Vitamin B12 Deficiency: Your Heart Rate Could Reveal If You Lack The Vitamin

Vitamin B12 deficiency could present itself through different symptoms. You may have heard how a lack of the vitamin could lead to fatigue, tiredness, or irritability. Aside from the usual and well-known symptoms of the deficiency, how fast your heart beats would also show a symptom.

A Fast Heart Rate

As per Express' report, having a fast heart rate is one of the symptoms of a deficiency of the vitamin. The heart would normally beat faster in order to make up for the lower number of red blood cells. The fast heart rate is the body's coping mechanism, trying to make up for the lack of oxygen circulating in the body because of the reduced number of red blood cells.

One way to check the heart rate is to just check your pulse and counting the number of times that your heart would beat in one minute. For adults, the normal resting heart rate is between 60 to 100 bpm.

Now, if you have a consistently high heart rate, above 120bpm, or if you have an extremely low one at 40bpm, then you may need to start worrying and see your doctor. Other symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency that you must be aware of would include muscle weakness, mouth ulcers, fatigue, vision problems as well as cognitive problems. The latter would include problems with understanding, memory, and also judgment.

Treating Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Vitamin B12 deficiency may lead to health issues, however, it is not something that you could not treat. There are ways on how to overcome this deficiency. You can treat vitamin B12 through supplementation. You can also try to go for foods that are rich in vitamin B12. This would include eggs, meat, fish, dairy products, and other fortified foods.

For vegans, it can be hard to source vitamin B12 considering that the most common sources of the vitamin are meat and fish. There are, however, selected green vegetables that also can be good sources of vitamin B12. These are peas, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli.

If you would prefer supplementation, better see your doctor. This would ensure that you get the right amount that will give you the utmost health benefits.