Vitamin B12 Deficiency: How Does it Affect the Brain?

What is Vitamin B12?

Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that maintains our neurological health and well being. Our bodies do not naturally produce Vitamin B12, so it is absolutely vital that we get it from other sources such as food or supplements. I personally was not concerned about my daily Vitamin B12 intake until I heard about how dangerous a deficiency can be. Vitamin B12 helps to compose our DNA and red blood cells. It also plays a major role in creating and maintaining the health of our nerve cells. More specifically, our nerve cells have a fatty substance around them called myelin sheath. Myelin allows proper nerve cell communication – without it, important cognitive functions such as memory and learning would be impaired.

Neurological Damages

Although a deficiency in Vitamin B12 is not common amongst younger people, the risk increases with age. Chances of deficiency are also higher if you are vegan/vegetarian, as you are not consuming Vitamin B12 from meat products.

So how can you tell if you have Vitamin B12 deficiency? Well, a blood test would have to be done to get proper results. If you noticed any of the following symptoms, however, you may want to consider consulting your doctor or taking a Vitamin B12 supplement:

• Weakness
• Pale skin
• Lack of appetite, diarrhea, constipation
• Mental problems such as depression, memory loss
• Muscle weakness
• Vision loss

How much Vitamin B12 should I take to prevent deficiency?

If you want to boost your cognitive abilities and reach your fullest potential, then you have to take into account every single aspect of your life (including and ESPECIALLY your diet!). While exercise and training are very important, paying attention to your dietary needs could completely change your life for the better. In order to avoid Vitamin B12, make sure you eat enough meat, poultry and seafood. If you are not a meat-eater then take Vitamin B12 supplements ¬– a daily dose of 25 mcg is recommended. If you’re interested to boost your cognitive function even more then you may want to consider trying one of our Editors’ Top Choices such as Lumonol, which thankfully packs Vitamin B12.