Gastrointestinal tract vitamin intake

As patients lose exocrine function of the pancreas, they have decreased ability to absorb lipids and protein ingested with normal dietary intake. Weight loss from nutritional malabsorption is a common symptom of chronic pancreatitis not often seen in acute pancreatitis. Fatty- or protein-containing stools are also common carbohydrate absorption is usually unaffected. Even though patients with chronic pancreatitis have decreased ability to absorb lipid from the gastrointestinal tract, there does not appear to be an increased incidence of fat-soluble vitamin deficiency in these patients.34... 

Severe cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) deficiency results in pernicious anemia that is characterized by megaloblastic anemia and neuropathies. The symptoms of this deficiency can be masked by high intake of folate. Vitamin B12 is recycled by an effective enterohep-atic circulation and thus has a very long half-hfe. Absorption of vitamin B12 from the gastrointestinal tract requires the presence of gastric intrinsic factor. This factor binds to the vitamin, forming a complex that... 

Because ascorbic acid in the gastrointestinal tract can reduce the vitamin B12 content of food, patients with vitamin B12 deficiency should always be questioned about their intake of ascorbic acid (40). 

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