About Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is essential for red blood cell production, DNA synthesis, and the integrity of the myelin sheath that protects your nerve fibers from damage. Deficiency develops silently over months or years and can cause irreversible neurological damage — numbness, tingling, balance problems, and memory loss — before anemia appears on a blood count. It's especially common in vegans, older adults, and people taking long-term metformin or proton pump inhibitors.