Why is vitamin B12 so dangerous?I wish I had known this earlier about vitamin B12.
Vitamin B12, like any other vitamin, is necessary for your body.Most people suggest—I do, too—to have enough vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B12.
But, everything in life has pros and cons. Vitamin B12 is no different.But, before that, what is vitamin B12?
Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin, meaning it needs to be consumed more than fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K).
Why? Because, unlike fat-soluble vitamins, water-soluble vitamins aren’t stored in significant amounts in the body.
Usually, the excess is excreted through urine every day.
Therefore, you need to consume it daily.
Sounds great, right?
So, how does vitamin B12 harm you?Well, vitamin B12 becomes dangerous (creates side effects) when you consume it in excessive dosage.
Excessive consumption/dosage of the vitamin will cause a few things, which are:
Skin rash, rosacea, and acne
Headaches, fatigue, and cramps
Nausea and diarrhea
Irregular heart rhythms
Those are the side effects of consuming too much vitamin B12.
But, after reading those, is it actually dangerous?The good news is, that excessive consumption of vitamin B12 is so rare.
Therefore, these side effects rarely happen.
Why? Because—once again—, the excess of water-soluble vitamins are excreted through urine.
But, it doesn’t stop there.According to one study, after studying the potential side effects of taking high doses of vitamin B12 for up to 5 years, it showed that there weren’t any patterns of harm and side effects.
This shows how rare it is.Yes, it is very possible to have headaches, nausea, and acne. But, it is rare and it isn’t life-threatening.
But, can it be dangerous for certain people?Yes.Usually, the manifesting side effects are an indicative sign of kidney dysfunction or liver diseases as the body doesn’t process and secrete the excess vitamin properly.
So, high dosages of vitamin B12 are dangerous for people who have kidney dysfunction, such as people who have diabetic nephropathy (diabetes that leads to loss of kidney functioning).
But, if you have normal functioning kidneys, you shouldn’t be worried about vitamin B12 excessive consumption.Instead, you should worry about vitamin B12 deficiency more.
Vitamin B12 plays a huge role in your body. There are so many things that vitamin B12 does.It creates red blood cells, maintains nerve cells for nerve functioning, metabolizes cells, helps with immune functioning, anemia prevention, and even converts food into energy.
So, vitamin B12 can lead to neurological issues (such as depression and mood changes), anemia, and even birth defects (for pregnant people).But, you can prevent vitamin B12 deficiency in three ways:
Eat animal products (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, etc.)Vitamin B12 supplements
Eat B12-fortified foodsI hope I have cleared things about vitamin B12 clearly and accurately.But, there is one last note for everyone: do not be afraid of vitamin B12
Source: Quora
Thank you for reading.
