When someone is diagnosed as anemic it is generally referring to the fact that they do not have enough red blood cells. In the case of vitamin B12 deficiency anemia the body does not have enough vitamin B12 and vitamin B12 is a critical ingredient in the production of red blood cells. Red blood cells are responsible for delivering oxygen throughout the body and a therefore when someone does not have enough of these blood cells they can oftentimes feel weak and/or tired.
Vitamin B12 is primarily sourced by the body through an individual’s ingestion of eggs, meat, milk or other dairy products. Once ingested the B12 is processed through the digestive system and absorbed into the body through the lining of the stomach and the intestines. A person that is already eating these foods can become vitamin B12 deficient if their body is not properly processing and then absorbing the vitamin B12. There are a few reasons that this can happen.
The first is if you have a vitamin B12 deficiency anemia called pernicious anemia. With this condition your body proactively attacks the B12 in your system resulting in a B12 deficiency. The second primary cause is found in people that have had surgery where they have had a part of their stomach or small intestine removed. This occurs during certain types of weight loss surgery. A third reason for this deficiency is when your body is having difficulty with proper digestion. This could be found in a person that has celiac disease, abnormal bacteria growth in their digestive system, Chrohn’s disease, or when a person is hosting a parasite.
Though it should go without saying, if a person is not eating enough meat, dairy, eggs, and cheese in order to initially ingest the necessary B12, they too will become vitamin B12 deficient without having any of the above conditions. Vitamin B12 deficient diets can be found in many people that are strict vegan and this lack of B12 can easily be supplemented with a properly sized daily vitamin B12 capsule
Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia treatment
The proper dosage of vitamin B12 varies depending on the age of the individual. For toddlers 1-3 years of age a daily amount of 0.9 micro grams is sufficient. For children 4-8 1.2 micro grams is suggested. For those 9-13 the recommendation moves up to 1.8 micro grams and for those 14 and older the daily recommended amount of vitamin B12 is 2.4 micro grams per day. Pregnant women and women that are breast feeding are to take 2.6 and 2.8 micro grams respectively and return to the normal adult dosage after they finish breast feeding.
If you are concerned about your daily dosage of vitamin B12 you can take a daily supplement or monitor the foods you eat in case you want to fight the vitamin B12 deficiency anemia. A single egg can contain 1/2 a micro gram and 8 ounces of plain yogurt can contain 1 micro gram. Clams contain as many as 10 micro grams for every 3 ounces and a fortified breakfast cereal can contain as much as 6 micro grams per serving. As you can see, getting your daily recommended dose of vitamin B12 is not difficult in order to fight the vitamin B12 deficiency anemia.
Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia video
PS: More info on Vitamin B12 Deficiency Symptoms