What are the Causes of Vitamin B12 Deficiency?
The causes behind Vitamin B12 deficiency are often due to lifestyle, physiological and dietary complications. It can be a direct consequence of:
Dietary choices – Vitamin B12 is primarily found in animal products like eggs, milk, meat, etc. So, not including those in the diet will drastically hamper the availability of Vitamin B12 in the body, thereby leading to deficiency.
Pernicious anemia – this is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks the intrinsic factor in the stomach, which is responsible for Vitamin B12 absorption in the body.
Gastric surgeries – excision of parts of the stomach or intestine producing the intrinsic factor might lead to symptoms of vitamoin b12 deficiency, leading to deficiencies.
Intestinal complications – people with Crohn’s disease or Celiac disease are at heightened risk of developing Vitamin B12 deficiency as opposed to someone with a healthy intestinal function.
