If you suffer from constant lot of stomach bloating and other signs of indigestion, it can be linked to vitamin B12 deficiency. Your ability to digest vitamin B12 and use it to prevent pernicious anemia can be traced directly to the environment in your gut. Symptoms of stomach bloating can be the first clue in distinguishing why you’re suffering from vitamin B12 deficiency, and how to prevent it.
Vitamin B12 malabsorption
When your digestive system is not working properly, then you’re not getting enough vitamin B12. That’s because unlike other vitamins, B12 cannot be absorbed from foods without the help of certain digestive enzymes that are produced by your parietal cells of the stomach.
Gastritis (stomach inflammation) is one of several causes of vitamin B12 malabsorption.
So even though you eat plenty of meat, chicken, and fish, you aren’t getting the vitamin B12 you need in order to survive. And it all stems from your gastrointestinal health.
What Causes Vitamin B12 Malabsorption?
Pernicious anemia occurs in the stomach
Intrinsic factor is one such protein that your body needs, both to extract cobalamin (vitamin B12) from food and to utilize it efficiently so that it reaches your blood stream.
But with digestive disorders such as Crohn’s disease, or if there is any type of damage to your esophagus, stomach walls, or intestinal tract, then you run a high risk for vitamin B12 deficiency, and possibly pernicious anemia.
So while people assume that pernicious anemia is a blood disease, it really begins in the stomach, with bloating, acid reflux, and heartburn.
Symptoms of stomach disorders
The following symptoms, if they occur often, may indicate a breakdown in your digestive system that requires immediate treatment in order to prevent vitamin B12 deficiency and many other ailments:
- Acid reflux
- Heartburn
- Vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Chest pains
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea
- Stomach bloating
- Hardening of the stomach
- Loss of appetite
- Difficulty swallowing
- “Lump” in your throat
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Frequent burping
- Flatulence
IBD or IBS- What’s the Difference in a Tummy Ache?
Comorbid illnesses
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are comorbid with vitamin B12 deficiency, as are many other autoimmune disorders and chronic pain conditions.
The following illnesses and health problems cause damage to the stomach that may also lead to vitamin B12 deficiency:
- Crohn’s disease
- Ulcerative colitis
- Fibromyalgia
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Migraines
- Celiac disease
- Stomach ulcers
- Diverticulitis
- Esophageal stricture
Please tell us…
Have you been experiencing stomach bloating and other signs of digestive disorders, but didn’t realize they were connected to vitamin B12 deficiency?
Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.
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