Do you get enough vitamin B12?
You’ll want to make sure that you do, in order to stay healthy. It helps make your DNA and your red blood cells, for example. And you should do that on a regular basis, because your body doesn’t store vitamin B12 for a long time.
How Much To Get?
The answer depends on things including your age, your eating habits and medical conditions, and what medications you take.
2. May Prevent Major Birth Defects
Adequate vitamin B12 levels are crucial to a healthy pregnancy. Studies show that a fetus’s brain and nervous system require sufficient B12 levels from the mother to develop properly.
Vitamin B12 deficiency in the beginning stages of pregnancy may increase the risk of birth defects, such as neural tube defects. Furthermore, maternal vitamin B12 deficiency may contribute to premature birth or miscarriage For women with a vitamin B12 deficiency and levels below 150 mg/dL the risk was five times higher, compared to women with levels above 400 mg/dL
On This Page
Amount of cyanocobalamin you need depends on the level of vitamin B12 in your blood and why your levels are low. For cyanocobalamin supplements that you buy, follow the instructions that come in the packet. You may also have regular blood tests to monitor the levels of vitamin B12 in your blood.
If you forget to take cyanocobalamin tablets, take your usual dose as soon as you remember, unless it’s nearly time for your next dose.
What If I Take Too Much?
Pernicious Anemia
Symptoms include:
Weakness
Pale skin
Diarrhea
Weight loss
Fever
Numbness or tingling sensation in the hands and feet
Loss of balance
Confusion, memory loss, and moodiness
Vitamin B12 supplements in high doses, either given as injections or orally, are prescribed to treat pernicious anemia. Pernicious anemia can be a dangerous condition and should always be treated by a doctor. Fatigue
Fatigue is one of the symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency.
One small study suggested that some people who were not deficient in B12 might gain more energy from B12 shots. However, more research is needed. One preliminary study indicated that people with chronic fatigue syndrome might benefit from B12 injections.
Breast cancer
Although there is no evidence that vitamin B12 alone reduces the risk of breast cancer, population studies have shown that women who get more folate in their diet have lower risk of breast cancer. Vitamin B12 works with folate in the body, so it may help reduce breast cancer risk. Another preliminary study suggested that postmenopausal women who had the lowest amounts of B12 in their diet had an increased risk for breast cancer.
More research is neede.