Vitamin
B12 deficiency and coughs
Do you have a bad cough and no-one can tell you why?
There could be many reasons for this but perhaps one of the most elusive is a
Vitamin B12 deficiency. Some studies have been done that link the two.
Many people have a Vitamin B12 deficiency and don’t
know it. Older people, people with gastric reflux, people with H Pylori
infections or one’s that have had it in the past and people who don’t watch
their diets and create the deficiency themselves by not eating right are all at
risk. Also at risk are people taking some prescription medications. If you find
you are constantly having trouble sleeping then you could also be lacking in Vitamin
B12 as this vitamin helps produce the sleep inducing hormone, melatonin.
Most cases of chronic cough have been diagnosed as
cough reflux, gastroesophageal reflux or allergic rhinitis. Also smoking is a
common cause of chronic cough, however there are some cases in which there is
an unknown cause of the cough.
The Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is a vitamin that helps the
formation of blood cells, the nervous system and brain function. When the body
is lacking in Vitamin B12 it can cause a tingling or burning sensation in the
body and a numbness or lack of feeling. This is because the lack of Vitamin B12
can affect the sensory neuropathy in the body.
If you are lacking in Vitamin B12 after a while the
effect on the sensory neuropathy can start to cause neurogenic inflammation of
the airway, due to elevated levels of nerve growth factor. This inflammation
will start to affect the flow of air through the passage way and hence cause a
chronic cough.
Ways that you can help to increase your Vitamin B12
intake can include taking probiotics to help reduce H Pylori infections in the
stomach as these can cause a Vitamin B12 deficiency. Eating a healthy diet with
animal products such as dairy, and meat are good sources of B12. If you are
vegan and don’t eat animal product you should seek advice on supplements to
take because, even though algae contain Vitamin B12, it is a different type and
doesn’t work the same way in the body. It is also possible to get a false
reading of B12 levels to show that they are higher than they actually are. The
best delivery though of B12 supplementation is through sublingual tablets or
low dose sprays and tablets are not as effective.
Check with your naturopath or practitioner as to what
you need to increase your B12 levels and how you can improve your diet to get a
good balance of supplements. It is not a good idea to not attend to that
chronic cough and if the doctor is coming up with nothing on his tests you need
to investigate elsewhere.
