O
Omega
Guest
B12 deficiency is a cause of depression, being the origin of the depression.No, it's not necessarily "the cause". I'm talking about the origin of deficiency - and it can be due to a LOT of things. For instance, it can be due to alchoholism or drugs.
The origin of the B12 deficiency… Yes, I agree, the deficiency can be due to a lot of things:
certain gene mutations, lack of IF (intrinsic factor), lack of animal products in the diet, eating disorders, pancreatic insufficiency, parasites, Helicobacter pylori, coeliac disease, Crohns disease, gastritis, gastrectomy, transcobalamin II deficiency, long-term use of proton-pump inhibitors (to block stomach acid production) like esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid) and omeprazole (Prilosec), medication like para-aminosalicylic acid (tuberculosis), neomycin (antibiotic), colchicine (gout), metformin (antidiabetic drug), Questran (cholestyramine, to lower cholesterol), nitrous oxide (sedation).
To name just a few.
Regarding the long list of causes of B12 deficiency it is easy to understand that there are a lot of people out there that may suffer from B12 deficiency, often without even knowing it. (Depression being just one of the many, many different symptoms.)
No. B12 deficiency has to be treated right away, asap, before more damage, even permanent damage to the nervous system, is done.Alchoholism in itself is not a cause either - as there's always a reason you become one. In fact, depression can be the origin of alchoholism and drug use - in which case depression is what's causing further depression.
I'm not saying we shouldn't be treating people with medicine - but that we should focus on the origin above everything else.
Only after treatment (supplementation) has started the focus may shift to the origin of the deficiency. When no cause of the B12 deficiency is found, or when the cause of the deficiency can not be taken away, life long supplementation is needed.
Naturally B12 deficiency is not THE cause of depression. I agree there are many causes.
But B12 deficiency should be ruled out first because of the serious, permanent consequences when left untreated. Besides, we are talking about an easy, cheap treatment here.
Treating a possible result of B12 deficiency - i.e. depression - with anti-depressants, or wasting time by searching for psychological problems, and at the same time ignoring the (presence of a) B12 deficiency (= possible cause) is a terrible mistake to make.