative sign of kidney dysfunction or liver diseases such as people who have diabetic nephropathy (diabetes that leads to loss of kidney functioning) as the body does not process and secrete the excess vitamin properly.

Is Obesity a Disease?

 

Obesity refers to excessive fat in the body. Obesity may increase the chance of developing health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, liver disease, sleep apnea and certain cancers. But there are no unique characteristics or symptoms that doctors can attribute to obesity.

The American Medical Association (AMA) recognizes obesity as a disease that involves genetic, metabolic and behavioral aspects that require medical support. The decision was initially made in 2013 and confirmed in 2023.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also considers obesity a serious chronic disease that demands prevention and intervention strategies in children and adults. The goal of this definition is to develop clear strategies that help prevent and treat obesity-related health complications.

Other medical experts and countries, however, may disagree or feel hesitant about defining obesity as a disease because:

Lack of diagnostic criteria: Classifying a condition as a disease implies certain standards and criteria must be met for its diagnosis. Obesity does not have any characteristic or unique symptoms, and it does not always lead to the same body function impairments. The lack of consistent diagnostic criteria may make it more difficult to categorize obesity as a disease.

Inconsistent measurement standards: Because indexes and standards to measure obesity do not apply to everyone, such as endurance athletes and weightlifters. In other words, weighing more does not always mean obesity is present.

Overall health as a factor: Although obesity affects the body in many ways and may increase the risk of medical conditions like heart disease and diabetes, not everyone with obesity develops health challenges or symptoms. Also, not everyone with health challenges develops obesity.

Patient responsibility and public policies: Some people may worry that categorizing obesity as a disease may take responsibility away from the person and promote a feeling that lifestyle guidelines will not help as much if they have the disease. Instead, some people may tend to rely on weight loss medications or medical interventions to lose weight.

Although studies often suggest that obesity is a risk factor for certain health conditions, they rarely account for the role weight stigma and discrimination play in health.

Discrimination is one of the social determinants of health — the conditions in daily life that affect a person’s health — and it can and does contribute to health inequities. And experiences of weight stigma in daily life are associated with negative mental and physical health outcomes.

Weight discrimination in healthcare can prevent people with high body weights from seeking medical care — and those who do may not receive accurate diagnoses or treatment because doctors may attribute their health concerns solely to their weight.

Two common measurements used by doctors to decide if obesity is present are body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference.

Body mass index (BMI) - measured by your body weight divided by the square of your height.

The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery defines three classes of obesity based on BMI:

• ·         class I obesity: 30–34.9
• ·         class II obesity, or serious obesity: 35–39.9
• ·         class III obesity, or severe obesity: 40 and higher

Waist circumference

Excess abdominal fat, relative to the rest of your body, may lead to a greater risk of health complications, even if your BMI does not indicate obesity.

A healthcare professional may consider you have central obesity if your waist circumference (by measuring your waist just above your hip bones) is wide or your waist-to-hip ratio is high.

According to the CDC, a person has a greater chance of obesity-related conditions when their waist circumference is more than 40 inches for males and 35 inches for females.

BMI and waist-to-hip ratio are only estimates of body fat and may not always help to establish whether someone lives with obesity. As mentioned, some bodybuilders and performance athletes have a muscular composition that may lead to a BMI that falls in the range of obesity.

There are many reasons why some people have trouble losing weight. Often, obesity results from inherited, physiological and environmental factors, combined with diet, physical activity and exercise choices.

The good news is that even modest weight loss can improve or prevent the health problems associated with obesity. A healthier diet, increased physical activity and behavior changes can help you lose weight. 

Whole30: A 30-Day Diet for Better Health?

 

The Whole30 diet is a strict 30-day elimination diet that many people turn to for weight loss or help with digestive concerns.

It was developed in 2009 by two certified sports nutritionists. The founders claim that strict adherence to the diet allows the body to reset in isolation from certain foods that may cause inflammation, gut disruptions or hormone imbalances.

The idea behind the Whole30 program is simple: For 30 days, you completely cut out foods that may harm your health.

Following the Whole30 diet involves eating as much as you would like from the approved list of foods while avoiding certain foods for 1 month.

You can eat meat, vegetables, fruit, tree nuts and seeds (except peanuts because they are legumes) and healthy fats.

However, you must avoid sugar, grains, legumes, dairy, alcohol, processed food additives and baked goods, snacks, or treats — even with Whole30-approved ingredients. Eliminating these foods from your diet is supposed to help your body recover from the negative effects and promote long-term health.

Smoking is forbidden for the duration of the diet.

Many people follow this diet in hopes of losing weight. Some may use the program to identify food intolerances or achieve some of its proposed health benefits.

During the month-long elimination period, no cheating is allowed. It is recommended that you start the challenge over from day 1 if you get off track.

Unlike many other diets, there is no need to track calories, measure portions or count points. Also, weighing yourself is strictly reserved for days 1 and 30 of the program.

Following the Whole30 diet perfectly for 30 days is said to have many health benefits, including:

• fat loss
• higher energy levels
• better sleep
• reduced food cravings
• improved athletic performance

The Whole30 diet is claimed to provide you with physical and psychological health benefits above and beyond simple weight loss. However, there is no sound evidence to back up these claims.

After the initial 30 days, you slowly reintroduce some foods while monitoring the effects they have on your body - the reintroduction phase.

In this phase, you slowly reintroduce certain foods into your diet. You evaluate how they make you feel in regard to your metabolism, digestive tract, immune system and relationship with food.

The suggested way to reintroduce off-limit foods is to add back only one food group at a time. For instance, dairy can be reintroduced on day 1 after completing the Whole30 program.

You are then encouraged to return to the Whole30 diet and avoid milk on days 2 through 4, while paying attention to any potential symptoms. If all goes well, you can reintroduce a different food group on day 5, then repeat the process.

Reintroducing only one food group at a time while keeping the rest of the diet the same is promoted as a way to better identify which foods cause negative symptoms, such as bloating, skin breakouts or achy joints.

Once all food groups have been individually tested, you can add the ones your body tolerated well back into your regular diet.

Naturally, individuals are not required to reintroduce all foods. In fact, you are strongly encouraged to avoid reintroducing foods that you do not miss.

Before the diet, some people may unknowingly have food intolerances that cause digestive symptoms, which the diet’s reintroduction phase can help identify.

In addition, several aspects of the Whole30 program are in line with a nutritious diet, for instance, consuming minimally processed foods and a high intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.

However, avoiding nutrient-rich foods like legumes, soy, and dairy may make meeting all the daily nutrient recommendations more difficult. And there is also no strong reason to restrict dairy, grains, or legumes.

This may create negative health effects if the diet is continued for more than 30 days.

And although rigid rules can be a good way to reset eating habits for some people, restrictive diets with no allowance for indulgences are generally not sustainable over time.

A calorie deficit is needed for weight loss. Because of its restrictive nature, the Whole30 diet will likely help create this calorie deficit. But unless the food choices you make on this diet become a habit, the weight loss you experience may not be sustainable in the long term.