Benefits of the B12 Shot

What is Vitamin B12, and what does it do?

Vitamin B12 lies at the core of our body’s ability to make DNA for new cells, turn the food we eat into energy to power our metabolism, and form healthy red blood cells. In the short term, insufficient B12 levels can lead to extreme fatigue, mood changes, and dementia-like qualities, preventing you from feeling your best and performing at your highest energy level. In the long term, an unchecked vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to permanent nerve damage and even neuropathy, which is why it’s crucial to catch it early.

What does it mean to be deficient? Are most people deficient? How can you tell?

As we grow older, we often have more difficulty absorbing vitamin B12 from food. Vitamin-B12 deficiency is one of the most common deficiencies. Eighty-five percent of us come up short of the necessary B12 from our diet.

Absorption of B12 in food requires a substance from our stomachs called intrinsic factor, the production of which decreases with age. The American College of Physicians assumes that no one has intrinsic factor past age 70.

What causes a deficiency?

Vitamin B12 deficiency can be caused by either a poor diet or low dietary absorption. Foods high in B12 include; fish, red meat, and soy. Not eating a balanced diet can lead to a deficiency. Or low absorption by the body can also lead to a deficiency.

Effectiveness?

Getting a booster shot of B12 is the fastest way to get the vitamin into your system. With the shot, you can feel the effects within hours compared to taking an oral supplement, which would take days. Vitamin B12 shots are most effective when taken at regular intervals, even daily in some cases and then monthly or every 14 days for maintenance. A regular schedule to receive the injections can be customized to each individual.

People with chronic fatigue or anemia require regular injections of vitamin B12 because the oral form is not dependable.

Potential Health Benefits:

Energy:

B12 helps the body convert food into glucose. The glucose then gives your body the energy it needs to get through the day. If you are B12 deficient, a B12 shot can significantly improve your energy levels.

Brain Function:

Vitamin B-12 is crucial to the normal function of the brain and the nervous system. It also helps in the formation of red blood cells and helps to create and regulate DNA. The human body produces millions of red blood cells every minute. These cells cannot multiply correctly without vitamin B-12. So the production of red blood cells reduces if vitamin B-12 levels are too low. Anemia can occur if the red blood cell count drops.

Depression:

Some sufferers of depression are deficient in B12. If this is the case for you, then a B12 shot can help. Vitamin B12 helps to synthesize and regulate melatonin, serotonin, and dopamine to keep moods controlled. If your body does not have enough B12, then these chemicals are not being broken down properly. This can lead to a chemical imbalance in your body that can cause mood disorders like depression.

Sleep:

B12 helps regulate melatonin. Melatonin controls your sleep and wake cycles by telling your brain when it is light or dark out. This signals that it is time to go to sleep. People with a B12 deficiency may often feel tired because their body is not getting enough melatonin to regulate their sleep cycle. B12 also helps in regulating serotonin. Serotonin can aid sleep by inducing deep sleep and affecting your wakefulness. An injection of B12 will help control these two essential chemicals in your body to better improve your sleep.

Safety and side effects:

Vitamin B12 shots can help you boost energy and improve your health. A deficiency in this essential nutrient can lead to many health problems, ranging from fatigue to permanent neurological changes. B12 plays a vital role in many body functions, including DNA synthesis, energy production, nerve cell health, red blood cell formation, and neurological function. If you’re feeling sluggish and out of energy, you may have a vitamin deficiency, and a Vitamin B-12 shot may help.

Like most vitamins, it is almost impossible to overdose on vitamin B12. Very high quantities of vitamin B12 usually don’t have any adverse effects on the body. Like any supplement side, effects include allergy and sensitivity.