Vitamin B12 Deficiency Symptoms
Posted on June 12, 2010
Vitamin B12 or cobalamin as it is sometimes called is a form of vitamin that does not occur naturally but is mostly provided by taking supplements and food additives as a result of its significance. Vitamin B12 is necessary to the metabolic activities of every cell in the human body. Vitamin B12 is needed to make the red blood cells which the body requires to carry oxygen throughout the entire body. If there are not enough B12 vitamins, a person may undergo anemia, which means that the body does not have the necessary quantities of red blood cells to work properly or the person has vitamin B12 deficiency. The signs of vitamin B12 deficiency are: Weakness, tiredness and dizziness. Pale skin. Sore, red tongue or bleeding gums. Nausea Weight loss Diarrhea or constipation. lack of sensation or tingling in your fingers and toes also called paresthesias. A poor sense of balance. Depression. Loss of mental abilities. Shortness of breath Headache Vitamin B12 shortage can result in great harm to the brain and nervous system that may be irreversible. Parallel to many medical conditions, the signs of vitamin B12 deficiency are also experienced when other diseases are present and hence, having the signs may be indicative of some other disease. Vitamin Overdose The body is equipped to handle natural intakes of vitamins and minerals but it is not able to handle artificial drugs so effectively, therefore, too much of any vitamin can cause harmful effects on the body's functioning. It might be a good thing to take vitamins but too much of a good thing can become harmful. Each vitamin has its own effects and signs in the event of an overdose. These are discussed below. Vitamin A Large consumption of this vitamin can result in headache, hair loss and liver damage. Large amounts are accumulated in the liver, therefore, any excess intake over a period of time will result in vitamin A poisoning in the liver. Symptoms include headache, peeling skin, nausea and blurry vision. Vitamin E An overdose is harmful to individuals who take blood thinners because it can enable blood thinning drugs to overreact and this may result in bleeding. Symptoms include breast tenderness, extreme tiredness, weakness in the muscles and high blood pressure. Vitamin D High doses can boost the absorption of calcium in the body and therefore cause high levels of calcium in the blood. This will in turn cause the heart and lungs to operate effectively. Symptoms include headache, pain in the bones, loss of appetite, muscle weakness and nausea. Vitamin B6 Overdose of this vitamin will cause numbness in the mouth and hands. Very large doses will harm the peripheral nervous system. Symptoms include clumsiness, rapid breathing, burning pains and paralysis. Thiamine and Riboflavin can cause no great harm as they are water soluble and therefore any overdose will be excreted in the urine.Please visit this link for more information on: Vitamin B12 Deficiency Symptoms and this link for an interesting article on Vitamin Overdose.
