Dietary Advice For B12 Deficiency

For most people treatment resolves the problem.

Dietary advice for b12 deficiency. Older adults who have a vitamin b12 deficiency will likely have to take a daily b12 supplement or a multivitamin that contains b12. If your vitamin b12 deficiency is caused by a lack of the vitamin in your diet you may be prescribed vitamin b12 tablets to take every day between meals. Dietary tips for vitamins b7 b9 b12 and k deficiency 3 min read vitamins are essential for health and normal body functioning and a deficiency in vitamins can lead to various health issues. Large amounts of folic acid can hide a vitamin b12 deficiency by correcting megaloblastic anemia a hallmark of vitamin b12 deficiency.

People who find it difficult to get enough vitamin b12 in their diets such as those following a vegan. What foods can i advise patients to eat to increase their dietary intake of vitamin b12. But folic acid does not correct the progressive damage to the nervous system that vitamin b12 deficiency also causes. Vitamin b12 is an essential nutrient that your body can t make on its own so you need to get it from your diet or supplements.

Vitamin b12 is a water soluble vitamin that is naturally present in some foods added to others and available as a dietary supplement and a prescription medication. Example products are shown on page 4. Or you may need to have an injection of hydroxocobalamin twice a year. Vitamin b12 is an essential nutrient and deficiency can lead to severe complications and ill health.

Here are the top 12 foods that are high in vitamin b12. Both vitamin b12 deficiency and folate deficiency are more common in older people affecting around 1 in 10 people aged 75 or over and 1 in 20 people aged 65 to 74. This is a fact sheet intended for health professionals. For this reason healthy adults should not get more than 1 000 mcg of folic acid a day.

If mild deficiency is thought to be diet related advise people to take oral cyanocobalamin tablets 50 150 micrograms daily between meals. Doses within this range are safe and sufficient to prevent dietary deficiency. Most cases of vitamin b12 and folate deficiency can be easily treated with injections or tablets to replace the missing vitamins. It is unusual to have anaemia due to a lack of vitamin b12 in your diet although strict vegans may be at risk.

People who eat a varied diet and are generally in good health can obtain the required amount.