strawberry13
10-24-2008, 11:57 AM
why have i got a low b12 level? Just now it is sitting aroung the 90 level and anemia has been ruled out as the blood test was negative. I do not eat junk food but I do have an underactive thyroid.
Sponsor
huffle
10-24-2008, 11:30 PM
B-12 only comes from eating meat. It also takes certain stomach chemistry to be able to absorb it from food.
Huffle :jester:
Huffle :jester:
rross9000
10-27-2008, 09:55 PM
To be honest, B12 Comes from ingesting animal products, such a milk, cheese, meat and yogurt. Some poeple simply aren't able to absorb as much B12 from food as others. There are certain conditions that make it difficult to absorb, such as stomach surgeries, ulcers, taking heartburn medications, etc. Of all the b12 that we consume, it's only a very small amounth that gets absorbed (less than 5%). So you can see how easy it can actually be to acheive low B12 levels in our bodies.
Thyroid issues can deplete your B12 levels, so can anxiety and stress, however it usually takes quite a while, considering your liver can store up to 10,000 micrograms of B12 at a time. If you are using more B12 than you are absorbing, you can end up with low B12 in a matter of a few years. that's why it comes so out of the blue for people, they had no idea that they were using more B12 than they were taking in.
So to answer your question better, Why do you have low B12? That could be a few circumstances added together, you have a thyroid issue, you may not be eating as much dairy and animal product and perhaps you use antacids or medications for heartburn such as Zantac etc. sitting at the 90 range is quite low, but taking shots of B12 and/or suppliments can make all the difference. You may have to face the fact that it's possible you may never be able to absorb B12 naturally again, but that really is NO big deal. You can take the shots or suppliments (although suppliments can sometimes be useless if you can't absorb B12 through digestion). Myself, I take B12 suppliments and dissolve them under my tongue, they are tasteless and they are absorbed directly into the blood. I will never be able to absorb B12 naturally by digestion, but I can take the suppliments just fine.
Try not to worry about it too much, you can always ask your doctor about your B12 issue and ask why you are not absorbing it from your food as well as others. If you do need to buy suppliments, spend just a bit more for good brand name suppliments and you can dissolve them under the tongue, otherwise you can have the shots on a regular basis (Once a day for a week then Once a week for a month and then once a month from then on)
Thyroid issues can deplete your B12 levels, so can anxiety and stress, however it usually takes quite a while, considering your liver can store up to 10,000 micrograms of B12 at a time. If you are using more B12 than you are absorbing, you can end up with low B12 in a matter of a few years. that's why it comes so out of the blue for people, they had no idea that they were using more B12 than they were taking in.
So to answer your question better, Why do you have low B12? That could be a few circumstances added together, you have a thyroid issue, you may not be eating as much dairy and animal product and perhaps you use antacids or medications for heartburn such as Zantac etc. sitting at the 90 range is quite low, but taking shots of B12 and/or suppliments can make all the difference. You may have to face the fact that it's possible you may never be able to absorb B12 naturally again, but that really is NO big deal. You can take the shots or suppliments (although suppliments can sometimes be useless if you can't absorb B12 through digestion). Myself, I take B12 suppliments and dissolve them under my tongue, they are tasteless and they are absorbed directly into the blood. I will never be able to absorb B12 naturally by digestion, but I can take the suppliments just fine.
Try not to worry about it too much, you can always ask your doctor about your B12 issue and ask why you are not absorbing it from your food as well as others. If you do need to buy suppliments, spend just a bit more for good brand name suppliments and you can dissolve them under the tongue, otherwise you can have the shots on a regular basis (Once a day for a week then Once a week for a month and then once a month from then on)