Vitamin B12: Sources, Benefits and Side Effects

Vitamin B12 is naturally present in animal food products. You can include the following sources in your daily routine if you happen to be a non-vegetarian:

• Milk and milk products like cream, cheese (ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, swiss cheese), cottage cheese (paneer), yoghurt or dahi
• Eggs
• Fishes like salmon, trout, sardines or tuna
• Shrimp
• Clams
• Oyster
• Pork
• Liver
• Ham
• Chicken breast

If you are on a strict vegan diet (vegetarian, non-dairy diet) diet or are lactose intolerant (inability to digest milk products), you can include the following sources in your diet:

• Almond milk
• Soy milk
• Coconut milk
• Yeast
• Fortified breakfast cereals
• Leafy greens like spinach and kale

Other than these sources, vitamin B12 is available as supplements, which may be required for vegetarians, but it is recommended to not take them without a physician’s prescription. Vitamin B12 is also present in B complex supplements, taking which also requires a physician's consultation.

Read more: Soybean benefits

Vitamin B12 is crucial for your skin, hair and nails and helps in keeping their health. It ensures proper skin hydration and enough moisture, which helps in avoiding dryness of skin. Vitamin B12 is often a constituent of skin creams and lotions and is found to be beneficial for individuals with dry skin. For these reasons, it is also useful in treating and avoiding disorders associated with dryness of skin, like eczema. Topical vitamin B12 has been found to be beneficial in the treatment of eczema, particularly in children.

A deficiency of vitamin B12 is associated with several other cutaneous manifestations, like hyperpigmentation (excessive pigmentation of skin forming dark patches) of skin and vitiligo (loss of skin colour in patches).

Hyperpigmentation of the skin due to deficiency of vitamin B12 is, however, reversible. Research evidence has suggested that intramuscular injections of cyanocobalamin can reduce pigmentation and have the potential to normalize the skin colour in the affected area.

Other than this, vitamin B12 is known to aid in proper wound healing. Topical application of vitamin B12 enhances the physiological process of wound healing. Since vitamin B12 promotes hair and nail health, a deficiency of this vitamin often leads to brittle nails and hair. To avoid these manifestations, it is suggested to add more vitamin B12 to your diet. You can also opt for over the counter products to enhance your hair and skin health.

Read more: How to get glowing skin

As stated, vitamin B12 is essential for the health of your skin and mucous membranes, which includes your oral mucosa.

A deficiency of this vitamin has been commonly associated with

• Angular stomatitis: inflammation of the angles of the mouth
• Glossitis: inflammation of the tongue
• Aphthous ulcers and aphthous stomatitis: small and shallow lesions within the mouth

Read more: Inflammatory diseases

Thus, to avoid these conditions and to maintain the best health of your oral cavity, it is recommended to increase the intake of vitamin B12 rich foods.

Read more: Oral hygiene tips

Vitamin B12 deficiency anaemia or pernicious anaemia, as the name suggests is caused when the body cannot produce enough RBCs due to a deficiency of vitamin B12.

In this type of anaemia, lesser than usual number of RBCs are present in the blood, which are larger in size. Vitamin B12 helps in the division of RBCs, and in its deficiency, RBCs become large and malformed. This can occur due to dietary deficiency of vitamin B12 or its poor absorption by the body.

Deficiency is more common in vegans or vegetarians. Symptoms of pernicious anaemia include fatigue, nausea, constipation, vomiting, headache and in severe cases where nerve damage has occurred, feeling of tingling or numbing in fingers.

To avoid this disease, it is recommended to consume sufficient amounts of vitamin B12 in your diet.

Deficiency of vitamin B12 is associated with an increased level of homocysteine in the body. Homocysteine is an amino acid present in the body, higher levels of which can be damaging. It is known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disorders and is a potential risk factor for heart attacks. Increased levels of homocysteine in the blood are known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disorders including heart attack and stroke by 20%. Since higher levels of this amino acid are associated with vitamin B12 deficiency, supplementing your diet with foods rich in vitamin B12 may have a protective role on your heart.

Research evidence has also supported this notion stating that supplementation with vitamin B12 may have a protective effect on the heart. For this purpose, vitamin B12 supplements are often prescribed to vegetarians who are more likely to suffer from its deficiency. They must however not be taken without a doctor’s prescription.

As already stated, vitamin B12 helps in reducing the levels of homocysteine in your body, which has several other damaging effects. Increased levels of homocysteine is found to be a risk factor for age-related macular degeneration or AMD (gradual loss/blurring of vision with advancing age) in the eyes. High levels of homocysteine and a deficiency of vitamin B12 is a modifiable risk factor, which can be managed by adding vitamin B12 rich foods in your diet before macular degeneration has taken place. Several studies have suggested that daily supplementation with vitamin B12 may reduce the risk of AMD. 

Read more: How to improve eyesight

Having a poor diet, low in vitamin B12 is likely to increase the levels of homocysteine in the body, which is a predictor of serious health problems, like Alzheimer's or dementia, concerning the brain. Poor concentration and judgment are other common complications of high homocysteine levels. These effects are however reversible with the help of dietary supplementation of vitamin B12 and folic acid, as per various researchers. This is found to be helpful even in individuals who have normal levels of vitamin B12.

Read more: How to improve brain power

Depression is a mood disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, lack of interest and hopelessness, affecting more than 4.5% of the Indian population. Due to constant mood swings and hormonal changes during pregnancy, depression is more likely to occur in pregnant women. A deficiency of vitamin B12 further potentiates the symptoms of depression and feelings of sadness.

In a study involving community-dwelling women, it was observed that a deficiency of vitamin B12 caused a twofold increase in the risk of severe depression. It has also been found that alongside the conventional treatment of depression involving antidepressants, supplementation with vitamin B12 was helpful in its management.

Read more: Depression in pregnancy

Deficiency of vitamin B12 and an increased level of homocysteine has an effect on the bone density and increases the risk of fractures and falls. These effects are often more pronounced in women, and a deficiency of vitamin B12 is a significant yet modifiable risk factor for osteoporosis. It has been evidenced that women with a lower level of vitamin B12 are more prone to developing osteoporosis.

Studies have suggested that an increase in the levels of vitamin B12 is likely to improve bone health and reduce the risk of fractures in postmenopausal women. Low levels of vitamin B12 often cause bone loss in women, particularly around the hip.

Read more: Menopause symptoms

Other than restoring bone health in women, vitamin B12 is also associated with lower risk of certain types of cancer. Studies have shown that an intake of vitamin B12 is associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer.

It is thus highly beneficial for women to include more dietary sources of vitamin B12 in their diet.

Read more: Health tips for women in their 30s