Vitamin D: Sarah Jarvis discusses use in combatting COVID-19
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Vitamin B12 performs a number of pivotal roles in the body and these roles are responsible for both physical and mental processes. It’s role in the nervous system is to transmit signals between the brain and the rest of the body, including internal organs. When there is a break down i.e. Low levels of B12 in the body, a number of other conditions may arise with signs to spot found on a number of body parts.
Nails can sometimes give clues about a person’s health.
Changes in the colour, shape, or texture of finger or toenails can be a sign of an underlying health condition.
Koilonychia affects the shape of nails. The nails start to curve like a spoon.
Possible causes include nutritional deficiencies and autoimmune conditions.
The condition of an abnormally shaped fingernail is called koilonychia, said Lic Primary Care.
The health site added: “Nails that curve upward in a spoon shape have a form of koilonychias that is indicative of a vitamin B12 deficiency or iron-deficiency anaemia.
“Vitamin B12 injections would help to remedy this condition.”
Flat nails can be an early sign of koilonychia.
Nails tend to flatten before developing the characteristic concave shape.
Most nails curve down and are convex.
When the nails become concave, people sometimes describe it as being able to hold a drop of water on the top of their nail.
The changes are often easier to spot on fingernails rather than toenails.
There are many reasons why someone may not get enough B12 but the two most common are diet and pernicious anaemia.
Pernicious anaemia is the leading cause of B12 deficiency in the UK, according to the NHS.
It is an autoimmune disease that prevents the body from making intrinsic factor (a protein made by the stomach and needed to absorb vitamin B12 in the intestine).
The popularity of vegan and vegetarian diets may account for the majority dietary-related causes.
Vitamin B12 is found naturally in a wide variety of animal foods and is added to some fortified foods.
If there’s a lack of vitamin B12, red blood cells begin to form abnormally, and so oxygen isn’t transported around the body as well as it should be.
This is why symptoms of anaemia begin to appear when a vitamin B12 deficiency is present.
Harvard Medical School pointed out more general signs of a vitamin B12 deficiency, such as:
A swollen, inflamed tongue
Difficulty walking
Balance problems.
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