B12 deficiency is far more common than most healthcare practitioners and the general public realize. A study from Tufts University found that 40 percent of people between the ages of 26 and 83 have plasma B12 levels in the low normal range, a range at which neurological symptoms can occur. Nine percent had an obvious B12 deficiency, and 16 percent exhibited “near deficiency.” (1) Surprisingly, the researchers also discovered that low B12 levels were just as common in young people as in the elderly.

Given the prevalence of B12 deficiency, why aren’t more clinicians and health organizations drawing attention to this serious problem? The answer lies in the fact that B12 deficiency is significantly underdiagnosed. Here’s why it’s frequently missed:

1. B12 status is not routinely tested by most physicians.
2. Serum B12, the conventional marker of B12 status, only drops in the later stages of B12 deficiency. Relying on serum B12 testing misses many, if not most, people who have an insufficient B12 intake.
3. The low end of the laboratory reference range for serum B12 is too low. This is why most studies underestimate the true levels of deficiency.
4. The standard serum test for B12 measures the total amount of B12 in the blood but does not rule out functional B12 deficiency. (A “functional” deficiency means that B12 levels are too low for optimum health, but symptoms like anemia may not yet be apparent or diagnosable.)  The determination of functional B12 deficiency requires other measures that are infrequently used by physicians.

Together, these factors mean that the current standard for B12 testing, serum B12, only picks up a small fraction of people with B12 deficiency. This has serious implications for the neurological, cardiovascular, immune, and reproductive health of people of all ages.

The Earlier You Notice a Deficiency, the Better

There are four stages of B12 deficiency, and the earlier B12 deficiency is detected in the progression of these stages, the more likely it is that the symptoms can be prevented or reversed.

Stages I and II

During the first two stages of a deficiency, your plasma and cell stores of B12 become depleted, and the concentration of holo-TC is reduced. Holo-TC is the only available marker for assessing the first two stages of B12 depletion. It’s likely that you won’t experience any noticeable symptoms if you’re in stages I or II.

Stage III

This stage of functional B12 deficiency is characterized by elevated homocysteine and urinary MMA concentrations in the blood. Serum homocysteine and serum/urine MMA are the best markers for detecting Stage III deficiency. At this stage, some people will experience mild symptoms like fatigue or brain fog, but others may not notice any signs or symptoms.

Stage IV

If you’re in the fourth stage of a deficiency, you’ll experience clinical signs, such as anemia, fatigue, and brain fog. Serum B12 and other markers of Stage IV deficiency may not decrease until this point. For some Stage IV patients, the cognitive and neurological symptoms are so severe that many believe they have Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. 

As you can see, signs like macrocytic anemia and symptoms like peripheral neuropathy or brain fog do not appear until the final stage of B12 deficiency. Stages I and II of depletion can precede deficiency (Stages III and IV) by months or even years!

To complicate matters further, the physical manifestations of B12 depletion can take years to appear. In the case of neurological symptoms, it may be too late to reverse them by the time the late stage of deficiency has been reached. (This particularly serious for children and young adults whose brains are still developing, as well as any adult at risk for Alzheimer’s or dementia.)

Our Seismic6 Has B12 as a major nutrient in our ingredients.