Vitamin B12 occurs in animal foods bound to protein and gets released when hydrochloric acid and gastric protease in the stomach break this bond.
But many factors can inhibit this process.
The first is age.
An estimated 10-30% of adults over the age of 50 have difficulty absorbing vitamin B12 from food.
Thus, it’s recommended that all adults past this age take supplemental B12.
Eating disorders and chronic digestive disorders also make it difficult to absorb vitamin B12 from food.
There are several classes of medications that interfere with vitamin B12 absorption.

In a very small portion of the population, vitamin B12 deficiency is caused by a lack of intrinsic factor, a protein secreted by the stomach lining that binds to vitamin B12 and enables its absorption.
Lack of intrinsic factor can be caused by weakened stomach lining or certain autoimmune diseases.
This can lead to pernicious anemia, a decrease in red blood cells that occurs when the intestines cannot properly absorb vitamin B12.
Read More: https://inhalevitamins.com/blogs/news/malabsorption-a-hidden-cause-of-b12-deficiency
Comments
Post a Comment