Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin that your body needs, but it cannot be produced within the body and must be directly or indirectly obtained through bacteria. B12 is key to maintaining levels of health throughout your body.

It is an important, water-soluble vitamin that is naturally found in animal foods including meats, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy. It can, however, be found in products fortified with it such as varieties of bread and plant-based milk.

B12 has many roles in your body, including:

• Supporting the normal function of your nerve cells
• Red blood cell formation and anaemia prevention
• Boosting energy
• Improving memory
• Helping prevent heart disease and abnormal rhythms of the heart 
• Helps manage bone health and prevents osteoporosis
• May reduce the risk of macular degeneration (age-related eye disease) 
• Improve mood and depression symptoms
• Supports healthy skin, hair and nails

It is estimated that 1 in 10 people in the UK has a vitamin B12 deficiency. There are some factors that may have an impact on how likely you are to be vitamin B12 deficient, these include:

• People who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet
• Those with gastrointestinal disorders
• Older adults
• People that have had gastrointestinal surgeries

It can be easy to spot if you have a B12 deficiency if you know the common symptoms, some of which include:

• A pale yellow tinge to your skin
• A sore and red tongue
• Mouth ulcers
• Pins and needles
• Change in the way that you walk and move around
• Disturbed vision
• Irritability
• Changes in the way you think, feel and behave
• A decline in your mental abilities such as memory, understanding and judgement

B12 is a very significant vitamin that contributes heavily to your health and bodily functions. If you believe that you are deficient in B12, please don’t hesitate to visit one of our walk-in clinics near you and speak to one of our advisors today.

If you do have a B12 deficiency, then our walk-in clinics are able to provide supplements or B12 injections regularly – for more information on our treatments, please follow the link to our dedicated vitamin B12 page