How do you test for B12 deficiency at home?

Most home kits test your urine for the presence of MMA, which is linked to early stages of a vitamin B-12 deficiency. You may need to send your urine sample to a laboratory. These kits will include a jar and mailing instructions.

How do I know if I've got a B12 deficiency?

Constipation, diarrhea, loss of appetite, or gas. Nerve problems like numbness or tingling, muscle weakness, and problems walking. Vision loss. Mental problems like depression, memory loss, or behavioral changes.

Can you check B12 levels?

Doctors usually use a blood test to check vitamin B-12 status, but home urine tests are also available. A doctor can check vitamin B-12 as part of a standard blood test.

What is the best test for B12 deficiency?

An MMA test is most often used to diagnose a vitamin B12 deficiency. This test is also used to diagnose methylmalonic acidemia, a rare genetic disorder. Symptoms of this disorder can range from mild to severe and may include vomiting, dehydration, developmental delays, and intellectual disability.

What is the main cause of vitamin B12 deficiency?

Pernicious anaemia is the most common cause of vitamin B12 deficiency in the UK. Pernicious anaemia is an autoimmune condition that affects your stomach. An autoimmune condition means your immune system, the body's natural defence system that protects against illness and infection, attacks your body's healthy cells.

How to Test for Functional Vitamin B12 Deficiency

What disease is associated with a deficiency of B12?

Either a lack of vitamin B-12 or a lack of folate causes a type of anemia called megaloblastic anemia (pernicious anemia). With these types of anemia, the red blood cells don't develop normally.

What should a women's B12 level be?

Normal values are 160 to 950 picograms per milliliter (pg/mL), or 118 to 701 picomoles per liter (pmol/L).

What happens when your vitamin B12 is low?

B12 deficiency can cause a variety of symptoms, including fatigue, headaches, depression, pale or yellow skin, mental impairment, and pain and inflammation in the mouth and tongue. Many of the symptoms caused by low B12 levels are not specific to B12 deficiency, which can cause the condition to go undetected.

How long does it take to recover from B12 deficiency?

Once you begin treating your vitamin B12 deficiency, it can take up to six to 12 months to fully recover. It is also common to not experience any improvement during the first few months of treatment. If you can, it's a good idea to address what's causing the deficiency.

What does B12 deficiency fatigue feel like?

Megaloblastic anemia due to vitamin B-12 deficiency may lead to a person feeling fatigued. Without enough red blood cells to carry oxygen around their body, a person can feel extremely tired.

What does a B12 deficiency tongue look like?

Clinical Findings in Tongue Pathology

B12 deficiency will also make the tongue sore and beefy-red in color. Glossitis, by causing swelling of the tongue, may also cause the tongue to appear smooth. Among women, low-estrogen states may cause a “menopausal glossitis”.

How can I raise my B12 levels fast?

What is the fastest way to cure B12 deficiency?

What medications should not be taken with B12?

Certain medications can decrease the absorption of vitamin B12, including: colchicine, metformin, extended-release potassium products, antibiotics (such as gentamicin, neomycin, tobramycin), anti-seizure medications (such as phenobarbital, phenytoin, primidone), medications to treat heartburn (such as H2 blockers ...

Does B12 deficiency cause weight gain?

People with vitamin B12 deficiency are likely to experience a wide range of symptoms, though weight gain is unlikely one of them. If you're experiencing unexplained weight gain, consider discussing it with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian to determine the root cause.

What helps B12 absorption?

In the stomach, hydrochloric acid and enzymes unbind vitamin B12 into its free form. From there, vitamin B12 combines with a protein called intrinsic factor so that it can be absorbed further down in the small intestine. Supplements and fortified foods contain B12 in its free form, so they may be more easily absorbed.

Do symptoms of B12 deficiency come and go?

The symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency can develop slowly and worsen over time. Some symptoms may be experienced by people who have a vitamin B12 deficiency without anemia. Some people may experience no symptoms, despite low levels of vitamin B12.

What causes a B12 deficiency in woman?

What causes it? Most people get more than enough B12 from eating meat, eggs, milk, and cheese. Normally, the vitamin is absorbed by your digestive system—your stomach and intestines. Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia usually happens when the digestive system is not able to absorb the vitamin.

What is B12 called on a blood test?

This test measures the level of B12 (also called cobalamin) found in your blood. Lower than normal levels of B12 may cause fatigue, muscle weakness, intestinal problems, numbness, memory loss, anemia, as well as irreversible nerve damage if left untreated.

How much B12 can you safely take in a day?

The recommended daily intake (RDI) of vitamin B12 is 6 micrograms per day. Deficiency is common, especially in people who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet. In fact, it's thought that up to 90% of people following these diets have a deficiency ( 2 , 3 ). This is because B12 is only found naturally in animal foods.

What is the difference between anemia and B12 deficiency?

Vitamin B₁₂ deficiency anemia is a condition in which your body does not have enough healthy red blood cells, due to a lack (deficiency) of vitamin B_12. This vitamin is needed to make red blood cells, which carry oxygen to all parts of your body.

What deficiency causes weakness in legs?

Muscle weakness due to vitamin D deficiency is predominantly of the proximal muscle groups and is manifested by a feeling of heaviness in the legs, tiring easily, and difficulty in mounting stairs and rising from a chair; the deficiency is reversible with supplementation (15–18).

Can low B12 cause hair loss?

Symptoms of low B12 often occur when blood level drops below 300 ng/l and include hair loss, breathlessness, lack of energy palpitations, bleeding gums, mouth ulcers, tingling in the hands and feet.

What food has the most B12?