Vitamin B12 plays a crucial role in a number of bodily functions. The nutrient not only supports the health of your body’s blood and nerve cells, but also helps to prevent anaemia – a condition that can leave people feeling weak and fatigued.
Typical symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency include tiredness, headaches, and mouth ulcers. However, two signs manifesting on your skin could also signal a shortage of this nutrient.
The NHS website notes that some people with anaemia caused by a vitamin B12 deficiency report experiencing paraesthesia, or as it’s more commonly known, pins and needles.
This sensation, described as « pricking, tingling or numbness on the skin », is often felt in the hands, arms, legs or feet.
It happens because, as B12 levels drop, the body produces less myelin, a fatty substance that covers and protects the nerves.
Another skin symptom that could indicate your body requires more B12 is a « pale yellow tinge » to your skin.
Research links this effect to the impact a vitamin B12 deficiency has on your body’s red blood cell production. Some people develop a vitamin B12 deficiency due to not obtaining enough of the vitamin from their diet
A diet that includes meat, fish, and dairy products usually provides sufficient vitamin B12, but those who do not regularly eat these foods can become deficient.
Vitamin B12 deficiency anaemia is typically treated with vitamin B12 injections.
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