Exhaustion, low mood and being short of breath are all symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency

Motivated by the health benefits of a plant-based diet, Carly Minsky, then in her mid-20s, saw cutting out meat and fish as a natural and desirable step. ‘It took two months of injections before I began to feel better, and obviously I am still taking vitamin B12 tablets daily.’ Most people get enough B12 from their diets — the recommended intake is 1.5 micrograms a day. ‘But some people — including those on restrictive diets who do not consume animal products, or who eat a bad diet high in processed foods — do not get enough vitamin B12,’ says Sue Pavord, a consultant haematologist at Oxford University Hospitals and vice president of the British Society for Haematology. Vitamin B12 is mainly found in animal and dairy products — meat, fish, eggs, milk and cheese, for instance — and is vital for numerous key body functions, including brain health and the production of red blood cells She says that B12 deficiency is a seriously neglected area of public health, which affects 10 per cent of those over 60. ‘The neurological problems caused by B12 deficiency are in part due to damage caused to the myelin sheath.’ In extreme cases, a vitamin B12 deficiency has been linked to macular degeneration, heart disease, cognitive impairment, dementia, stroke and psychosis.