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Most likely, you understand that b vitamins are very important to your overall well being. Even so, you may not be aware just how common having low levels of vitamin b is.
There are several groups that have long been recognized as being likely to have low b levels. This includes smokers, drinkers, people over 65, and vegetarians. For many years, it was believed that people that were not in one of these groups had nothing to worry about. However, integrative health providers now believe that this is not the case. In fact it would seem that even slightly low levels of vitamin b greatly increases your health risks. According to James Gordon, MD, the author of Unstuck: Your Guide to the Seven-Stage Journey Out of Depression, some 60% of all Americans have a vitamin b deficiency. A major contributor to this fact is the excessive consumption of processed foods.
In addition to the groups that medical science has long known are at risk of low vitamin b levels, there are other groups who are also at risk. For example, you have a lot of stress in your life or consume a great deal of junk food, your risk goes up.
Now many experts believe that your should not wait for the symptoms of b12 deficiency or other indicators that you have low vitamin b to show up before considering supplementation. According to Burt Berkson, PhD, MD, the director of the Integrative Medicine Center of New Mexico, “Most Americans could probably benefit from taking up to three times – or more – of the RDAs for many of the B vitamins.”
RDA levels were set in the 1960s to avoid “flagrant disease”, but since that time we have learns that slightly low levels can cause heart disease, cancer and depression. In general the views of vitamin B are chancing. Just two years ago, most doctors would agree that having a blood level of 200 for B12 was sufficient. Recent research has proven that people begin to experience neurological issues when they have levels between 200 and 400. Numbness and tingling in the hands and feed is extremely common in people in this range. This is considered an early neurological symptom. The ideal level is no believed to be closer to 800.
Oral supplementation of vitamin b can be fine as long as you do not already have low levels. If you do have low levels, b12 shots are probably the best solution.
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