Fact checkedExpert's opinion

Expert's opinion

The article is a subjective view on this topic written by writers specializing in medical writing.
It may reflect on a personal journey surrounding struggles with an illness or medical condition, involve product comparisons, diet considerations, or other health-related opinions.

Although the view is entirely that of the writer, it is based on academic experiences and scientific research they have conducted; it is fact-checked by a team of degreed medical experts, and validated by sources attached to the article.

The numbers in parenthesis (1,2,3) will take you to clickable links to related scientific papers.

B12 Shots For Weight Loss 2024: Does It Really Help You Lose Weight?

Lisandra Fields

Updated on - Written by
Medically reviewed by Kathy Shattler, MS, RDN

B12 Shots
Many studies suggest that vitamin B12 could affect metabolism and body fat. Photo: Shutterstock & Team Design

Since time immemorial, experts have debated whether or not B12 injections for metabolism and weight loss are effective for individuals who want to shed weight. Some propose that B12 exhibits positive results in weight loss regardless of a deficiency. 

Using supplements helps boost your energy, heightens your metabolism, improves your sleep cycles, and heightens your mood. If you’re thinking of getting a B12 injection, keep reading to find out if B12 shots are the way to go as far as weight loss is concerned.

Does B12 Help You Lose Weight? 

So is a B12 shot necessary for weight loss? Practically speaking, no. To shed a few pounds, you need to adopt a healthy lifestyle, weight loss program and improve your balanced diet to lose weight. Focus more on making changes to your diet and other weight loss efforts. Consuming foods with rich Vitamin B12 content will increase your chances of losing fat exponentially.

B12 Injections For Weight Loss Reviews

Because the human body is incapable of making B12 on its own, we need to source it from daily/weekly/monthly supplements or food sources. 

Foods that contain Vitamin B12 include dairy products such as cheese, milk, eggs, meat, and fish. Vegetarians and others who don’t consume animal products often get their B12 supply from vitamin supplements and fortified cereals. 

Your RDI (recommended daily intake) may differ based on medical factors such as your diet and age. Overall, a healthy adult’s RDI for vitamin B12 ranges from between 2.4 to 2.8 mcg. 

B12 Shots For Weight Loss

While changing your dietary habits to factor in more vitamin B12 is a worthy idea, injections are the ideal way to go back to a healthier lifestyle. Because you’re receiving a purer form of B12 via injection, it will flow straight into your bloodstream rather than through the slower digestion process. This rapid absorption helps you enjoy the benefits of B12 much sooner.

Vitamin B12 Weight Loss Reviews

Interestingly, different studies have revealed that an adequate vitamin B12 level is associated with lower risks of obesity and weight gain. Based on research done on 9,075 people, having higher vitamin B12 levels was linked to lower risks of obesity. 

Similarly, a study,[1] on 256 children showed that those with lower B12 levels tended to have a bigger BMI (body mass index), which measures body size based on weight and height. 

However, remember that while these studies reveal a link between body weight and vitamin B12 status, no other potentially contributing factors are considered. Thus, it’s impossible to assume that B12 leads to weight loss. Further research needs to be done to ascertain that B12 affects BMI or body weight.

Effects Of B12 On Metabolism And Fat

Effects Of B12 On Metabolism And Fat
B12 plays a crucial role in fat metabolism. Photo: Shutterstock

Despite the limited research on vitamin B12 in human beings, many studies suggest that vitamin B12 could affect metabolism and body fat

B12 plays a crucial role in fat metabolism. A deficiency could be associated with obesity and heightened fat accumulation. An animal study,[2] revealed that severe vitamin B12 deficiency led to a considerable increase in cholesterol levels and body fat percentage in pregnant mice. 

Another study,[3] found that giving B12 vitamins to rats with a high-fat diet lowered weight gain and boosted levels of different enzymes that affect metabolism. 

What is B12? 

B12 is a water-soluble vitamin in prescribed medication, dietary supplements, fortified processed foods, or animal-based products. Otherwise referred to as cobalamin, Vitamin B12 is actively involved in cell metabolism in the human body. 

As one of the eight B vitamins, Vitamin B12 is a significant part of the DNA synthesis and the metabolism of both amino and fatty acids. This metabolic activity means that without proper absorption and consumption of B12, the human body can’t metabolize carbohydrates and fats. 

Vitamin B12’s major functions in the body include:

  • Supporting red blood cell development
  • Boosting immune functions and reactions
  • Strengthening the nervous system and brain

What Does B12 Do To Your Metabolism?

You can take a B12 shot to assist your body in functioning more effectively. Here are some of its benefits:

  • Eliminates anemia
  • Contributes to healthy bones
  • Boosts energy
  • Enhances beauty
  • Promotes healthy eyesight
  • Improves mood

Eliminates Anemia

Anemia is a deficiency of red blood cells in the blood. It’s generally associated with a low iron count or a lack of B12. Anemia causes people to feel exhausted most of the time and develop difficulties in breathing. 

B12 shots mainly help to fight anemia by increasing your red blood cells. With constant treatment, most people find that they neither feel weak nor fatigued. Others even report improvement in their lung function after taking B12 treatments. 

Contributes to Healthy Bones

A B12 promotes healthy bones and helps keep your body more agile and robust. Studies reveal that B12 helps in boosting the number of minerals within your bones, thus making them less prone to severe breakage. B12 also fortifies your bones against serious damage. 

Individuals with a healthy level of B12 in their system are less likely to encounter osteoporosis in the future. B12 injections are mostly recommended for women since they have a higher risk of osteoporosis than their male counterparts. 

Boosts Energy

If you feel like you’re tired all the time, and your energy levels are plummeting, that’s a sign of low levels of Vitamin B. A quick round of B12 will help you feel renewed and fresh. 

Because anemia is one of the most noticeable symptoms of B12 deficiency, it stands to reason that people who boost their B12 intake will feel more perky and energetic. Those who don’t portray anemia signs may also benefit from the injection. 

Enhances Beauty

Consistent B12 injections can also make you more attractive by strengthening your skin, nails, and hair. B12 develops new cells within your body. Because of that, taking a B12 injection increases the turnover of old cells, thus giving you a flawless complexion and attractive nails. 

Most people who take B12 shots notice that their hair texture is thicker and more lustrous. B12 has a solid connection to beauty to the point that it’s sold over the counter and even marketed as a beauty supplement. You can enjoy its benefits more effectively and quickly through injections. 

Promotes Healthy Eyesight

Receiving B12 helps you maintain your crystal-clear eyesight even in your later years. It’s been proven to tackle macular degeneration and offer you clearer vision. 

Macular degeneration is a condition that affects most people as they grow older. In the worst-case scenarios, it might even lead to mobility issues. By taking B12 shots as early as now, you can keep your eyes in tip-top condition and enjoy all other benefits as well.

What Are Some Common Signs of Vitamin B12 Deficiency? 

Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to megaloblastic anemia. Photo: Shutterstock

Vitamin B12 deficiency often leads to megaloblastic anemia. It’s characterized by a low count of red blood cells that are usually bigger than average. Megaloblastic anemia causes a variety of side effects and symptoms such as:

  • Poor balance
  • Headache
  • Shortness of breath
  • Memory loss
  • Rapid heart palpitations
  • Fatigue

Please note that low Vitamin B12 levels don’t always lead to megaloblastic anemia. Most people might report mild symptoms such as fatigue. In addition, while a vitamin B12 deficiency may not lead to weight gain, it may lower energy levels and even result in fatigue. This deficiency will make it more challenging to manage your weight and stay active.

 Some studies,[4] also show that a drop in Vitamin B12 might lead to appetite loss, sometimes resulting in weight loss if left untreated. If you’re deficient in B12,[5], your healthcare provider may recommend oral vitamin B12 injections or supplements to boost your blood levels. You could also eat foods rich in B12 (meat, fish, milk, cheese, etc.) to prevent megaloblastic anemia.

Final Thoughts

Vitamin B12 is essential in several health aspects, including heart health, brain function, and the development of DNA and red blood cells. 

You’ll be glad to know that there are no major risks linked to taking huge amounts of B12 vitamin in your bid to lose weight. There are, therefore, no known potential side effects of taking B12 shots. If you have a phobia of sharp objects, do not worry. Vitamin B12 supplements also occur in various forms, including lozenges, liquids, capsules, and tablets. 

While a vitamin B12 injection may offer noticeable results, your body should undergo a form of vitamin deficiency to make a difference. However, it’s unclear if Vitamin B12 may have any effect on your weight loss if you’re already incorporating enough B12 in your diet. B12 is prevalent in fortified foods and animal products.


+ 5 sources

Health Canal avoids using tertiary references. We have strict sourcing guidelines and rely on peer-reviewed studies, academic researches from medical associations and institutions. To ensure the accuracy of articles in Health Canal, you can read more about the editorial process here

  1. Ozer S;Sonmezgoz E;Demir O (2017). Negative correlation among vitamin B12 levels, obesity severity and metabolic syndrome in obese children: A case control study. JPMA. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, [online] 67(11). Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29171553/
  2. ‌Ghosh, S., Sinha, J.K., Putcha, U.K. and Raghunath, M. (2016). Severe but Not Moderate Vitamin B12 Deficiency Impairs Lipid Profile, Induces Adiposity, and Leads to Adverse Gestational Outcome in Female C57BL/6 Mice. Frontiers in Nutrition, [online] 3. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4722109/
  3. ‌Zheng, Y., Ma, A., Zheng, M., Wang, Q., Liang, H., Han, X. and Schouten, E.G. (2018). B Vitamins Can Reduce Body Weight Gain by Increasing Metabolism-related Enzyme Activities in Rats Fed on a High-Fat Diet. Current Medical Science, [online] 38(1), pp.174–183. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30074168/
  4. Wolffenbuttel, B.H.R., Wouters, H.J.C.M., Heiner-Fokkema, M.R. and van der Klauw, M.M. (2019). The Many Faces of Cobalamin (Vitamin B12) Deficiency. Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes, [online] 3(2), pp.200–214. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6543499/
  5. ‌Nagao, T. and Hirokawa, M. (2017). Diagnosis and treatment of macrocytic anemias in adults. Journal of General and Family Medicine, [online] 18(5), pp.200–204. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5689413/
Lisandra Fields

Medically reviewed by:

Kathy Shattler

Lisandra Fields is a freelance medical writer from Pennsylvania who creates articles, blog posts, fact sheets, and website content for health-related organizations across North America. She has experience working with a wide range of clients, from health charities to businesses to media outlets. She has experience writing about cancer, diabetes, ALS, cannabis, personality psychology, and COVID-19, among many other topics. Lisandra enjoys reading scientific journal articles and finding creative ways to distill the ideas for a general audience.

Medically reviewed by:

Kathy Shattler

Journal of Physical Education and Sport

Trusted Source

Go to source

SciELO - Scientific Electronic Library Online

Trusted Source

Go to source

African Journals Online

Non-profit Platform for African Journals

Trusted Source
Go to source

Journal of The American Board of Family Medicine

American Board of Family Medicine

Trusted Source
Go to source

Informit

RMIT University Library

Trusted Source
Go to source

European Food Safety Authority

Science, Safe food, Sustainability

Trusted Source
Go to source

OrthoInfo

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Trusted Source
Go to source

American Academy of Family Physicians

Strengthen family physicians and the communities they care for

Trusted Source
Go to source

Agricultural Research Service

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Trusted Source
Go to source

The American Journal of Medicine

Official Journal of The Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Database From National Institute Of Health

Trusted Source
Go to source

Lippincott Journals

Subsidiaries of Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Institute on Aging

Database From National Institute Of Health

Trusted Source
Go to source

Translational Research

The Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine

Trusted Source
Go to source

Cell

An All-science Publisher

Trusted Source
Go to source

Journal of Translational Medicine

BioMed Central

Part of Springer Nature
Go to source

Federal Trade Commission

Protecting America's Consumers

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Human Genome Research Institute

Database From National Institute Of Health

Trusted Source
Go to source

Food Production, Processing and Nutrition

BioMed Central

Part of Springer Nature
Go to source

BMC Gastroenterology

BioMed Central

Part of Springer Nature
Go to source

ACS Publications

A Division of The American Chemical Society

Trusted Source
Go to source

Annual Reviews

Independent, Non-profit Academic Publishing Company

Trusted Source
Go to source

PubChem

National Center for Biotechnology Information

National Library of Medicine
Go to source

PLOS Journals

Nonprofit Publisher of Open-access Journals

Trusted Source
Go to source

Thieme E-books & E-Journals

Peer-reviewed & Open Access Journal

Trusted Source
Go to source

European Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences

Peer-reviewed International Journal Publishes

Trusted Source
Go to source

Royal Society of Chemistry Publishing Home

Chemical Science Journals, Books and Database

Trusted Source
Go to source

Frontiers

Publisher of Peer-reviewed Articles in Open Acess Journals

Trusted Source
Go to source

De Gruyter

German Scholarly Publishing House

Trusted Source
Go to source

Hindawi

Open Access Research Journals & Papers

Trusted Source
Go to source

Oilseeds and Fats, Crops and Lipids

EDP Sciences

Trusted Source
Go to source

Cambridge Core

Cambridge University Press

Trusted Source
Go to source

FoodData Central

U.S. Department Of Agriculture

Trusted Source
Go to source

Journal of the American Heart Association

Peer-reviewed Open Access Scientific Journal

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

The Americans with Disabilities Act

U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division

Trusted Source
Go to source

Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Organization of Food and Nutrition Professionals

tr
Go to source

Sage Journals

Database From Sage Publications

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Institute of Drug Abuse

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

The ClinMed International Library

A Repository and an Open Access Publisher for Medical Research

Trusted Source
Go to source

The Royal Society Publishing

United Kingdom's National Academy of Sciences

Trusted Source
Go to source

APA PsycNet

Database From American Psychological Association

Trusted Source
Go to source

The Pharma Innovation Journal

Peer-reviewed And Refereed Journal

Trusted Source
Go to source

Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and Development

Peer-reviewed Bimonthly Journal

Trusted Source
Go to source

British Pharmacological Society

Journals - Wiley Online Library

Trusted Source
Go to source

American Psychological Association

Scientific and Professional Organization of Psychologists

Trusted Source
Go to source

AAP Publications

Database From American Academy of Pediatrics

Trusted Source
Go to source

Karger Publishers

Academic Publisher of Scientific and Medical Journals and Books

Trusted Source
Go to source

Cambridge University Press & Assessment

Database From Cambridge University

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Institute of Mental Health

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

MDPI

Publisher of Open Access Journals

Trusted Source
Go to source

Bulletin of the National Research Centre

Part of Springer Nature

Trusted Source
Go to source

The New England Journal of Medicine

Massachusetts Medical Society

Trusted Source
Go to source

Economic Research Service

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Trusted Source
Go to source

MedlinePlus

Database From National Library of Medicine

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

National Institute of Health

An agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Trusted Source
Go to source

Trusted Source

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

The BMJ

Weekly Peer-reviewed Medical Trade Journal

The British Medical Association
Go to source

The British Psychological Society

The British Psychological Society is a charity registered in England

Database From Wiley Online Library
Go to source

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

PubMed

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S National Library of Medicine
Go to source

DailyMed

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S National Library of Medicine
Go to source

Google Scholar

Go to source

Science.gov: USA.gov for Science

Government Science Portal

Go to source

ResearchGate

Social Network Service For Scientists

Find and share research
Go to source

American Heart Association

To be a rentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives

Go to source

BioMed Central

Research in progress

Go to source

JAMA Network

Home of JAMA and the Specialty Journals of the American Medical Association

Go to source

Springer Link

Database From Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Springer - International Publisher Science, Technology, Medicine
Go to source

ODS

Database from Office of Dietary Supplements

National Institutes of Health
Go to source

Federal Trade Commission

Bureaus of Consumer Protection, Competition and Economics
Go to source

Trusted Source

Database From U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Governmental Authority
Go to source

Oxford Academic Journals

Oxford University Press

Trusted Source
Go to source

Taylor & Francis Online

Peer-reviewed Journals

Academic Publishing Division of Informa PLC
Go to source

WHO

Database from World Health Organization

Go to source

Journal of Neurology

Peer-reviewed Medical Journal

American Academy of Neurology Journal
Go to source

ScienceDirect

Bibliographic Database of Scientific and Medical Publications

Dutch publisher Elsevier
Go to source

Wiley Online Library

American Multinational Publishing Company

Trusted Source
Go to source

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

U.S. National Public Health Agency

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

Trusted Source

Database from U.S. National Library of Medicine

U.S. Federal Government
Go to source

U.S. Food & Drug Administration

Federal Agency

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

PubMed Central

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S National Library of Medicine
Go to source
Feedback

Help us rate this article

Thank you for your feedback

Keep in touch to see our improvement