Showing posts with label b12. Show all posts
Showing posts with label b12. Show all posts
Folic Acid and Vitamin B12 Improve Memory and Cognition as we Age
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Researchers from the Australian National University have shown that essential B vitamins combat stress that results in a loss of memory and normal thought patterns that cause abnormal brain aging. Publishingin The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, scientists found that long-term supplementation of daily folic acid and vitamin B-12 promotes improvement in cognitive functioning after a period of two years, particularly in immediate and delayed memory performance.
B vitamins are crucial for nerve transmission and are needed in higher amounts as your stress level increases. Health-minded adults will want to ensure that they obtain an optimal daily dose of these important vitamins from diet or supplemental sources.
Folic Acid and Vitamin B-12 Fight Brain Stress and Inflammation in the Elderly
The study leader, Dr. Janine Walker and her team conducted a two year intervention among elderly participants confined in a community-dwelling environment. All participants exhibited symptoms of depression and were under moderate stress due to environmental and lifestyle conditions. The study was designed to determine if nutritional intervention could prevent cognitive decline under randomized and controlled conditions.
Researchers supplemented one group of studyvolunteers with an oral dosage of 400 micrograms of folic acid and 100 micrograms of vitamin B-12 daily. This group was compared against a control set of participants that received a placebo. The results were measured at twelve and twenty-four month intervals using the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status Standardized Test and the Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone (to determine processing speed). An Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly was administered at two years to provide a final analysis of cognitive function.
B Vitamin Duo Synergistically Improves Memory Performance in Aging Adults
The study authors found that the group receiving the supplemental B-vitaminsexperienced significantly better memory function when compared to the control subjects. The research team determined that stress results in inflammation to neuron structures in the brain and inhibits electrical and chemical transmissions between nerves that are required to form new memories and maintain a healthy degree of cognitive function. The body uses B-vitamins, especially folic acid and vitamin B-12 to fight brain inflammation and ensure proper brain communications.
After the two year study period, Dr. Walker concluded“Long-term supplementation of daily oral 400 mcg folic acid and 100 mcg vitamin B-12 promotes improvement in cognitive functioning after 24 months, particularly in immediate and delayed memory performance.” The entire family of B-vitamins has been shown to lower the impact of brain stress and inflammation. Health-conscious adults will want to combine a daily supply of B-vitamins with the Omega-3 fats EPA and DHA to dramatically lower the risk of memory loss and cognitive decline.
Is Subclinical B12 Deficiency Aging Us Prematurely
Friday, May 16, 2014
I did a little research the other day on vitamin B12 for my Advanced Nutrition class at UConn, and I wrote this little blurb for our online discussion. I thought it was incredibly interesting and something everyone should hear, so I cleaned it up a little and put it on the blog. Because everyone reads my blog. Everyone. You aint cool. And yes, that means I have a higher standard for my blog posts than I do for my school assignments. I dont know whether thats a good thing or a bad thing. But its definitely a thing.
A little background on B12. Its the one essential vitamin thats only present in animal foods, meaning vegans are shit out of luck (except for maybe supplementing with algae... maybe). Its present in just about every animal food out there, and especially high in organ meats like liver. The problem with B12, especially as we age, is that there are a lot of things that have to go right for B12 to be absorbed correctly. We need enough stomach acid, adequate pancreatic function, proper digestion and absorption in the small intestine... overall theres a lot of room for error, especially in older adults. Even if were eating enough B12, that doesnt necessarily mean were absorbing it.
Okay enough of that, here it is...
Why is this important? Because B12 is involved in the nervous system and for myelin sheath formation, one of the most common deficiency symptoms is neurological impairment. This could manifest in several ways, including problems with cognition, decreased mobility, or impaired memory. In the elderly, how do we know whether a decline in cognitive function is due to simple aging or due to a subclinical B12 deficiency? We dont. Especially if were A) not testing for serum B12, and B) our deficiency level is set too low.
Interestingly, Japan has increased their cutoff for B12 deficiency to a serum level of 550 pg/ml (confirmed by Wikipedia)... very much higher than our cutoff of 100 pg/ml. Anyone below that level receives treatment. The Japanese also have lower rates of Alzheimers disease and other dementia compared to us here in the States. Its just an association, but there may be a connection there between higher serum B12 in the Japanese and a lack of cognitive decline.
Based on this information, it would seem prudent to keep an eye on B12 status, especially in the elderly. According to the lecture notes, about 15% of the elderly are B12 deficient; the figures in the study cited above place that number at up to 40%. But we dont know how many reside at the low-normal level (a level that would be considered deficient in Japan). B12 supplementation seems to provide far more potential benefit than risk, so I see no reason why we dont give it a shot in those who are subclinically deficient, especially if we can prevent more serious symptoms if levels were to continue to drop.
You Dont Have To Be Taking Metformin Or Have Diabetes To Risk Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Before I leave the topic of vitamin B12 (yesterdays post: New Study Links Metformin To Cognitive Impairment, via inadequate vitamin B12), its important to know that you dont have to be taking metformin, or have diabetes at all, to risk a vitamin B12 deficiency. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) say between 1.5% and 15% of the US population experience vitamin B12 deficiency. Most people over the age of 50 have such poor absorption of the vitamin that the NIH recommends older adults supplement with B12, either by eating fortified foods or taking dietary supplements.
From the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements:
Quick Fact Sheet on Vitamin B12
Professional Fact Sheet on Vitamin B12
Groups that may not be getting enough vitamin B12 or that have trouble absorbing it:
- Many older adults, who do not have enough hydrochloric acid in their stomach to absorb the vitamin B12 naturally present in food. People over 50 should get most of their vitamin B12 from fortified foods or dietary supplements because, in most cases, their bodies can absorb vitamin B12 from these sources.
- People with pernicious anemia whose bodies do not make the intrinsic factor needed to absorb vitamin B12. Doctors usually treat pernicious anemia with vitamin B12 shots, although very high oral doses of vitamin B12 might also be effective.
- People who have had gastrointestinal surgery, such as weight loss surgery, or who have digestive disorders, such as celiac disease or Crohns disease. These conditions can decrease the amount of vitamin B12 that the body can absorb.
- Some people who eat little or no animal foods such as vegetarians and vegans. Only animal foods have vitamin B12 naturally. When pregnant women and women who breastfeed their babies are strict vegetarians or vegans, their babies might also not get enough vitamin B12.
Low levels of vitamin B12 show up as numbness or tingling in the arms and legs, weakness, and loss of balance - symptoms similar to diabetic neuropathy. Other symptoms include constipation, loss of appetite, weight loss, soreness of the mouth or tongue, and megaloblastic anemia. And as we saw in yesterdays post, vitamin B12 deficiency affects cognition, leading to depression, confusion, poor memory, and dementia.
A vitamin B12 deficiency can be detected by a blood test. Also, an elevated mean corpuscular volume (MCV) in a blood test can indicate low B12 status and justifies measurement of serum B12 directly.1
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