HYDERABAD: Vitamin B12 deficiency is found mostly in vegetarians, but it is now increasingly being seen in people who consume non-vegetarian food too. General physicians and neurologists get between 10-15 such cases each month, hinting at the growing prevalence of the vitamin deficiency among non-vegetarians.
B12 is not found in vegetarian food and hence, non-vegetarian food consumption was believed to prevent the deficiency.
Most non-vegetarians are taken by surprise when told that they have a Vitamin B12 deficiency. Majority of these people present with nerve irritability, tingling and numbness and sometimes even memory loss. Cases are being seen across age groups, claim doctors.
“B12 is a complex vitamin and requires multiple pathways to get absorbed into blood. People with diabetes are often put on metformin, which interferes with absorption. Many with stomach discomfort take PPIs (proton pump inhibitor) or gas tablets for years together. This also interferes with absorption and, even if such people eat non-vegetarian food, they tend to have low levels of the vitamin,” Dr Suma Kandukuri, consultant neurologist, SLG Hospitals, said.
In some with inherent genetic disorders, abnormalities prevent absorption of Vitamin B12 and even if they consume it orally, it doesn’t get absorbed.
“Factors which adhere to vitamin B12 for better absorption are responsible in some cases. B12 is absorbed through the tongue, stomach and intestine and, if there are factors which inhibit absorption in any of these, there will be a deficiency even if one consumes all food sources of Vitamin B12,” said Dr K Shivaraj, consultant general physician, Kims Hospitals. For such patients, injections are a better option compared to tablets.
