Hello! I work as a doctor for 21 years. My name is George O. Sapego. This article will tell you about it, why is poorly absorbed vitamin B12.
Vitamin B12 deficiency develop pernicious anemia. There was a time when healthy people ate meat, vitamin B12 have been activated in the stomach, then the half-digested meat belching and fed them to the patients. Presented? So the issue is serious.
Vitamin B12 is found in various animal products: meat, milk, eggs. Especially a lot of it in the liver, and shellfish. Therefore, earlier at deficiency of vitamin B12 to patients given a lot of liver.
Now vitamin B12 are added to various foods like cereal or porridge, but actually it is not the plants. Vegans can not get enough vitamin B12, therefore, should take supplements.
Vitamin B12 in the diet is associated with proteins. In the stomach it cleaves proteins from acid and enzymes. Remember the story about the digestion of meat? A link to my article below.
The stomach plays a key role in the topic of vitamin B12. In the gastric mucosa produced the so-called intrinsic factor. It is a protein that binds vitamin B12, and becomes his guide to our inner world.
Associated with intrinsic factor vitamin floats away into the small intestine and is absorbed there.
Without intrinsic factor only quite a bit of free vitamin B12 may just be absorbed by conventional diffusion into the blood. But this is enough to malignant anemia slightly frantic treat human doses of vitamin B12.
Vitamin B12 - is a water soluble vitamin. Even large doses it is easily excreted by the kidneys.
Vitamin B12 is needed for DNA synthesis. Without it, the cells can not properly divide and die. Blood cells are produced in the bone marrow, share faster than any other cells in our body. Therefore, they are very sensitive to a deficiency vitamin B12. Most often suffer from it the red blood cells (erythrocytes), but there are problems with other cells. As it turns out anemia, which can not be cured without vitamin B12.
Another vitamin B12 is necessary for the nervous system.
Sometimes our own immune system attacks the intrinsic factor antibodies and blocks it. In vitamin B12 is not a conductor. Naked vitamin does not suck in and out of the intestinal transit. So it turns out the famous pernicious anemia.
malnutrition
Vitamin B12 we get from animal foods. Vegans can not get it.
Another deficit is the pregnant and lactating women, because they have to feed two at once.
Malabsorption of vitamin B12
Sometimes it is not in the internal factor, which for some reason was not enough, and in simple and familiar problems with digestion. Remember the story of the poorly absorbed food? Link at the bottom of this article.
The first reason, which does not allow absorbed vitamin B12 - is it binding protein food. Vitamin can be a lot, but he remains bound to the protein.
But in the supplements of vitamin B12 enters into our body without protein. So it can be absorbed. It is important for people who are not okay with the stomach.
Stomach
It happens that a man cut off part of the stomach, and he will no longer work properly.
Another Helicobacter, which causes stomach ulcer, a bad influence on the absorption of vitamin B12.
Other drugs that reduce the amount of acid in the stomach, prevent stomach vitamin cleaved from the protein. It can be antacids, H2-receptor blockers such as famotidine histamine blockers, proton pump.
Poor absorption of vitamin B12 is more characteristic for the elderly. Deficiency of this vitamin found in 5 - 20% of people in this age group.
Intestines
Sometimes vitamin B12 successfully separated from the protein and less well connected to the internal factor. But that his misfortunes do not end there. The absorption can affect bowel disease.
From disease reduced suction surface of the intestine. That is, the human intestinal length remains the same, but the villi (villi and there on the surface of the intestine) atrophy. The smaller the villi, the smaller the area of the suction. And at some point, this area may not be enough for the absorption vitamin B12.
poultry
Remember the story of bacterial overgrowth in the gut? At the bottom there is a link to the article. So bacteria gladly eat our vitamin. Then we did not have enough.
Tapeworms sometimes live in our stomach, and they absorb vitamin B12 as a sponge.
I remember as a teacher for 3 year of medical wistfully I said that now would be the worm itself Chop salad. As the source of the vitamin.
It is not necessary that all this leads to anemia. Sometimes just the red blood cells are abnormally large, or white blood cells become defective. This can only slightly spoil health.
Poisoned by vitamin B12 is difficult, so the elderly and it is prescribed for each such suspected blood problems.
In short, everything is difficult. Sometimes only an experienced medical eye can notice small signs and mysterious symptoms. So do not try to prick yourself with the help of vitamin friends and neighbors, and immediately go to the doctor. If there is something wrong with the blood, or there were problems with the nerves, then complain to the doctor. He will understand.
If you liked this article, then put the Huskies and subscribe to my channel. Read my articles on related topics:
Bacterial overgrowth in the intestine
Why is poorly absorbed food
As in the gut turns soap
