Beware Gastric Bypass Patients and Vegans - Vitamin B12 Deficiency is Dangerous

Almost anyone with unusual eating habits is in danger of not getting enough Vitamin B12 through dietary means. People most at risk are vegan vegetarians, elderly people with poor dietary habits, and people who have had gastric bypass surgery.

Vitamin B12 is also known as cobalamin. It's found primarily in meat, eggs and dairy products. There has been research into plant resources of Vitamin B12, but no conclusive evidence has been found.

Vitamin B12 is necessary to the body for making red blood cells, the maintenance of the nervous system, and in children, growth and development. A deficiency of Vitamin B12 can cause anemia, neuropathy, the degeneration of nerve fibers and irreversible neurological damage. Symptoms of anemia are: tiredness, breathlessness, listlessness, pallor and poor resistance to infection. Other, rarer symptoms can include a sore tongue and menstrual disruption. A deficiency of folic acid can also cause anemia.

Usually, if a deficiency in the body occurs, it is more commonly a failure to absorb B12 in the intestine rather than a poor diet. The B12 factor is absorbed in part of the small intestine, in the presence of calcium. Some people are unable to absorb B12 normally and are treated with B12 injections. Some years ago, routine Vitamin B12 shots were given to elderly adults, but this isn't done very much anymore.

Vitamin B12 is excreted in the bile and is reabsorbed. People on diets low in B12, including vegans and some vegetarians may be obtaining more B12 from reabsorbtion than from food. Therefore, it can take 20 years for disease to develop in people changing to diets low in B12. But if B12 deficiency is due to failure to absorb the vitamin, it can take only 3 years for disease to occur.

Pregnant women are not thought to need extra B12, though little research has been done in this area. Nursing mothers need extra B12 to ensure an adequate supply in their breast milk.

Being a gastric bypass patient, I was most interested in researching Vitamin B12 problems in this area. Nearly 30 percent of patients who had bypass surgery develop nutritional deficiencies because they do not adhere to their post-operative guidelines concerning the need to take nutritional supplements. Bypass patients have a risk of developing iron deficiency and Vitamin B12 deficiency. Vitamin D and calcium absorption may also be reduced. A lifelong program of supplementary multivitamins - I take two prenatal vitamins each day - is mandatory for all gastric bypass patients.

Right now, I take cherry flavored B12 dots. They are sublingual, meaning they are placed under the tongue and melt, for best absorption. My family doctor does a full blood work up on me every six months. If my Vitamin B12 and iron levels ever begin to fall, we will begin monthly intramuscular injections.

If you are in any of the categories - vegan, poor diet, or gastric bypass patient, please remind your family doctor to pay close attention to your B12 levels. Some of the side effects of B12 deficiency are neuropathy in the extremities, which means numbness and tingling in your fingers and toes, neurological problems, and amnesia. It's very important to be aware of your levels.