Vitamin B12 eludes 8 out of 10 Indians

“So many of them have returned to tell me they were in fact, severely deficient in B12,” she says.

Dr Sadanand Naik is hardly surprised. The head of bio-chemistry at KEM Hospital, Pune, has been researching the malaise among urban Indians. A 2010 study conducted among middle-class men in Pune revealed that 81 per cent were B12 deficient.

A follow up study that he and his team of researchers conducted earlier this year among 120 young post-graduate male and female students from Pune, all vegetarian or whose diet did not include food of animal origin, found half the subjects to be deficient in the vitamin.

Professor and head of neurology at KEM Hospital in Mumbai, Dr Sangeeta Ravat sees an average of four B12 deficient patients a week.

Vitamin B12, an essential micronutrient, plays a crucial role in the formation of red blood cells and maintaining the health of the nerve tissue. It’s what the body needs if it mustn’t fall prey to anemia. Efficient functioning of the central nervous system that’s responsible for maintaining alertness and memory recall also requires healthy doses of B12.

Neuroscientists say B12 has built a reputation for elevating the mood, since it helps manufacture neurotransmitters like monoamines that help regulate the mood, and reduce incidence of depression and anxiety.

It’s about what you eat
Mumbai-based nutritionist Pooja Singhania says the deficiency is marked by gradual but distinctive symptoms, and is born out of dietary habits.

Non-vegetarian food (meat, eggs, fish), milk and dairy products are the only dietary sources of B12 for humans. Vegetarians are at a higher risk, say experts. Although milk and milk products are available to them to meet their B12 requirements, they don’t consume enough. Dr Naik suggests vegetarians consume four glasses of milk a day in the following ways: Drink one glass of milk, have a bowl of yoghurt along with lunch, down a glass of buttermilk around evening, and drink another glass of milk before bedtime.

Dr Ashish Babhulkar, a Punebased shoulder and joint replacement surgeon, says it’s important that the milk you drink be plain and devoid of supplements or chocolate flavouring. At the helm of a seven-year-old research into vitamin B12 deficiency among urban Indians, Dr Babhulkar says, he has witnessed a rise in incidence of muscular skeletal problems. “B12 is crucial for nerve nutrition, and plays a key role in neuromuscular transmission. It therefore determines how strong or weak your muscles will be.”

Pigmentation and tell-tale signs
The symptoms of this deficiency often overlap with those of other diseases. “Often, women also show signs of hypothyroidism,” says Dr Babhulkar. Look out for signs of fatigue, skin pigmentation, memory loss, tingling in the limbs, cramps, giddiness, palpitations, mouth ulcers and loss of energy.