Not only will it make your arm hurt, a B12 shot might not be an energy panacea. Vitamin B12 shots have been around for years, and they're often marketed as a miracle cure for everything from fatigue to depression to those stubborn extra pounds you can't shake. And while it's true that a B12 deficiency can contribute to those things, there is one problem, says Ashley Barrient, a clinical dietitian at the Loyola Center for Metabolic Surgery & Bariatric Care in Chicago: Most of us aren't deficient. In the case of Vitamin B12, more is not necessarily better. It's is a water soluble vitamin, so once your body takes in a certain amount, the rest is discarded through urine. Adults only need 2.4 micrograms a day of B12, and most of us get that through foods like fish, beef, milk, eggs, and fortified breakfast cereals. Strict vegetarians and vegans, or people with conditions that prevent them from absorbing nutrients from food, are the most likely people to be deficient. In these cases, says Barrient, B12 supplementation—either orally or with injections—may help improve symptoms like fatigue, mood changes, weakness, and memory loss.
“Some of our patients are found to be deficient in Vitamin B12, and through our physician prescribing appropriate vitamin supplementation, some individuals note an improvement in energy level," she says. "If a deficiency does not exist, supplementing Vitamin B12 will likely not have the same positive effect.” B12 injections are available, for $15 to $50 a pop, at spas and wellness centers, but it's smart to talk to your physician before you spend money on them. If you really are deficient, only a medical test can prove it—and you'll want a medical professional to help you determine the underlying cause. Plus, says Barrient, the shots may be covered by insurance if your doctor can show that you can really benefit from them. Bottom line: Unless you're truly deficient, a B12 injection probably won't give you lasting energy or help you lose weight. If you're still curious (or suspect you may really need them), get the shots in a doctor's office, rather than a non-medical setting.
Nutrition Doc, Nutrition Insiders, Science, Fitness, Injury Prevention, Recovery, Nutrition, Wellness, Mental Conditioning, Agility and Balance, Weight Loss, Food and Drink A headache can often leave you down for the count and reaching for the stash inside your medicine cabinet. Dr. Oz has all-natural...There is more than a little irony in the revelation by Lady Thatcher's former aide, Cynthia Crawford, that the Iron Lady's famously high energy levels were sustained by injections of vitamin B12. Her long blue reign over Britain can be attributed, at least in part, to an injection in the bottom with the red vitamin. Alongside the fondness for a late night dram of whisky, Crawford - or Crawfie as she was known to the then Mrs T - this weekend exposed her former boss's use of vitamin B12 injections to reinvigorate herself. She apparently found the rather painful injections so useful that she had one on the morning she told her cabinet she was going to resign. While there is nothing new in B12 injections being given to people with diseases such as anaemia, submitting oneself to the injection - straight into a large muscle like the buttock - is not for the fainthearted.
Most people opt to pop a pill instead. "B12 is one of the few vitamins that we would recommend injecting and there could have been any number of underlying clinical reasons for Mrs Thatcher receiving it," says Catherine Collins, chief nutritionist at St George's hospital in London. "But if anyone was thinking of having an injection just to boost their energy levels, the chances are that they are wasting their time - and it won't be very pleasant." As well as its "red" nickname (it is a red crystalline compound), B12 is also known as the energy vitamin as people who are lacking in it often complain of exhaustion. There are rumours floating around the internet that B12 injections can boost the energy levels of even those who are not B12 deficient, but there does not appear to be any scientific evidence to back this up. "If you are experiencing tiredness and you receive a B12 injection it is only going to help if you are deficient. If you're not, it's just quackery," says Collins.
"There are people who attempt to prescribe vitamins like medicines and I would be concerned if people were being told to take B12 to boost their energy levels. Even if it did boost your levels you may be hiding an underlying problem which should really be checked out." Coincidentally, the structure of B12, which has the essential mineral cobalt at its heart, was discovered by Dorothy Hodgkin, who taught Lady Thatcher at Oxford. Like other B vitamins, it is essential for the development and maintenance of red blood cells, and contributes towards healthy nervous and cardiovascular systems. The recommended daily allowance - one microgram - is contained in a balanced diet. It is found mainly in eggs, meat, poultry, shellfish, milk and milk products so vegans and strict vegetarians may have to take a supplement or include seaweed in their diet. Many commercial breakfast cereals are fortified with B12 and other vitamins. Older people also have to watch their intake: the stomach produces an enzyme called intrinsic factor, which allows the body to absorb B12 but ageing - and stress - weaken the body's capacity to make it.
Also at risk of deficiency are alcoholics, who often rely too heavily on liquid calories rather than eating properly. Among elderly people, B12 is the vitamin most often prescribed by doctors to lessen fatigue. It has good results and often works, but only in those who are B12 deficient. Some doctors also prescribe B12 injections for people who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome, but its effectiveness is a matter of scientific controversy. As well as decreased energy, B12 deficiency can affect both the sufferer's state of mind and their nervous system. Symptoms of deficiency include soreness in the arms and legs, mood swings and mental sluggishness. Patients given intramuscular injections of up to one milligram, however, generally report feeling much better quickly. "It is a very effective treatment," says Collins. For the rest of us, there doesn't seem to be much point in stocking up on large quantities of B12. "Because B12 is water soluble, the body can't store it so you just pee out any excess.
There's not much to be said for having more than you need," says Brigid McKevith, from the British Nutrition Foundation. The best advice for anyone who is feeling a little run-down or tired is to buy a good multivitamin and multimineral supplement, advises the British Dietetic Association. "It's best to go for a better known brand as vitamins are not regulated in the way medicines are and, although they should have in them exactly what it says on the bottle, some of the imported brands may cause problems." Iron deficiency - which can cause fatigue - is a big problem in Britain so minerals are as important as vitamins. The association says tonics are generally best avoided. "They often contain things like caffeine, which may be fine in itself, but is not going to do you too much good. And they can have strange mixtures of vitamins, like high levels of the B vitamins which are associated with energy levels in the cells," said the spokeswoman. It is also important to go for supplements that offer 100% of the recommended daily allowance and not those with far higher levels.