BENEFITS OF B12 INJECTIONS

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If you are deficient in vitamin B12, injections are the most effective way to bring levels back up and alleviate a lot of symptoms. In this section we’ll explain some of the most common benefits.

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• Reduce fatigue:​

  • Low B12 levels inhibits production of erythrocytes (red blood cells) and leads to fatigue. Bringing B12 levels back up through injection can significantly improve energy levels.

• Improve athletic performance:

  • Exercise increases the body’s oxygen needs to fuel the mitochondria. Because B12 deficiency leads to anemia (low erythrocytes) and a reduced ability to carry oxygen to the mitochondria, athletic performance suffers. Bringing B12 levels back up can help improve oxygenation of mitochondria, and as a result, boost athletic performance.

• Protects the heart by lowering homocysteine:

  • Homocysteine is a recognized risk factor for heart disease. One primary way to reduce homocysteine levels is through a B12-dependent pathway.

  • See also our other recent posts about hawthorn, dan shen and pomegranate, which all support heart health.

• Prevent cognitive decline associated with dementia:

  • High homocysteine is a risk factor for dementia in addition to heart disease and B12 can lower homocysteine. The benefits directly related to dementia may be limited to those with pernicious anemia who are unable to absorb B12.

• Reduce symptoms of depression:

  • Depressed patients often have low levels of B12. In addition, B12 and folate are required for S-adenyl methionine (SAMe) production, which donates methyl group that are crucial for proper neurological function

  • We recently wrote about pyroluria, a condition that can cause symptoms of depression, as well as how omega-3s can impact pyroluria.

• Improve hair, skin and nails:

  • B12 isn’t just used to produce erythrocytes, it’s required for multiple rapidly dividing cell lines including hair, skin and nails. In fact, one common symptoms of B12 deficiency anemia is brittle fingernails

• Increase sperm count and motility:

  • Vitamin B12 improves semen quality, increases sperm count and improves sperm motility. These benefits probably result from increased reproductive organ functionality, decreased homocysteine toxicity, reduced nitric oxide and reducing oxidative damage to sperm

• Reduces fetal development problems:

  • B12 is required for proper fetal development and deficiency has been linked to cognitive, motor and growth problems in fetal development

• Improve B12 deficiency symptoms:

  • We listed symptoms of deficiency earlier, including: Pale or jaundiced skin, weakness and fatigue, peripheral sensation of “pins and needles,” unsteady gait or trouble balancing, glossitis, breathlessness or dizziness and disturbed vision. These all stand to improve after correcting low B12 levels.