What Are the Benefits of a B12 Shot?

Vitamin B12, also called cobalamin, is an essential vitamin important to the body's functioning. It helps keep nerve cells and red blood cells healthy. Vitamin B12 can be found naturally in certain foods like mollusks, beef liver and certain fish. Even breakfast cereals may be fortified with it. Many people may not get enough levels of B12 from their diet alone and supplement with vitamin pills. In recent years, the benefits of B12 have sparked the interest of society, with many people getting regular injections of B12 in hopes of maintaining good health.

Deficiency

The most obvious use for the supplementation of B12 vitamins is for people who are deficient of it. Cobalamin is stored for long periods of time in organs like the liver and kidneys, so it may take years to notice any kind of deficiency. Symptoms of B12 deficiency can be anemia, mental confusion that is similar to Alzheimer's disease, asthma, depression and many other complications. Certain population groups like the elderly and vegetarians may be more at risk for B12 deficiency.

Autism

There is a possibility that vitamin B12 injections may help children who suffer from autism. Several individual cases have been reported where the patient seemed to improve after regularly receiving the injection. A study, conducted by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Lesley J. Deprey, Ph.D., of the University of California at Davis, did not confirm these claims, however. The study, which examined the effects of B12 injections on 14 subjects, found no scientific evidence to support this idea. However, a few patients did improve. There are plans for future studies that will examine the effects of the injection on more subjects.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Vitamin B12 injections, along with other vitamin supplements, may be used to treat patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). This is a disorder characterized by extreme tiredness and aches that are not helped with rest. It negatively affects the livelihood of many people, a majority of them women. Research conducted by Dr. Melvyn Werbach of the UCLA School of Medicine has shown that CFS sufferers have several vitamin deficiencies, including various B vitamins. Studies of supplemental injections to treat the disorder have been inconclusive. However, Werbach and other doctors often prescribe the supplement for CFS patients because it seems to help and it is relatively harmless.

Heart Disease

Vitamin B12 supplementation may also help prevent cardiovascular disease. This is because high levels of homocysteine are often found in the blood of people suffering from B12 deficiency. According to the "American Family Physician" journal, evidence may suggest that having a high level of this amino acid can put you at a higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease. Therefore, supplementing with B12 may decrease your risk.

Alzheimer's Disease

A research study done at the University of Milan, Italy, concluded that B12 deficiency is linked to higher levels of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). High levels of TNF-alpha can quicken the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, the supplementation with B12 injections can actually reverse these damaging effects and slow the disease. Interestingly, TNF-alpha also speeds up the progression of HIV to AIDS, so B12 supplements may also be beneficial in those cases.

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