Symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency you should watch out

Just like several other vitamins that our body requires for better functioning, vitamin B12 plays a pivotal role in producing and maintaining healthy nerves and blood cells. It also plays an important role in carrying oxygen from the red blood cells. So, vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to health problems that could have been easily avoided if you have had a proper diet that can provide you all the necessary vitamins levels including vitamin B12 levels. Now that you know how valuable vitamin B12 is for you, the important question that arises is how much dosage of vitamin B12 does a normal healthy person require on a regular basis? You need at least 2.4 mcg of vitamin B12 to keep the nagging ailments at bay that might be connected to the deficiency of B12.

Below are some of the vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms you need to watch out for:

Numbness

Deficiency of B12 may cause your nerves to shrink making you feel numb. You may not be aware of an interesting fact that this vitamin helps create myelin, which is the protective covering for your nerves. Therefore, if you have been feeling sudden numbness lately, it could be one of the signs of vitamin B12 deficiency.

Exhaustion

Do you feel extremely tired or weak and run out of breath just after a few minutes of walking or sometimes without evening doing anything at all? Well, it could be because you are missing on vitamin B12. Lack of this nutrient makes it difficult for the red blood cells to supply enough oxygen which eventually makes you feel weak.

Makes you look pale

Another common sign that indicates that you don’t have enough vitamin B12 is having a pale looking skin. If you are vitamin B12 deficient, your skin may start losing its healthy glow. Some researchers have also found that severe deficiency of B12 could result in jaundice. So it's advisable to get yourself checked as soon as possible.

Diabetes

Not every diabetic is vitamin B12 deficient. But if you have type 1 or type 2 Diabetes, chances are that you may be deficient in Vitamin B12.

Depression

You may probably know that serotonin is a neurotransmitter that keeps you happy and low levels of serotonin may lead to depression. But what you may not know is that vitamin B12 helps in the production of this neurotransmitter. Therefore, if you notice any signs ofdepression or frequent moods swings, you may want to check your vitamin B12 levels.

Being forgetful

Vitamin B12 plays a key role in your brain's functioning and its deficiency may affect cognitive functions resulting in memory loss and dementia, especially in senior citizens.