Vitamin B12 Deficiency Symptoms Include Odd Sign On The Corners Of Your Mouth

This important nutrient plays an important role in the creation of DNA and red blood cells. It also helps in supporting your nervous system. Your body cannot produce vitamin B12 on its own. This is why you must source it from your diet. If you lack vitamin B12, you may start seeing this peculiar sign on the corners of your mouth.

The Reason for the Odd Symptom

B-complex vitamins play different roles as far as your health is concerned. Insufficient amounts of these nutrients in your diet could cause the manifestation of symptoms that relate to the mouth. Fortunately, vitamin B deficiency can be treated by including the right foods in your diet or by resorting to injection-based or oral supplements.

Vitamin B12 can be sourced in similar foods and have intersecting roles in terms of your health. This means that a deficiency in any B-complex vitamin may possibly be accompanied by deficiencies in many other vitamins.

The Odd Sign In The Corners Of The Mouth

In a study published in the Journal of the Academy of General Dentistry, many B-complex vitamins are crucial to your health. If you have a deficiency in vitamin B12, you may experience different oral problems, which can range from having cracked lips to suffering from tongue inflammation. Such deficiencies may even lead to the formation of ulcers in the mouth.

If you notice your lips cracking on both sides of your mouth, including at the corners, it may indicate a deficiency in vitamin B12. Those who have this condition suffer from dry, red lips that may crack on one or both corners of their mouths.

Known as angular cheilitis, this condition is basically a lip inflammation. The cracks can become very itchy and painful. They can also cause the formation of white scabs and bleed. If left unchecked and untreated for a long time, angular cheilitis can cause an infection.

Angular Cheilitis

This condition causes the formation of swollen red patches in corners of the outer lips. It may last a couple of days may also become a chronic problem.

Symptoms may differ from experiencing mild redness to suffering from open and bleeding blisters. According to Dr. Scurr, having angular cheilitis may be due to a deficiency in vitamin B12. If a sore tongue accompanies the cracks, this may be because the sufferer is not eating vegetables, fruits, and wholegrain foods.

If you believe you have a deficiency in vitamin B12, you can always include foods like clams, animal liver, tuna, beef, or fortified cereal in your diet. If you are a vegan, however, you can always talk to your doctor about taking B12 supplements.