Attention diabetic patients: long-term use of metformin requires supplementation of this vitamin!

Metformin is not unfamiliar to diabetic patients at all. It is a very common first-line drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. It is widely used and the effect is very good. It is favored by many diabetic patients.

However, the drug is three-point poisonous, and diabetic patients need to take hypoglycemic drugs for a long time, so the side effects of metformin also need to be paid attention to by sugar lovers.

Recently, a patient with diabetes for more than ten years went to the hospital for examination and found that the content of vitamin B12 was only a few dozen.

The normal range of vitamin B12 in normal people's blood test is generally above 300pg/ml. If it is in the range of 200~300pg/ml, it can be diagnosed as vitamin B12 deficiency. If the test result is less than 200pg/ml, it is vitamin B12 deficiency.

Why is the vitamin B12 content of this diabetic patient only a few dozen?

Long-term use of metformin, will cause vitamin B12 deficiency?

Metformin is clinically the first-line drug for patients with type 2 diabetes, and it can reduce weight, so it is especially suitable for obese diabetic patients. The clinical effect of metformin is very good, and studies also claim that it also has anti-tumor and life-prolonging effects.

But it also has disadvantages, that is, long-term use will cause the risk of vitamin B12 deficiency. The longer the use time, the more serious the deficiency may be.

Therefore, among the contraindications for the use of metformin, people with vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiency should be contraindicated.

What are the dangers of vitamin B12 deficiency in diabetics?

The lack of vitamin B12 in the human body will have a certain impact on health. Vitamin B12 has a promoting effect on nerve regulation. If it is lacking, it will easily lead to blockage of blood vessels in the eyes, affect vision, and cause other eye problems.

Lack of vitamin B12 is also likely to cause anemia, and people who are vegetarians for a long time are also prone to fatty liver. It is also an important nutrient element for the operation of the human brain, energy production, and fatty acid synthesis. A lack of vitamin B12 can also easily lead to tongue tingling and the appearance of mouth sores.

If a diabetic patient lacks vitamin B12, it will lead to abnormal synthesis of fatty acids in the nerve sheath, because vitamin B12 can promote nerve regulation. This will cause progressive nerve demyelination in diabetic patients, causing diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Damage to the nervous system is irreversible.

If diabetic patients with retinopathy are long-term deficient in vitamin B12, the speed of retinopathy will be accelerated.

How to supplement vitamin B12 for diabetic patients?

Diabetic patients are prone to neuropathy because of the lack of vitamin B12, such as facial nerve pain, numbness and pain in hands and feet. If these symptoms occur, it is recommended to supplement vitamin B12 in time.

If there are no symptoms of neuropathy yet, but you are taking metformin for a long time, you can consider eating more foods rich in vitamin B12.

Pay attention to proper intake of protein. Vitamin B12 is mainly found in meat and milk. Long-term vegetarianism is not conducive to the nutritional balance of diabetic patients, and it is easy to cause vitamin B12 deficiency. More attention should be paid to monitoring the problem of vitamin B12 deficiency. Therefore, if the kidney function of diabetic patients is normal, they can eat meat in moderation.

Vitamin B12 is very important for normal people and diabetics, especially for diabetics.

Vitamin B12 can protect the nervous system of diabetics and accelerate the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats in diabetics.

Therefore, sugar lovers who take metformin for a long time should remember to supplement vitamin B12.