Can Vitamin B-12 Injections Help My Weight Loss Journey?

As this new year has begun, perhaps you’ve made a goal to get serious about weight loss. Maybe you’ve been halfheartedly trying to lose weight, or maybe you’ve been serious about it, but haven’t yet achieved the results you want.

Whatever the case, you’re ready to do whatever it takes to drop the weight that’s accumulated over time. You’re ready to try anything, and you’ve heard that vitamin B-12 injections may be able to help increase the amount of weight you lose.

At Phillips Family Medical in DeSoto, Texas, one of our specialties is helping patients manage their weight loss. Our team, led by board-certified family nurse practitioner Pamela Phillips, PhD, FNP-C, may recommend injections of vitamin B-12 to help your weight loss journey, but only as part of a broader program that includes diet and exercise. Here’s why.

What is vitamin B-12?

Vitamin B-12 (cobalamin) is part of the vitamin B spectrum of nutrients. It plays an important role in several body processes, including:

• Forming red blood cells
• Cell metabolism
• Nervous system functions
• Production of DNA
• Helping to catalyze enzymes

It occurs naturally in several types of food, including eggs, dairy, and most meat. A deficiency in vitamin B-12 is fairly common, especially for people who don’t eat a lot of meat. 

Injections of B-12 go straight into your body, which means the vitamin is absorbed more quickly and efficiently. The injections are usually done in an area of your body with a lot of muscle, such as your thigh or upper arm. The frequency of your injections will depend on your current B-12 levels and how effective your current weight loss efforts are.

How can B-12 injections help with weight loss?

Let’s get one thing out of the way up front: B-12 can only make a difference in your weight loss journey if the injections are part of an overall weight management plan that includes a focus on diet and exercise. Getting B-12 injections on their own will not help you lose weight.

Here’s how the injections can help, though. Vitamin B-12 can help increase lipid metabolism (burn fat) in your body by increasing the effects of exercise and supplements you take. It can also boost your energy levels and increase your metabolism, both of which are helpful in the battle to lose weight.

If you feel like your diet and exercise program needs a boost to help increase its effectiveness, B-12 injections may just provide that boost. The extra energy, extra fat burning, and higher metabolism can help you achieve the results you’re looking for.

If you’d like to try vitamin B-12 injections to boost your weight loss journey, our team at Phillips Family Medical can give you expert guidance. To schedule an appointment, call our office at 972-861-1151 today or book your own time on our website.