Does Vitamin B-12 Cause Diarrhea?

Does Vitamin B-12 Cause Diarrhea?

Diarrhea results when your body eliminates stool before the The large intestine can absorb water again in your body, which causes the stool to be liquid and watery. Diarrhea is a symptom of several conditions that are related to vitamin B-12 deficiency. However, often the condition causing the deficiency also causes diarrhea, but sometimes diarrhea is the direct result of vitamin B-12 deficiency. Vitamin B-12 is present in foods such as cheese, milk and eggs.

Vitamin B-12 anemia

Lack of vitamin B-12 causes anemia because your body lacks the sufficient amount you need to make red blood cells. Anemia is a condition in which the body lacks red blood cells. These cells carry oxygen through the bloodstream to all parts of the body. Not having enough red blood cells to carry oxygen to the cells makes you feel tired and causes other symptoms such as diarrhea, paleness, bleeding gums, irritated tongue and weakness.

Crohn's Disease

Crohn's disease is one of the two main inflammatory diseases of the bowel, along with ulcerative colitis. Intestinal inflammatory diseases affect your ability to digest food, which could affect your ability to absorb vitamin B-12. A difficulty in absorbing vitamin B-12 is usually the cause of a vitamin deficiency. Crohn's disease causes inflammation of the digestive tract, which extends from your mouth to the anus. It can also cause skin problems, arthritis, fever, rectal bleeding and abdominal pain. A deficiency of vitamin B-12 does not actually cause diarrhea in Crohn's disease, but a deficiency resulting from this disease can cause more diarrhea, while you suffer from a vitamin B-12 anemia.

Ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis is the other major inflammatory bowel disease. Diarrhea is one of the main symptoms of ulcerative colitis. The lining of the large intestine becomes inflamed if you have ulcerative colitis, causing ulcers in the upper layer of the lining of the large intestine. This includes the colon and rectum. Ulcers and inflammation cause the same symptoms and basic signs as Crohn's disease, although the specific cause of diarrhea is inflammation in the colon that leads to frequent emptying of the intestines. Since ulcerative colitis interferes with the way your body digests food, it can also cause a deficiency of vitamin B-12.

Celiac disease

Celiac disease is another condition that interferes with the absorption of nutrients that could cause anemia and vitamin B-12 deficiency.Among the symptoms of this disease are diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, muscle aches and bone pain. Tropical and non-tropical celiac disease are two types of this disorder. A bacterial or viral infection of the intestinal mucosa can cause the tropical variety, although poor nutrition is another possibility. Antibiotics and vitamin supplements are used to treat it. The non-tropical variant or celiac disease only produces symptoms when someone with the disease eats gluten, which is a form of protein from barley, wheat and rye. If you have non-tropical celiac disease, you should avoid all foods that contain gluten to eliminate diarrhea and allow your body to absorb vitamin B-12 correctly.

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