Attention deficit disorder (ADD) isn’t just for school-aged kids; many adults have also struggled with concentration issues for years, without understanding causes of attention deficit disorder in diet, behavior, and underlying illnesses. Often, vitamin B12 deficiency causes cognitive decline, causing memory loss, poor attention skills, and fatigue.
Vitamin B12 benefits
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is an essential nutrient for the brain, as it controls many biochemical reactions in the body that affect cognitive, emotional, and neurological development. Attention deficit disorder (ADD) is sometimes a consequence of inadequate amounts of vitamin B12 in the blood.
•Vitamin B12 maintains healthy brain mass and delays the onset of age-related dementia, as seen in several scientific studies on thinking and attention skills in people with varying levels of vitamin B12 in the blood supply.
•Vitamin B12 protects the nervous system by supporting the production of myelin, a fatty coating that insulates each individual nerve cell in our brain and spinal cord, enhancing intercellular communication and providing a defense against harmful elements.
•Vitamin B12 also regulates red blood cell production, ensuring continuous distribution of oxygen to all the cells of our body, particularly the brain.
•Vitamin B12 prevents fatigue by helping our body digest carbohydrates into energy.
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Vitamin B12 deficiency
Likewise, when vitamin B12 deficiency (pernicious anemia) occurs, we lose all the valuable benefits that cobalamin contributes to the brain.
•We begin to suffer short-term memory loss, forgetting words that used to be on the tip of our tongue, or regularly forgetting to make appointments.
•We have more difficulty concentrating while reading, getting easily distracted by slight noises (a common symptom of attention deficit disorder).
•Also, when vitamin B12 levels are low, we feel tired all the time, starting and ending the day exhausted. These are signs that our body is not getting enough oxygen, due to a decline in red blood cells caused by pernicious anemia. Chronic fatigue is often associated with attention deficit disorder, as well as depression and anxiety.
•We start to suffer the effects of damage to the nerve cells, as our myelin sheath gradually deteriorates, in a process called demyelination. We begin to experience neurological impairments, such as painful numbness in the extremities and muscle spasms. Attention deficit disorder is regarded by many as a neurological impairment.
Treatment options
Currently, the most popular treatment for ADD is Ritalin. However, if vitamin B12 deficiency is the cause of poor concentration, fatigue, or “brain fog,” then no amount of Ritalin will help to reverse the symptoms of attention deficit disorder. Instead, it may cause harmful side effects such as deep depression and anxiety.
To find out if you have vitamin B12 deficiency, ask your doctor for a blood test measuring “active cobalamin” levels. This is a very good indicator to determine if your vitamin B12 supplies are low. Still, best way to be certain is to monitor the symptoms you’re experiencing and their response to supplementation of vitamin B12.
For boosting attention skills and enhancing cognitive functioning, many people who suffer from ADD choose lifelong supplementation of over-the-counter (OTC) vitamin B12, in a nonedible form that dispenses directly into the bloodstream.
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Source:
ADHD in Adults – Symptoms, Causes, Types, Treatments, and More
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