Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin for all human beings and lack of this powerful vitamin can lead to depression and other problems. B12 also called cobalamin, because vitamin B12’s’ chemical composition includes the elemental metal, cobalt, this vitamin can be found in dairy (like milk and cheese), eggs, and in all sorts of meats. There is no plant that produces enough vitamin B12 in order to be considered a viable source of the essential nutrient, which helps the creation of red blood cells and helps to regulate the responses of the nervous system, as well as rapid DNA synthesis when cells divide.
Deficiencies in a body’s level of vitamin B12 are linked to either poor intake of foods that contain vitamin B12, and one’s body’s own ability to absorb the vitamin. Folic acid along with vitamin B12 are believed to help prevent various mood disorders, central nervous system development disorders, and several sorts of dementias. B12 deficiency is also responsible for the blood disorder called megaloblastic anemia.
Several studies published on the US National Library of Medicine have further studied the correlation of vitamin B12 as it pertains to depression, psychosis, mania, and dementiain both young people and the elderly. One sixteen-year-old patient was examined by doctors for issues with truancy, apathy, crying, aggressive behavior, and irritability and found that he was demonstrating signs of B12 deficiency, including rigidity in both of his shoulders and movement problems in his elbows and arms (including loss of motor control), problems focusing, an inability to control his face muscles, and an inflamed tongue. He was having trouble absorbing the vitamin because he was infected by a bacteria called H. pylori. The doctors eradicated the infection with a course of high-dose antibiotics and gave the boy a vitamin B12 serum. The boy recovered and found his mood greatly improved.
A retired African-American teacher, a sixty-six year old grandmother, was seen in an outpatient clinic reporting sleeplessness as well as a lack of energy, interest, and motivation that had lasted six months. During that time-frame she cried frequently, had difficulty leaving her bed, and described her mood as sad and withdrawn. She had no history of mental illness or substance abuse, either personally or in her family. She stopped caring for herself, from cleaning to eating, had lost about thirty pounds, and had decided to seek treatment when all her symptoms began to worsen and included a sense of dread.
Initially she was treated with drugs, the doctors believing she had a depressive disorder. When the doctors started to notice rigidity despite her getting better, they looked to blood tests that showed a vitamin B12 deficiency. They began treating her with a serum of vitamin B12 and she quickly reported significant improvement in all the problem areas of her life. She rested better, began taking care of herself again, and found her mood greatly improved.
Dementia, psychosis, depression, and mania are all linked to low levels of vitamin B12. These issues are not just an unfortunate part of society but have the potential to affect your life intimately. No one, old or young, is immune to the effects of vitamin B12 deficiencies.
If you are concerned about your mental health and acuity and want to stave off the ill effects of vitamin B12 deficiencies be certain to take vitamin B12 regularly, either through eggs, milk, and meat, or through vitamin supplements such as our easy to use B12 transdermal patch B12 transdermal patch. It is an important part of your overall physical and mental health.