The silent epidemic: How VITAMIN B12 deficiency is often misdiagnosed

06/15/2025 / By Ava Grace

Vitamin B12 deficiency affects three to five percent of the general population (up to 20 percent in the elderly) and is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis or mental illness – leading to unnecessary treatments.
B12 is vital for brain function, nerve health and red blood cell production. Deficiency causes fatigue, depression and dementia-like symptoms, with irreversible damage if untreated.
Doctors frequently overlook testing for B12, labs set “normal” ranges too low and symptoms are dismissed despite clear evidence linking deficiency to neurological issues.
Vegans and those avoiding animal products are at high risk since B12 is primarily found in meat, eggs and dairy. Fortified foods often aren’t enough, requiring supplementation.
B12 treatment is cheap and unpatentable, offering no profit incentive for Big Pharma, which prefers expensive, long-term drugs for misdiagnosed conditions.

Millions of people worldwide suffer from chronic fatigue, depression and even dementia. Yet the root cause may be shockingly simple: A vitamin deficiency routinely ignored by the medical establishment.

Vitamin B12 deficiency affects an estimated three to five percent of the general population, with some experts suggesting the real number could be as high as 10 percent. Among the elderly, at least 20 percent are believed to have dangerously low levels.

Worse still, many of these cases are misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis or mental illness. These misdiagnoses lead to unnecessary suffering and costly, ineffective treatments.

The truth is, vitamin B12 is essential for brain function, nerve health and red blood cell production. Yet doctors frequently fail to test for it. Meanwhile, the rise of veganism, flawed lab standards and pharmaceutical industry influence have turned this easily treatable condition into a public health crisis. (Related: Are you vitamin B12 deficient?)

Vitamin B12 deficiency doesn’t announce itself with dramatic flair. Instead, it creeps in with fatigue, brain fog and mood swings – symptoms easily dismissed as stress or aging. But left untreated, it can lead to irreversible nerve damage, psychosis and dementia.

Studies show that patients with B12 deficiency often exhibit symptoms identical to Alzheimer’s – including memory loss, confusion and personality changes. Shockingly, some experts estimate that half a million people in the United Kingdom alone diagnosed with dementia may actually just need B12 injections.

Yet instead of simple, inexpensive treatment, these patients are funneled into a system that profits from their misdiagnosis. They are prescribed expensive psychiatric drugs or institutionalized in care homes, when a $10 vitamin shot could restore their health.

The hidden symptoms of a national health disaster: Why doctors keep missing the diagnosis

The reasons for this medical negligence are as infuriating as they are predictable:

Doctors don’t test for it: Despite a cheap and reliable blood test, most physicians don’t bother checking B12 levels unless a patient specifically demands it.
Flawed lab standards: Laboratories often set the “normal” B12 range far too low. While symptoms appear at levels under 350-400 pg/ml, many labs won’t flag a deficiency until levels drop below 180.
Symptom-based medicine is ignored: Even when patients exhibit classic deficiency signs like tingling limbs, chronic fatigue and depression, doctors frequently overlook B12 in favor of more “profitable” diagnoses.

The British medical establishment acknowledges the problem. In 2014, the British Journal of Hematology advised doctors to treat symptoms, not just lab numbers. Yet this guidance repeatedly falls on deaf ears.

Vitamin B12 is found almost exclusively in animal products like meat, eggs and dairy. But as veganism gains popularity, deficiency rates are climbing. While fortified plant-based foods exist, they are often insufficient to maintain healthy B12 levels.

This isn’t an attack on personal dietary choices; it’s a warning. The human body cannot produce B12 on its own, and the consequences are severe without proper intake. Those avoiding animal products must supplement aggressively or risk long-term damage.

Another uncomfortable truth: There’s no money in curing B12 deficiency. Vitamin B12 injections cost pennies; they can’t be patented.

They don’t generate billions in revenue like Alzheimer’s drugs or antidepressants. The pharmaceutical industry has no incentive to push for widespread testing – and every reason to keep patients on expensive, lifelong treatments for conditions they may not even have.

Vitamin B12 deficiency is a silent epidemic, one that destroys lives through misdiagnosis and medical complacency. It’s time to hold doctors, labs and policymakers accountable. No one should suffer dementia-like symptoms when the cure is a simple, safe and affordable injection.

Visit Nutrients.news for more similar stories.

Watch this video about the warning signs of vitamin B12 deficiency.

This video is from the Natural Cures channel on Brighteon.com.