Vitamin B12 Deficiency: Your Mouth Could Show 3 Signs That You Lack The Vitamin

The body needs several kinds of vitamins for it to function optimally. One of the essential vitamins that are important to the body is vitamin B12. When you lack this vitamin, you might start to suffer from certain health complications.

Some of the things that vitamin B12 deficiency could lead to include pernicious anemia, a condition resulting from the low production of red blood cells, as well as fatigue, weakness, and difficulty walking. These are just some of the things that could happen when you lack vitamin B12.

So how will you know that you are already suffering from vitamin B12 deficiency? You don’t need to look far for the answers. Your mouth can show three signs that say you lack the said vitamin.

Swollen and Inflamed Tongue

As per Express’ report, a swollen and inflamed tongue is one of the signs of a lack of vitamin B12. Normally, you would find a long straight lesion on your tongue. The only upside to this is that this is an early sign. This means that you could still correct it without having to further suffer from other symptoms.

Mouth Ulcers

Vitamin B12 deficiency can also lead to mouth ulcers. According to NHS, this can clear up in two weeks. Thus, if you think you lack vitamin B12, you might consider eating foods that contain this vitamin. On the other hand, you can wait until it gets away on its own. If after two weeks and the mouth ulcers don’t go away, better consider visiting your physician.

Burning and Itching Mouth Sensation

According to research, those who suffer from vitamin B12 deficiency may also experience the sensation of having pins and needles in the tongue. Others tend to describe it as a burning and itching sensation that occurs in the mouth.

If you find any of these in your mouth, better check with your general practitioner. One of the risk factors of becoming deficient in vitamin B12 is age. Harvard Health stated that when you age, the stomach would produce less gastric acid. This condition weakens the ability of the body to absorb vitamin B12.

There are also medications, like anticonvulsants, that likewise tend to weaken the body’s absorption of vitamin B12. Also, since most common sources of vitamin B12 include animal products, those who are on a vegan diet tend to have a higher risk of suffering from the said vitamin.