Many vital chemicals and nutrients in foods and drinks can help you live a long, healthy life. Vitamins form a group of essential nutrients found in many of the foods we eat, playing a crucial role in maintaining a healthy body, including your eyes, skin, bones, soft tissue, teeth, blood, metabolism, hormones, and DNA.
When your body lacks the proper amount of specific vitamins, it often leads to an increased risk of other health problems and requires additional supplementation beyond food or drink. Vitamin B12, for example, helps in several ways, but if you don’t get enough from your diet, could pills or injections be an option?
For maintaining your body in optimal shape and meeting your nutritional needs, patients in the Beverly Hills, California, area can rely on Dr. Shawn Veiseh and our dedicated medical team for support.
Of the 13 recognized vitamins our body uses to aid in performing various functions, the B vitamins (B1-B12) are water-soluble. They’re essential for obtaining energy, regulating hormones, forming red blood cells, breaking down blood sugar, metabolizing food, growing skin, hair, and nails, and promoting cell growth.
Vitamin B12 (also called cobalamin) promotes healthy nervous system function and can be added to your diet through shellfish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, dairy, and fortified products like cereals, soy, and nutritional yeast.
A lack of B12 in your body affects several nervous system and red blood cell functions, which can lead to things like:
The decision to get a B12 shot instead of a supplement depends on factors such as your level of vitamin deficiency, the presence of symptoms, and how your need changes over time.
The primary advantage of B12 injections over supplements is the direct delivery of the nutrient to your bloodstream, as opposed to passing through your digestive tract. If you’re dangerously low on this vitamin, an injection allows us to administer a more controlled dose to help return you to normal levels.
Dietary changes and supplements can still be used to meet everyday vitamin needs, but routine injections can help ensure you stay healthy. And since the nutrient is water soluble, you can’t take in too much.
Nutrition is vital to long-term health, so when you need to manage B12 and other dietary needs, we’re here to help. Book an appointment with Dr. Veiseh and our team today by calling our office or scheduling a visit online.
