Vitamin B12 deficiency comes with potentially serious consequences. Vitamin B12 injections offer a fast, potent solution to this issue. But like many other supplements and ingredients, vitamin B12 is not exempt from the consequences of widespread misinformation.
At Orchidia Medical Group, we’re committed not only to providing safe and effective vitamin B12 injections, but also to making sure every patient has access to the information they need to take charge of their own health and wellness. Read on to learn more about vitamin B12, including its roles in the body, signs of deficiency, and more.
What Is Vitamin B12?
Vitamin B12 is a necessary nutrient that is responsible for vital functions within the body including nerve and blood cell support, as well as the production and repair of DNA strands. This revitalizing treatment can give your body the recharge it needs to have you feeling and performing at your best.
You may see vitamin B12 listed on nutrition labels as cobalamin, or cyanocobalamin. It is commonly included in B-vitamin supplements as part of a “B complex,” alongside B1, B2, B6, and several others. All B vitamins play a role in helping to convert food into energy, thereby boosting metabolism. But this is just the beginning when it comes to vitamin B12, which serves several other roles in the body that are essential to various life-supporting functions.
Many Hats: Exploring Vitamin B12’s Roles In the Body
First, it’s important to clarify a misconception commonly affecting both vitamin B12 and the other B vitamins: they are not a weight loss tool. While it’s true that B vitamins facilitate metabolic processes, helping the body access the energy stored in food, the literature has not uncovered a positive correlation between vitamin B12 and enhanced weight loss or fat metabolism.
However, as part of a comprehensive approach to health and wellness that also incorporates a balanced diet and exercise, vitamin B12 may indirectly support healthy weight management.
But even a topic as popular as weight loss is secondary to the development of the central nervous system, red blood cell formation, and more. Additional roles of vitamin B12 in the body include the following:
- Central Nervous System Support: The development, maintenance, and everyday functioning of your central nervous system relies on vitamin B12. This micronutrient plays a central role in the creation and repair of the myelin sheath, a tissue layer that encapsulates nerve fibers and enhances their transmission speed, among several other benefits affecting the central nervous system.
- Red Blood Cell Formation: Much of the body’s vitamin B12 content is sequestered to the bone marrow for the all-important task of creating new red blood cells. The mechanisms involved in the process are sophisticated and multifactorial, involving vitamin B12 interacting with homocysteine, haem (from haemoglobin), and other steps.
- DNA Synthesis: As mentioned above, vitamin B12 is a key component of several processes that support nucleotide synthesis, which is the process of building the building blocks for DNA. Namely, vitamin B12 acts as a cofactor, or active ingredient, for enzymes like methionine synthase, which do this work of building and maintaining DNA.
Research is continuing to unveil new insights into how vitamin B12 benefits the body, but the current knowledge base is more than enough to assign a high priority to this handy micronutrient when it comes to meeting your daily nutritional goals.
Vitamin B12 Sources and Bioavailability
Vitamin B12 is naturally abundant in meat and other animal food products, including the following (in order of descending vitamin B12 concentration):
- Beef liver
- Clams
- Oysters
- Atlantic salmon
- Tuna
- Ground beef
- Milk
- Yogurt
- Cereals
Some foods are fortified with vitamin B12, including cereals and nutritional yeasts.
It’s also important to factor bioavailability into the equation. This term refers to the percentage of an ingested substance that actually ends up being used by the body. While meat sources usually contain more vitamin B12 than dairy products, the vitamin B12 in dairy products is typically two to three times more bioavailable.
Higher still in bioavailability are oral vitamin B12 supplements, and the highest is associated with vitamin B12 injections. This is due to the ability of vitamin B12 injections to bypass the digestive system and go directly to the bloodstream.
Finally, it’s important to note that, no matter where this hard-working micronutrient is sourced from, the form it takes, the “dose” (or serving) size, the person’s metabolism, and several other factors can affect uptake.
Signs, Symptoms, and Consequences of Vitamin B12 Deficiency
While the availability and popularity of vitamin-B12-containing foods (e.g., meat and dairy) keep deficiency rates relatively low in the United States, it is still not a highly uncommon issue, affecting 5% of U.S. men and 11% of U.S. women according to a 2017-2020 National health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). These rates are elevated in populations across the world (including within the US) with more limited access to these foods.
Additionally, an added complication when it comes to assessing or diagnosing vitamin B12 deficiency is the fact that symptoms often take several years to manifest. This is because the body stores up to 5 milligrams of vitamin B12, which is roughly 2,000 times the recommended daily amount.
When vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms do appear, they often include the following:
- Anemia and other red blood cell irregularities: Without sufficient vitamin B12 to assist in red blood cell formation, patients often develop megaloblastic anemia (when the red blood cells are oversized and abnormally shaped), low red blood cell count, and other problems. These issues result in weakness, fatigue, and pale skin, among other concerns.
- Cognitive decline: Research is continuing to confirm the connection between vitamin B12 deficiency and dementia. While it is not the only possible cause of dementia, vitamin B12 deficiency has been reliably linked to (an often reversible form of) dementia. It is also linked to general cognitive decline of various forms, including memory problems, confusion, and compromised problem-solving ability.
- Neurological problems: Insufficient vitamin B12 levels may negatively affect the condition of the myelin sheath mentioned above, among other issues, thereby interfering with healthy nerve function. This can result in numbness or tingling in various areas of the body, impaired balance or coordination, and even permanent nerve damage in more severe cases.
Who Is Most Vulnerable to Vitamin B12 Deficiency?
In addition to those with limited access to vitamin-B12-rich foods, there are several predictors that increase risk of vitamin B12 deficiency, including people with certain autoimmune conditions, vegetarians and vegans, elderly people, and those genetically predisposed to develop pernicious anemia.
Crohn’s disease, for example, increases one’s risk for vitamin B12 deficiency, as the portion of the small intestine that normally absorbs B12 (the ileum) is frequently inflamed and/or scarred. Aging is a holistic, complex process that can affect vitamin B12 uptake in several ways, including decline in stomach acid production and the issues that causes, along with the use of certain medications which may hamper vitamin B12 absorption.
Why Get a B12 Injection Instead of Taking Supplements?
There are two key differentiators that lead some to prefer vitamin B12 injections over oral supplements.
The first difference involves absorption. Vitamin B12 injections bypass the digestive tract, ensuring a significantly higher (often 30 or 40 times higher) amount of the original dose is actually absorbed by the body. In order to achieve the same amount of absorbed vitamin B12, oral supplement takers often have to rely on a megadose.
The other major difference between these two vitamin B12 administration routes also relies on the same principle of bypassing the digestive tract. For patients with gut malabsorption, whether due to a past surgery, Crohn’s disease, or other irregularities affecting vitamin B12 uptake, injections offer a much more efficient way to reach desirable vitamin B12 levels.
B12 Injection FAQ
How often should I get B12 injections?
Several factors come into play when determining the ideal frequency of B12 injections for your situation. For example, if your body is incapable of absorbing and/or storing optimal amounts of B12, you may be recommended to have injections as frequently as every one or two weeks. This number may be adjusted as your body responds to the injections. On the other hand, if your need for vitamin B12 is more of a temporary concern, you may only need a one-time series of injections. These may be spaced several weeks apart, depending on the circumstances.
What are the potential side effects of B12 injections?
Vitamin B12 injections are a safe and well-tolerated treatment, but like any other treatment, there is always a small risk of side effects. More common side effects include discomfort and discoloration (typically redness) at the injection site, diarrhea, and itching. In many cases, these effects resolve on their own within a short amount of time, but it’s important to notify your provider if they worsen or persist. Vitamin B12 injections may also cause low potassium levels in the blood, or hypokalemia, which is evidenced by muscle cramps, weakness, and irregular heartbeat. Finally, serious allergic reactions are very rare, but still possible. At Orchidia Medical Group, we take every precaution before and during treatment to reduce the risk of side effects as much as possible.
What should I do (and not do) after a B12 shot?
As this is a minimally invasive treatment, aftercare is not highly involved, but it’s still important to monitor the injection site, evaluate your body’s response to treatment, and avoid certain activities for a brief period of time. First, make sure to regularly inspect the treatment area to ensure that there are no adverse reactions, including severe swelling, discoloration, discomfort, or itching. If you experience mild to moderate swelling or discomfort, these can typically be managed with a cold compress. It’s also important in the first two or three days following your vitamin B12 injection to avoid strenuous exercise. Since vitamin B12 is a water-soluble nutrient, staying well-hydrated after your injection is vital to enhancing absorption. Finally, limit alcohol intake as much as possible for at least two days following your treatment, and always feel free to report any issues to our team.
How long does it take a B12 injection to work?
The amount of time a vitamin B12 injection takes to work can vary according to individual circumstances, including your pre-treatment symptoms, the extent and nature of your deficiency, and more. For many people, the effects of a vitamin B12 injection may be noticeable as quickly as one to two days following treatment. These effects include a significant boost in energy, improved mood, and improved cognitive capabilities. On the other hand, some people may not notice results for several days, or up to a week. In either case, monitoring your results and reporting for any follow-up appointments is vital for ensuring you benefit as much as possible from vitamin B12 injection treatment.
Vitamin B12 Injections With Orchidia Medical Group Deliver a Well-Rounded Wellness Boost
Our team of expert injectors at Orchicida Medical Group knows how important it is for you to stay consistently feeling and performing your best. Vitamin B12 injection treatment is a safe, effective, and sustainable way to meet this goal. Following only the highest standards of safety and quality, we will ensure that your vitamin B12 injection treatment is not only safe and effective, but customized to deliver the most benefit.Contact Orchidia Medical Group for a vitamin B12 injection consultation and take control of your health and wellness today.
