Learn how B-12 deficiency affects aging and how B-12 injections can help.
B-12 is one of the most important vitamins for healthy aging. So it might surprise you to learn that an estimated 20 percent of adults over 50 have a borderline B-12 deficiency, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The reason for this is twofold:
- First, adults naturally lose their ability to extract Vitamin B-12 from natural dietary sources as they age, due to a decline in the stomach acids necessary to break this vitamin apart from proteins in meat and dairy.
- Secondly, many doctors simply do not think to have their patients’ B-12 levels tested, resulting in the potential for low B-12 to quickly degenerate into a borderline or actual deficiency.
Consequences of B-12 Deficiency
B-12 plays an essential role in the development and maintenance of a healthy nervous system as well as in DNA production and red blood cell formation. A B-12 deficiency can cause serious symptoms including anemia, muscle weakness, fatigue, shakiness, unsteadiness when walking, incontinence, low blood pressure, depression, mood disorders, and cognitive problems such as memory loss.
B-12 for Healthy Aging
Since B-12 is necessary for cellular metabolism and DNA replication, a lack of B-12 can have a huge impact on your body’s ability to renew itself. In particular, low B-12 can accelerate signs of aging such as hair loss, vision changes, and skin changes, because the cells involved simply cannot keep up the rate of cell repair and renewal they exhibited when you were younger.
In addition to slowing certain visible signs of aging, healthy levels of B-12 can also help combat many other issues associated with aging by:
- Improving your memory
- Boosting mood, energy, and concentration
- Supporting a strong immune system
- Improving sleep quality
- Boosting sex drive
- Reducing homocysteine levels in the blood—lower homocysteine may help protect against heart disease and Alzheimer’s
B-12 Injections vs B-12 Supplements
If lab testing confirms that you do not have enough B-12 in your blood, you typically have a choice of taking an oral supplement or using injectable B-12. Both methods are capable of delivering sufficient “free” B-12 (B-12 not bound up with food proteins) to raise your levels to a healthy range. However, B-12 injections do work a little bit faster, delivering the vitamin straight to the bloodstream.
Should You Ask a Doctor About B-12?
If you are troubled by the rate at which you seem to be aging, and/or if you have had problems with stress and high cortisol, you would be well advised to ask a doctor to check your B-12 levels. B-12 supports the body in a way that can be beneficial when stress is or has been an issue, and at Renew Woman™ we will be happy to work injectable B-12 into your personalized menopause treatment plan if appropriate.