How do women achieve optimal vitamin B12 levels?
Read on to find out when and why women should pay extra attention to their vitamin B12 intake and what steps you can take to optimize your levels.
What is vitamin B12?
Vitamin B12 (or cobalamin) is a water-soluble essential vitamin, which plays a crucial role in making red blood cells and maintaining the brain and nervous system. It is an essential vitamin; that is, we cannot make it ourselves. This vitamin is produced by bacteria. Animals produce this vitamin through the bacteria in their digestive tract. Vegetable products therefore contain basically no vitamin B12. But before you can take advantage of vitamin B12 from a tasty roasted chicken breast, your stomach must also release a certain acid in order to absorb vitamin B12. The body's ability to absorb vitamin B12 from the body becomes more difficult as you age.
What happens when our body does not get enough vitamin B12? You're definitely familiar with the concept of anemia, where your body becomes depleted and doesn't produce enough healthy red blood cells or your blood doesn't have enough hemoglobin, which prevents oxygen from being transported to cells properly. Most people think that iron deficiency is the cause of anemia, but did you know that vitamin B12 deficiency can also be a cause of anemia?
Furthermore, low vitamin B12 levels can lead to symptoms such as numbness of the skin, tingling, poor coordination (athletes beware!), or problems with memory.
As part of the vitamin B family (along with vitamin B11: folic acid, and vitamin B6), vitamin B12 contributes to the homocysteine balance in the body. Homocysteine is an amino acid that can be produced in the human body from another amino acid, methionine. This conversion takes place with the help of enzymes. Under normal circumstances, the homocysteine produced is converted again or broken down so that the amount in the body does not increase. A homocysteine level that is too high increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and infertility. Poor nutrition and not exercising regularly increase the homocysteine level.
Healthy diet and exercise is therefore increasingly important as one gets older.
Vitamin B12 during our lifetime
Tijdens de kinderjaren hebben mannen en vrouwen een vergelijkbaar vitamine B12-niveau. In het begin van de pubertijd daalt het vitamine B12 niveau. Het is de bedoeling dat het vitamine B12 niveau gedurende de gehele adolescentieperiode gelijk blijft, met uitzondering van een daling tijdens de zwangerschap.
Volwassenen met een te lage vitamine B12 waarde hebben, hadden als kind vaak ook al een te kort.
Een andere oorzaak van een te laag vitamine B12 kan slechte voeding zijn, vooral veganisme. Slechts een paar planten leveren genoeg vitamine B12. Om deze reden is het voor vegetariërs belangrijk om wel dierlijke producten, zoals melk en eieren en alternatieve producten, zoals verrijkte granen, in hun dieet op te nemen. Als je niet zwanger wordt zal je B12 niveau gedurende je volwassenheid relatief stabiel blijven.. Er van uitgaande dat je een goed en uitgebalanceerd voedingspatroon hanteert. Voor sommige ontstaat op oudere leeftijd echter het probleem met de vitamine B12 opname. Dat komt omdat het opnemen van B12 uit voedingsmiddelen sterk afhankelijk is van het vermogen van je maag om maagzuur vrij te geven. Veel oudere volwassenen beginnen minder maagzuur aan te maken naarmate ze ouder worden, dat beperkt het vermogen om B12 los te maken uit het voedsel. Ook mensen die maagzuur remmende middelen slikken of zuur-neutraliserende medicijnen voor reflux hebben een grote kans niet genoeg vitamine B12 op te kunnen nemen.
Vitamine B12, in kristallijne vorm, zit in voedingssupplementen en verrijkte voedingsmiddelen. In tegenstelling tot de natuurlijke variant is deze vorm van vitamine wel opgenomen worden, ook al is de werking van je maagzuur verstoort.
The effect of the menstrual cycle on vitamin B12 levels.
There is not much research on the effect of menstruation on the B12 level. However, the levels of men and women do not differ significantly by age. In addition, the decline in B12 levels at a later age does not coincide with menopause. So no extra problem for women? Studies do show that hormonal contraceptives cause a significant drop in B12 status.
B12 and pregnancy
Most women experience a decrease in vitamin B12 levels during pregnancy. In most cases, this change is normal and not a cause for concern. It is normal for the vitamin B12 level to drop by 30% during this period. Just a few days after delivery, the level will return to normal. However, if you already have a low level of vitamin B12 before you get pregnant (note vegetarians!), it is important to get the right level before you get pregnant. Women who are already low in vitamin B12 are more likely to suffer from anaemia, which increases the risk of miscarriage. The necessity of folic acid intake during pregnancy is well known, to prevent a cleft lip or spina bifida. However, low levels of vitamin B12 also increase the risk of birth defects. Consult your doctor before adding or removing supplements from your diet.
B12 and breastfeeding
What about breastfeeding? Breast milk contains B12, so theoretically there would be a risk of low vitamin B12 levels while breastfeeding. However, studies have proven that women who breastfeed have no significant difference in vitamin B12 than women who do not breastfeed.
What can I do to manage my vitamin B12 levels?
Get your blood tested! At Blood Values Test or at your doctor's office. InsideTracker will tell you what you need to focus on to optimize your vitamin B12 levels and provide you with dietary advice, which supplements you can take and which exercise recommendations apply to you. Besides vitamin B12, other important vitamins and minerals are also screened.