Causes and symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency and the most important foods rich in it

Vitamin B12 deficiency is one of the most common deficiencies in the UK. Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency include yellowing of the skin, sore and red tongue, sores in the mouth, tingling sensations and changes in the way a person walks.

And the British newspaper “Express” quoted Dr. Sarah Jarvis as saying that among other symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency are vision disturbance and depression, as well as deterioration of mental abilities, and the longer the condition remains untreated, the greater the chance of permanent damage.

Vitamin B12 deficiency can have a number of causes including pernicious anemia, diet, conditions affecting the stomach, conditions affecting the intestines, medications, and functional vitamin B12 deficiency.

Pernicious anemia is an autoimmune condition and is the most common cause of vitamin B12 deficiency in the UK. During pernicious anemia, the immune system attacks stomach cells, resulting in the body's inability to absorb vitamin B12.

While the cause of pernicious anemia is unknown, it is more likely to affect women over the age of 60 and people with a family history of the disease, and some patients can develop vitamin B12 deficiency if they do not get enough vitamin B12 in their diet.

Foods rich in vitamin B12 include meat, fish and dairy products, and since the body's stores of vitamin B12 can last up to four years, it may take some time for any symptoms of deficiency to appear.

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