Tuesday, March 19, 2024
HomeNewsIs Vitamin B12 Bad For Your Liver

Is Vitamin B12 Bad For Your Liver

Tingling Hands Or Feet

Dangers of vitamin B12 deficiency

Vitamin B-12 deficiency may cause pins and needles in the hands or feet. This symptom occurs because the vitamin plays a crucial role in the nervous system, and its absence can cause people to develop nerve conduction problems or nerve damage.

In the nervous system, vitamin B-12 helps produce a substance called myelin. Myelin is a protective coating that shields the nerves and helps them transmit sensations.

People who are vitamin B-12 deficient may not produce enough myelin to coat their nerves. Without this coating, nerves can become damaged.

Problems are more common in the nerves in the hands and feet, which are called peripheral nerves. Peripheral nerve damage may lead to tingling in these parts of the body.

Many Popular Dietary Supplements Can Yield Dangerous Liver Results

A recent paper from two U-M hepatologists highlights the liver dangers associated with consuming some herbal and dietary supplements designed to build muscle or lose weight.

Athletes often use over-the-counter products to help lose weight or improve their energy and performance levels.

However, the vast majority of herbal and dietary supplements never undergo formal efficacy or safety tests because their manufacturing, production and content are not closely regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, says Robert Fontana, M.D., University of Michigans medical director of liver transplantation, and Ammar Hassan, M.D., a U-M hepatology fellowship graduate, who have explored several over-the-counter HDS products linked to liver injury.

LISTEN UP: Add the new Michigan Medicine News Break to your Alexa-enabled device, or subscribe to our daily audio updates on iTunes, and Stitcher.

As the number of HDS products available in the United States continues to grow, more than 80,000 commercial products are available to consumers, with nearly 50 percent of adults reporting regular use of at least one kind of supplement. Many adverse effects are linked to consuming HDS products, including hepatotoxicity, or chemically induced liver damage, according to the Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network.

Fontana and Hassan explored several popular over-the-counter HDS products linked to liver injury in a recent article in Seminars in Liver Disease. Here is a rundown:

High B12 Level From Liver Disease

The third scenario that can contribute to this high B12 level has to do with liver disease. The liver problems that can cause this vary from things like viral hepatitis to alcohol induced hepatitis. These inflammatory states in the liver limit it’s ability to many of the liver’s products. One of these products is choline. Choline is an essential part of our cell membranes. As noted in scenario number two, poor cell membranes can lead to high B12 levels. Because much of the choline and the cell membranes are produced in the liver, a compromised liver leads to compromised cell membranes. So when you have hepatitis or problems with your liver, this can lead to high B12 levels.

Now that doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone with high B12 levels has liver problems. It also is not the case that every one with liver problems will have high B12 levels. Still if you have high B12 levels you probably should have a look at your liver if you have not already. If you are consuming alcohol on a regular basis, you can get a simple liver enzyme blood test to rule that out or rule that in.

The above information should give you a better understanding of what it means when you have high B12 levels and whether or not it is dangerous. If you want a customized look at your B12 levels or specific health situation click on the link below.

You May Like: What Kind Of Vitamins Give You Energy

Are You Overdoing It On The B12

Recently, a very good friend of mine who is about 60-years-old told me her blood test came back showing excessive vitamin B12.

When I inquired what her doctors advice was, she said she was told to stop taking her B12 supplements and return in a month to be retested. According to her doctor, my friends body was producing its own B12 and most likely she was over supplementing.

So I decided to do some research and determine for myself what the consequences of too much vitamin B12 are and whether, in fact, the body produces its own.

What is vitamin B12?

Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin . This means it dissolves in water and generally enters the bloodstream soon after consuming it.

Water-soluble vitamins are generally carried to the body’s tissues and then leftover amounts of the nutrient leave the body through urine, reports the National Institutes of Health .

B12 helps keep the bodys nerve and blood cells healthy and helps make DNA. This is all important for metabolism, cellular and nervous system functions. Vitamin B12 also helps prevent a type of anemia called megaloblastic anemia, which makes people tired and weak.

Some reports say that a B12 deficiency may even lead to depression.

And age may affect how your body absorbs B12.

Normal function of the digestive system required for food-bound vitamin B12 absorption is commonly impaired in individuals over 60 years of age, placing them at risk for vitamin B12 deficiency, reports the Linus Pauling Institute.

Tags

Excessive Folic Acid Intake

Is Protein Powder Bad For Your Liver?

Although folic acid is generally considered non-toxic, excessive intakes above 1,000 mcg per day over a period of time can lead to malaise, irritability and intestinal dysfunction. The main risk with excessive folate intake is that it can mask a vitamin B12 deficiency, so its best to consume these two vitamins within the recommended amounts.

Recommended Reading: Can Vitamin D Make You Lose Weight

Will Too Much Vitamin B12 Cause Any Side Effects

Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin needed to help your body stay healthy. It can be found in meat, fish and dairy foods. You can also find it in forms of a supplement, available in caplets, as injections or an absorbable gel. Also referred to as cyanocobalamin, it is needed to make DNA, maintain red blood cells and support nerve cells. It increases blood flow to the brain and inner ear, which decreases the rate of cognitive and hearing loss. Too much vitamin B12 side effects are nil as you cannot accumulate it to toxic levels. However, if your B12 levels are high, it may be due to an underlying disease.

Can You Improve Your Liver Health With The Right Diet

Is there such a thing as nutrition for cirrhosis? Or a diet thats ideal to prevent or reverse fibrosis before it progresses to cirrhosis?

Research suggests that dietary antioxidants, such as -cryptoxanthin and astaxanthin, may be effective in preventing or treating NAFLD.6 This is because oxidative stress is a key factor in the development and progression of NAFLD.6 Oxidative stress happens all the time in human metabolism and is a natural part of the aging process. However, if your liver isnt getting the antioxidants it needs to counterbalance it, oxidative stress can damage liver cells, leading to fibrosis and cirrhosis.6

Are there any other nutrients that can improve liver health? Research has shown that vitamin E therapy is effective at reducing steatosis and inflammation when given alongside pioglitazone .ix Vitamin E is actually used as a first-line pharmacological treatment for NASH because its a strong antioxidant.9 However, long-term use of vitamin E does have potential side effects, such as increasing the risk of prostate cancer and hemorrhagic stroke .9 Therefore, its best to consult with a qualified nutrition expert or naturopathic doctor before taking vitamin E to protect or heal your liver.

Other nutrients that have been shown to heal or protect the liver include -carotene, vitamin B12 , lycopene, and milk thistle extracts.6 Thiamine, also known as vitamin B1, is another essential nutrient that helps prevent against cirrhosis, specifically in AFLD.xii

Also Check: Which Vitamin C Serum Is Best

Can Too Much Vitamin B12 Cause Side Effects

Vitamin B12 is water-soluble, released in your urine if youve consumed too much. Because of this, it is generally well-tolerated and rarely reaches toxic levels due to diet. It is very hard to overdose on vitamin B12, but you can put a moderate strain on your kidney if excess consumption occurs too often. Too much vitamin B12 side effects by overconsumption are rare.

Watch Out for Medicine Interactions

It is safe to consume too much vitamin B12, but keep in mind it may negatively interact with other medication. The most common effect of these medications is they do not allow your body to effectively absorb the amount of vitamin you need. One such medication is the antibiotic named chloramphenicol. Other types of drugs include those designed to relieve acid reflux and control Type 2 diabetes. If you need to take one of these medications, consult with your doctor as you may need to take a vitamin B12 supplement.

Too Much Of A Good Thing: The Dangers Of Supplements

Foods that have more B12 than liver | B1 deficiency in keto/carnivore diets.

There is a saying that just because some is good, more is not necessarily better. This certainly holds true for dietary supplements, medications, and herbal remedies. Though adding certain vitamins, herbal remedies, and other natural products into your diet can be beneficial at certain dosages, it is also possible that some of these same supplements can be damaging to your liver.

Recommended Reading: What Vitamins Are Best To Boost Your Immune System

Supplements That Raise Liver Enzymes

When the liver is damaged or injured in some way, liver enzymes leak from the liver into your bloodstream. Raised levels of enzymes in your blood are detected in liver function tests and are an indication that the liver is either damaged or not functioning correctly 8. For example, high levels of the enzymes AST and ALT in your bloodstream are a sign of acute liver damage8.

Read more:How to Cleanse the Human Liver of Toxins

Excess doses of certain vitamin supplements, like Vitamin A and B3, can damage the liver and raise liver enzymes levels. Deficiencies of certain vitamins can also affect your liver. Consult your doctor about your nutritional needs before you start supplementing your diet to prevent liver damage from supplements and make it a point to get tested regularly to ensure that you dont have any nutritional deficiencies.

  • When the liver is damaged or injured in some way, liver enzymes leak from the liver into your bloodstream.
  • Raised levels of enzymes in your blood are detected in liver function tests and are an indication that the liver is either damaged or not functioning correctly 8.

How To Take It

If your diet includes meat, fish or shellfish, milk, and other dairy products, you should be able to meet the recommended daily requirements without taking a vitamin B12 supplement. Vegetarians who do not eat any animal products should take a vitamin B12 supplement with water, preferably after eating. Elderly people may need larger amounts of vitamin B12 than younger people because the body’s ability to absorb vitamin B12 from the diet declines with age.

If you are considering taking a B12 supplement, ask your health care provider to help you determine the right dose for you.

Daily recommendations for dietary vitamin B12 are listed below.

Pediatric

  • 19 years and older: 2.4 mcg *
  • Pregnant women: 2.6 mcg
  • Breastfeeding women: 2.8 mcg

*Because 10 to 30% of older people may not absorb B12 from food very well, people over 50 should meet their daily requirement through either foods fortified with vitamin B12 or a supplement containing B12.

Recommended Reading: What Vitamin Can I Take To Give Me Energy

Ready To Try The Best Beef Liver You’ve Ever Had

Choline was once thought to be a vitamin, and it was previously referred to as vitamin B4.

Despite not being a vitamin, it closely resembles one, and it is an essential nutrient with a broad range of functions in the human body .

For adults over the age of 18 years old, the adequate intake level for choline is set at 550 mg per day .

Although many foods contain choline, it is difficult to get sufficient amounts of the nutrient from plant foods, and the two best sources of choline are beef liver and eggs.

A three-ounce serving of beef liver provides 356 mg of choline, which is equivalent to 65% of the recommended daily value .

Among its many functions, choline plays a key role in

  • Cell signaling

Key Point: Along with eggs , beef liver is the best dietary source of choline.

How Much Folate Do I Need

12 Important Signs you have toxic liver

Adults need 200 micrograms of folate a day. A microgram is 1,000 times smaller than a milligram . The word microgram is sometimes written with the Greek symbol μ followed by the letter g .

There are no long-term stores in the body, so you need to eat folate-containing foods frequently.

Most people should be able to get the amount of folate they need by eating a varied and balanced diet.

Read Also: Who Sells Puritan Pride Vitamins

High Vitamin B12 Level From Testing

Scenario number one has to do with how we test for B12. When you are getting your B12 tested, it is typically a serum B12 level that is being tested. What this test is looking at, is the amount of B12 in the liquid part of your blood . The test reference range goes from about three hundred fifty to one thousand. If you are taking B12 on a regular basis and its absorbing into your body, this supplementation will raise the serum B12 levels. The serum levels of B12 will spike in the initial hours after the vitamin is taken then level off as it is distributed throughout your body. So if you take the B12 when you are close to the test you will see a higher level than what is reflective of body and cellular storage. The whole point of testing it to get an accurate understanding of cellular storage and utilization.

For this reason, it is suggested that you give a couple days washout period before you test. I typically tell patients to wait up to five days. It may be appropriate to wait longer to see what’s going on, if you have a really high b12 level.

For instance, if your B12 level is consistently high even after avoiding vitamin B12 for 1-2 weeks, you may want to avoid for an additional three weeks and see what happens. This is more true when you have not taken any B12 for a long period of time or you have only been on it for a short period of time. So if you have been off of b12 for a really long time and you’re still getting a spike, then see scenario number two and three.

High Vitamin B12 Level From Cell Membranes

Reason number two for why your B12 is high relates to cell membranes and transportation of B12. Most vitamins and nutrients are transported to the cells via transport proteins. They deliver the nutrients to the outer part of the cell called the cell membrane. As it related to this, one reason your B12 level is really high, is from inadequate B12 transportation and or inadequate cell membrane function.

Find Out Why Your B12 Shots Are Not Working

For both of these problems, there are genetic variants that can predispose a person to this problem. With low levels of carrier protein the serum B12 levels rise but it cannot get into the cells which will lead to poor distribution throughout your body. The same thing happens when there are poor or fragile cell membranes.

Once the B12 arrives at the cell it has to get transported inside and through cell membranes. If your cell membranes are fragile or poorly repaired, the B12 has trouble getting into the cell. This also leads to higher B12 levels in the serum because it’s basically just floating in the serum. Eventually it will get excreted out of the body but it’s not actually getting into the tissues the way that it should.

Both of those scenarios can lead to higher B12 levels. However, I usually think about these problems when there is high B12 and you are not actually taking extra B12 in the form of vitamin or supplement.

You May Like: How Is Vitamin D Added To Milk

Is Beef Liver Good Or Bad For You

READY TO TRY THE BEST BEEF LIVER YOU’VE EVER HAD? –

Beef liver is perhaps the most nutritious and healthy meat you can eat – and cooked right its delicious!

From NutritionAdvance.com

Gram for gram, beef liver is probably the most nutritious food on earth.

This nutrient-dense organ meat contains substantial amounts of vitamin B12, copper, and many other essential nutrients.

However, just because something is rich in nutrients does not necessarily mean there are no negative points.

For instance, some people claim that liver contains toxins. Is there any truth to that?

This article will take an in-depth look at the benefitsand supposed dangersof eating beef liver.

Is it good or bad for you?

Ways To Optimize Your Liver Function & Supplements To Restore It

Does vitamin B12 affect the liver

Each year more than 100,000 patients are discharged from U.S. hospitals with a diagnosis of chronic liver disease or cirrhosis. Thirty-four thousand die annually, making liver disorders the 12th leading cause of death in America. But even that statistic may be an underestimate among adults age 45 64 it is No. 4 in mortality, close behind cancer and heart disease.

While alcoholism and viral hepatitis were traditionally thought to be the leading causes of liver failure, it is the consequences of obesity and metabolic syndrome that have now surpassed these older risk factors. A condition called fatty liver has reached epidemic proportions, by some estimates affecting from 10-20% of the population.

What is fatty liver? A healthy liver is dark brown and uniform. A fatty liver, by contrast, is enlarged and streaked with yellow fat. If the condition persists it will lead to fibrosis , or even cirrhosis, a prelude to liver failure which necessitates liver transplantation.

How would you know if you have it? Typically, liver function tests are elevated on routine blood screenings. An ultrasound or CT scan of the liver shows characteristic changes. If you have triglycerides greater than 250 on a standard lipid profile, chances are you are well on your way to fatty liver disease.

You May Like: What Is The Best Way To Supplement Vitamin D

RELATED ARTICLES

Most Popular