WELLNESS FEATURE

ExErcisE & Vitamin B dEficiEncy

Perfect Bounce, helmed by Dr. Richa Singh throws light on the function of Vitamin B12 in the body.

By Smiti Jain Narayan

Perfect Bounce, the renowned physiotherapy centre in Bangalore, has been playing a key role in the wellness segment.

Now its Founder, leading physiotherapy exponent Dr Richa Singh explains the significance of Vitamin B12 and the role it plays in a number of different processes in the body, including energy production, amino acid and DNA synthesis, blood cell formation, and brain and nerve cell function.

“A lifestyle that consists of physical activity and proper nutrition is important to your overall quality of life, more than just the benefit of weight loss. The truth is that physical activity and nutrition are essential to a healthy body and a healthy mind,” explains Dr. Richa.

She further details, “Food gives you energy, and you need energy to exercise. After you exercise you need food to restore your energy. The best energy comes from glucose, which your body extracts from carbohydrates. The body requires several nutrients to function properly and respond well to your exertion in the gym or the outdoors.”

Feeling unmotivated to work out? You might be exhausted, but there’s also a chance that a deficiency in the different forms of vitamin B makes exercise especially difficult for you.

Symptoms of Vit B deficiency:

When you exercise with a Vitamin B deficiency, you might feel fatigued or weak. In especially bad scenarios, you could injure yourself or not recover properly.

The relationship between Vitamin B9 (Folate) or Vitamin B12 deficiency and exercise is an especially important one to consider if you’re someone who is prone to being deficient, such as vegans or people with digestive problems. Symptoms of anemia that could negatively affect your exercise routine include fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle weakness, trouble walking, nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, trouble balancing and an irregular heartbeat.

When you’re not getting enough Vitamin B and you exercise, weak muscles or dizziness could increase your chance of injury, and lack of oxygen to your cells means a longer recovery time between workouts. In addition, Vitamin B12 deficiency can increase your chances of having skin numbness and tingling, poor mental health, as well as decreased cognitive function, and poor coordination.

Food sources of Vitamin B:

Most adults need about 400 micrograms of folate a day. Foods that are rich in Folate/ Vitamin B9 include: • Dark leafy greens • Liver • Rice • Barley • Sprouts • Wheat Germ • Nuts & Fruits • Fruit Juice, esp Orange Juice.

Foods rich in Vitamin B12 include:

Eggs, milk, meat, shellfish and fortified breakfast cereals.

Dr. Richa Singh Leading physiotherapy exponent

One of the reason vegans and strict vegetarians run the risk of being deficient in vitamin B12 is that most of its sources are animal-based foods. Adults need approximately 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12 a day.

Why should older adults pay more attention to vitamin B12? The physiology of vitamin B12 is complex. In order for your body to absorb naturally occurring vitamin B12, digestive processes in the stomach and small intestine must break down the proteins that bind the vitamin. Gastric acid releases vitamin B12 from the food that you consume, which becomes a problem for some older adults because they produce less stomach acid as they age, thereby increasing their risk for B12 deficiencies. Specifically, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey estimated that 3.2% of adults over age 50 have seriously low levels of B12, and up to 20% may have a borderline deficiency.

PERFECT BOUNCE HEALTHCARE PVT LTD Landmark, JR Magnum, 1st Floor, 184/A, 22nd Cross Club Road, Opp. HSR Club, Sector 3, HSR Layout, Bengaluru. Mob: +91 95134-15111 / +91 95135-15111 Email: contact@perfectbounce.in Website: www.perfectbounce.in