Pernicious Anemia and B12 Deficiency – Should You Take Vitamin B12 to Prevent It?
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Arturo_Marroquin,_M.D.]Arturo Marroquin, M.D.
Pernicious anemia is a condition that results when the body cannot absorb enough vitamin B12. In this particular condition, cells that line the stomach have lost the ability to produce enough of a substance called Intrinsic Factor. Why is this important? Because Intrinsic Factor must first combine with B12 to form a B12-Intrinsic Factor complex so that the digestive system can absorb it.
We know that vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, plays an important role in several processes: it helps make red blood cells, supports nerve cell function, and even helps build DNA. When the body’s immune system malfunctions and begins attacking the cells in the stomach that make intrinsic factor, the decrease in intrinsic factor production greatly affects B12 absorption, for the worse.
Pernicious anemia is also known in medical circles as megaloblastic anemia. The term megaloblastic describes the large, immature red blood cells that are seen in people with this condition, which is more common in persons of northern European descent. Often the terms pernicious anemia and B12 deficiency are used interchangeably, but it is important to note that pernicious anemia refers only to the B12 deficiency that happens when there is an absence of intrinsic factor.
What are the symptoms of pernicious anemia?
Weakness Fatigue Numbness tingling of hands and feetDifficulty walking Decreased appetiteWeight lossNauseaTender, smooth tongueDiarrheaIrritabilityIncreased heart rate
Why is it important to supplement B12?
Even though the red blood cell abnormalities can be improved to normal by supplementing vitamin B12, if too much time passes before the pernicious anemia is detected, the neuropathy (nerve damage) that causes numbness and tingling can become permanent. Usually pernicious anemia is found through a routine check up and a blood test (CBC, or cell blood count) at the doctor’s office. Persons most at risk of developing it are the elderly; strict vegetarians who don’t supplement B12; and pregnant women.
An important note is that breastfed babies of vegetarian moms can easily develop vitamin B12 deficiency by age 4 to 6 months because their liver reserves–which are normally plentiful–are limited and can be depleted quickly due to their rapid growth rate, (which results in a high demand for B12). One last thing to remember is that folate supplementation should not be taken alone instead of vitamin B12 because folate may indeed alleviate the anemia but allow the neurologic (nerve) deficits to progress or even accelerate. For this reason, both B12 and folate should be supplemented together.
Arturo Marroquin, M.D. writes about health, diet and nutritional issues with the goal of improving your health and quality of life. If you want to learn more about Pernicious Anemia and B12 Deficiency–especially which foods and supplements will provide you with a source of vitamin B12–follow this link to Dr.M’s <a target=”_new” href=”http://deficiency-b12.blogspot.com”>blog</A>, or <a target=”_new” href=”http://www.squidoo.com/deficiency-b12″>website</A>, where you’ll find information to help you make informed choices when it comes to your health.
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License, which means you may freely reprint it, in its entirety, provided you include the author’s resource box along with LIVE links (without “nofollow” tags).
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Vitamin K Review
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Peter_Gitundu]Peter Gitundu
Vitamins are grouped into various groups, each with its own function. K is further sub-divided into 1 which is produced by plants and 2 which is a product of bacterial action. In humans it is naturally occurring in the digestive tract where bacteria produces it in the colon. Since vitamin K is soluble in fat it is associated with the synthesis of proteins that are required for blood clotting. Without this, uncontrolled bleeding would occur and the result could be fatal.
If you are under medication of some sort, it is important to note that supplement may interfere with the functioning of some anti-clotting medication such as Warfarin. Certain heart conditions show symptoms of blood viscosity which require treatment using anticoagulant drugs. This, taken alongside vitamin K supplements, would inter react and possibly neutralize the effects of such drugs, rendering the whole treatment irrelevant.
Therefore it is advisable that you desist from using the supplements when on medication. It is also important that you learn as much as possible on the side effects and food reactions specific to certain medicines. Unlike it is with other nutrients, vitamin K is stored in small amounts in the body and suppressing it from the diet could deplete it from the system leading to a deficiency. Therefore regular intake of supplements to boost the amount available in the diet, is advised.
As it is found in soft tissues, cartilage and bones it plays an important role in protein synthesis without which, normal bone growth and development would not be possible. Symptoms of deficiency is characterized by easy bruising and improper blood coagulation. Others are bleeding gum, nosebleed, blood in stool and urine as well as heavy menstrual bleeding.
Peter Gitundu Creates Interesting And Thought Provoking Content On Vitamins For More Information, Read More Of His Articles Here [http://gitundu.com/health/vitamins/]VITAMINS AND MINERALS If You Enjoyed This Article, Make Sure You <a target=”_new” href=”http://gitundu.com/”>SUBSCRIBE TO MY RSS</A> FEED!
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Vitamin Water
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Peter_Gitundu]Peter Gitundu
Vitamin Water is one of the main products of Energy Brands Inc. The company, however, also deals with making smart and fruit water and also vitamin energy. All these are combination of fruit extracts and organic chemicals for health concerns. Energy Brand Inc was founded in the early ’90 after a period of water scarcity and to date; its products are being distributed all over The United States.
Vitamin water is a combination of distilled and ionized minerals with various herbal extracts. Today, it is a fast selling health product due to the mere fact that many people have taken it upon themselves to watch their health. However there have been objections towards using these organic extracts on a regular basis. They come with chemicals such as ‘citric acid’ which is unfriendly and harmful to the body.
The colors and flavors too have had their nature doubted by many. Studies in the recent past have revealed that excess use of fructose as a sweetener has its own side effects. It has been discovered that if used on a regular basis and in large proportions, it can affect the normal functioning of the liver. This is where all the difference concerning this drink comes.
Though a fruit extract, scientists find it unsuitable for use as it contains harmful chemicals. At the end of it all the fact remains that it is up to an individual to choose whether to drink the vitamin water or not. Given the arguments by the scientists who urge that it contains harmful chemicals, and those who believe in it being a health product, it is up to us to make the right decision.
Peter Gitundu Creates Interesting And Thought Provoking Content On Vitamins For More Information, Read More Of His Articles Here [http://gitundu.com/health/vitamins/]VITAMINS AND MINERALS If You Enjoyed This Article, Make Sure You <a target=”_new” href=”http://gitundu.com/”>SUBSCRIBE TO MY RSS</A> FEED!
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Pre-Menstrual Syndrome (PMS) And Vitamin B5
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kyle_J_Norton]Kyle J Norton
Premenstrual syndrome effects over 70% to 90% of women before menopause in the US and less for women in Southeast Asia because of their difference in living style and social structure. The occurrence of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) have more than doubled over the past 50 years due to the acceptance of it as a medical condition that is caused by unhealthy diet with high in saturated food. Premenstrual syndrome is defined as faulty function of the ovaries related to the women’s menstrual cycle, it effects a women’s physical and emotional state, and sometimes interferes with daily activities as a result of hormone fluctuation. The syndrome occurs one to two weeks before menstruation and then declines when the period starts. In this article, we will discuss how vitamins B5 helps to treat PMS…
I. Definition
Vitamin B5 is water soluble vitamin, also known as pantothenic acid, it has a proven record in treating stress by enhancing the function of adrenal gland.
II. How vitamin B5 effects women with PMS
1. Energy
a) Vitamin B5 works together with other vitamin B complex to enhance function in carbohydrate and glucose metabolism, by converting them to energy to body cells need resulting in lessening the risk of fatigue and tiredness.
b) it also helps to improve liver function in carbohydrate synthesis and regulate the levels of insulin produced by pancreas in the body resulting in lessening the risk of food craving or diabetes.
2.Stress
Vitamin B5 is a neurotransmitters enhancer, it helps to improve the function of nervous cells in transporting information to each other resulting in increasing the adrenal function in hormone secretion thereby, decreasing the risk of nervous disorder including stress.
3. Cortisone
Cortisone is one of the main hormones released by the body as a reaction to stress, it elevates blood pressure and prepare the body for a fight or fight response. Vitamin B5 is vital in regulating the levels of cortisone resulting in improving the immune system and lessening the risk of nervous tension for some women with PMS.
4. Abdominal pains
Vitamin is also important in regulating the muscle movement in the body including the abdominal muscle. Deficiency of vitamin B5 causes abnormal function of uterus muscles resulting in menstrual pain and cramps.
5. Sleep disturbances and insomnia
As we known vitamin B5 is an neurotransmitters enhancer, deficiency of vitamin B5 causes irregular or over active brains cells resulting in increasing the risk of sleep disturbances and insomnia.
I hope this information will help. If you need more information of insurance or series of articles of the above subject at my home page at: http://medicaladvisorjournals.blogspot.com
To read the series of Premenstrual syndrome, visit http://pre-menstrualsyndrome-pms.blogspot.com//
All rights reserved. Any reproducing of this article must have the author name and all the links intact.
“Let Take Care Your Health, Your Health Will Take Care You” Kyle J. Norton
I have been studying natural remedies for disease prevention for over 20 years and working as a financial consultant since 1990. Master degree in Mathematics, teaching and tutoring math at colleges and universities before joining insurance industries. Part time Health and entertainment Article Writer.
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Vitamin D Deficiency Can Cause Aches
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jimmy_Warren]Jimmy Warren
Vitamin D deficiency can cause many aches and pains of the joints, bones and muscles. It can also be very hard to diagnose in certain cases. When the body lacks vitamin D it causes a low calcium level in the body. Bones have to have calcium to thrive.
Vitamin D deficiency is usually due to a lack of sunlight. Lack of sunlight can be dominant in very young or elderly people. Some elderly people who are in health care settings such as nursing homes do not get accurate sunlight. Infants and young children are also inside more than not which also makes them vulnerable to a deficiency.
Some symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency in infants are very soft skulls, being slow in sitting or crawling, crying more than normal, and spaces between the skull bones may be slow to close. In children between the ages of 1-4 years, symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency may be bow legs, abnormal curve of the spine or bowed knees. These children may also be slower than average to walk.
Some symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency in older children and adults may be pain while walking, flattened pelvic bones, and a narrow birth canal in adolescent girls. Vitamin D deficiency can be very painful and mostly affects the bones, particularly the leg bones, pelvis and spine.
These bones are weakened which is the cause of the pain. These areas could even be painful to touch and easily fractured. Doctor’s diagnose Vitamin D deficiency usually only when people report having inadequate exposure to sunlight or having an inadequate diet.
Doctor’s also suspect a Vitamin D deficiency in those who have already reported and diagnosed low bone density.
This is mostly found in elderly patients. When diagnosing a Vitamin D. deficiency blood tests and x-rays can confirm the deficiency. When symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency occur, it is important to seek medical attention. Make sure to tell your physician all of the factors that could be important in diagnosis, such as lack of exposure to sunlight and an inadequate diet.
There is treatment available for Vitamin D deficiency.
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Vitamin D and Multiple Sclerosis
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Gary_P_Owen]Gary P Owen
It has long been thought that there is a link between deficiency of vitamin D and multiple sclerosis since the farther people live from the equator the more the incidences of MS rise. For those that live in northern regions it is common to have a vitamin D deficiency in the winter months, since the sun is a major source of our vitamin D. It is also interesting to note that MS relapses most often occur in the spring when Vitamin D levels are at their lowest.
An important nutrient, there are many reasons why we need vitamin D and multiple sclerosis is only one of them. Vitamin D deficiency has been blamed for osteoporosis, which is also very common in people with MS. In a study done on women with this disease, bone density and vitamin D levels were much lower than in those that were healthy, in addition 40% of these participants said they received little or no exposure to sunlight.
Other studies have showed that vitamin D and multiple sclerosis symptoms were directed related, if vitamin D levels were low, symptoms were more severe than those that had adequate levels of vitamin D. This leads researchers to believe the vitamin can help the immune system and mitigate the damage of MS. Vitamin D increase lymphocytes and reduces proinflammatory cytokines causing a reduction in autoimmune activity and inflammation.
Long term studies are currently underway for vitamin D and multiple sclerosis, already short term small studies have shown that people that take a combination of vitamin D, calcium, fish oil and magnesium show a reduction in relapses. Studies that have been conducted also show that Vitamin D may help in the prevention of MS although researches cannot yet say if increasing vitamin D supplementation will help prevent MS although it stands to reason that this may be the case.
Vitamin D is present in only a few foods such as eggs, liver and fatty fish and is added to other foods such as milk, cereals, and juice. Sun is the best source of vitamin D with 15 minutes a day of sun being plenty, but if you are unable to get enough sun you may want to consider supplementing.
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I am not a doctor nor am I qualified in medicine in any way. These are things that have worked for me in controlling my MS. Before undertaking any diet or fitness regime you should always consult your physician first.
Thanks for reading
Gary P Owen.
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More Research Links Low Vitamin D and Cancer
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=RA_Butters]RA Butters
A new look at the way cancer develops suggests that low vitamin D levels enable the spread of the disease.
A study by the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California San Diego has produced a new model of cancer development. The currently-accepted model of cancer development considers genetic mutations to be the basis of cancer, while the new model proposes that a loss of communication between cells is the key event in the development of cancer and low levels of vitamin D could be at least partially responsible.
The researchers say communication between cells is crucial to healthy cell turnover but low vitamin D and calcium levels can disrupt that communication, allowing aggressive cancer cells to take over. According to study leader Cedric Garland, DrPH, this cellular disruption is the earliest stage of many cancers.
Though as yet there is no definitive scientific support for the new model of cancer development, the authors of the study say that maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D could potentially stop the development of cancer at it very earliest stages.
The team who produced this study has been investigating the tie between vitamin D and cancer since the 1990s. Their work has demonstrated an association between low vitamin D and breast cancer, as well as a link between increased levels of the vitamin and a lower risk for a variety of cancers.
A 2006 British study of vitamin D and breast cancer appears to support these findings. Researchers from the Imperial College London tracked levels of the vitamin in 279 women with invasive breast cancer. Those in the earlier stages of the disease had significantly higher blood levels of the vitamin than did those in the advanced stages and the study concluded that lowered levels of vitamin D may promote the progression of cancer.
The importance of vitamin D in the development of cancer was further confirmed by a 2009 study by Sylvia Chistakos, Ph.D., of the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School. Her research, published in The Journal of Biological Chemistry, showed that the active form of vitamin D induces the production of a protein that can inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells.
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