By Alan Venable
B12 to lose weight? Taking Vitamin B12 for losing weight is sometimes praised as a smart weight loss regimen, but it’s not fit to help everybody lose weight. The vitamin can counteract a natural deficiency in the body, which, when resolved, can provide boosts in energy and metabolism.
As with anything else, though, it’s best to understand a weight loss product completely before investing in it, especially when concentrated supplements are in the mix. As far as your health is concerned, there’s only one person making the choices that affect the condition of your body.
The best advice is to discuss B12 options with your doctor and speak with representatives from local wellness centers to understand your choice of treatment.
Vitamin B12 for Weight Loss
Vitamin B12 is one of the essential B vitamins that help support a healthy nervous system. B12 works by converting the food we eat into sugar and other types of fuel that keep the body running smoothly.
B12 is often associated with weight loss because of its ability to boost metabolism and provide lasting energy. The vitamin doesn’t work this way with everyone, though. And to feel the full effect, your body must first have a B12 deficiency.
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, B12, or cobalamin, “is an especially important vitamin for maintaining healthy nerve cells, and it helps in the production of DNA and RNA, the body’s genetic material.”
B12 works with other B vitamins (namely B9) to produce red blood cells and help iron work its way through the body.
A B12 deficiency can be counteracted with a dose of the vitamin, causing energy levels to regulate and the metabolism to work harder to burn up fuel. The result is weight loss when the deficiency is mitigated, but adding B12 to a body with sufficient levels doesn’t really increase natural effects.
Symptoms of B12 Deficiency
B12 deficiencies can arrive at any age, but are rarely seen in youth. Symptoms tend to appear mostly when people are middle-aged or older. People who are especially at risk of B12 deficiencies include:
• Those with HIV
• Those with eating disorders
• Those with diabetes
• Vegans and vegetarians (natural B12 is found in animal products)
• Those with Crohn’s Disease or pancreatic disease
• Anyone else with complications absorbing nutrients
Having a B12 deficiency can slow down your life in a lot of ways, since your body isn’t producing red blood cells and supporting the nervous system as it should.
Some symptoms of a B12 deficiency include:
• Feelings of fatigue
• Anxiety or nervousness
• Weakness
• Shortness of breath
• Tingling sensation in the digits
• Diarrhea
• and numbness, among other things
These are just some of the common symptoms. And this is not to be mistaken for a comprehensive list.
How B12 is Administered
If you suspect you have a B12 deficiency, you should get it confirmed through testing and begin researching ways to add B12 to your body. Here are some of the most common regimens:
A Shot or Injection
Patients may be prescribed a B12 injection from a physician to increase weight loss, or, at least, counter the effects of a deficiency (which typically leads to weight loss).
In this method, a concentrated and higher-than-average dose is administered hypodermically with an injection. This is an especially quick way to get the vitamin straight into the bloodstream, and is typically used to battle megaloblastic anemia.
A B12 Pill or Tablet
You can pick up B12 supplements just as you would with any other over-the-counter vitamin from health food stores, pharmacies, and grocery stores. There’s no need for a prescription to purchase the supplemental pill form of B12.
A Change in Your Diet
Vitamin B12 appears in many animals and animal byproducts that are safe to eat. A positive change in your diet can provide an increase in natural B12 levels as well as a higher chance of weight loss.
Good sources of natural B12 include:
• Milk
• Cheese
• Fortified cereal
• Salmon
• Trout
• Sardines
• Mussels
• Clams
• Oysters
• Shrimp
• Chicken
• Eggs
What are the side effects of b12 shots?
The good news is there are no big risks associated with taking large amounts of vitamin B12, or taking Vitamin B12 to lose weight. So supplements shouldn’t provide negative side effects. And while the vitamin may provide weight loss, your body must first undergo some form of vitamin deficiency for it to make a big difference.
So should you be taking Vitamin B12 to lose weight? To lose weight, there’s no better fix than an improved diet and a more active lifestyle. Changing your diet is major, but with smart dieting choices (like consuming foods rich in B12) your chance of losing fat increases exponentially.
Call Tampa Rejuvenation today at 888-865-8370 to learn more about vitamin injections and how they can help you.