Category: Nutrition

B12 deficiency is relatively easy to correct with a change in diet or supplementation.

Difficulties with memory and thinking skills can be a sign of vitamin B12 deficiency, research finds.

Low levels of the vital vitamin are linked to accelerated cognitive aging.

With age, people’s brains generally work more slowly, their reasoning is not as sharp and their memory less clear.

However, people with normal vitamin B12 levels age better cognitively.

Vitamin B12 deficiency has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease and brain shrinkage by some research.

The good news is that B12 deficiency is relatively easy to correct with a change in diet or supplementation.

Good sources of vitamin B12 include fish, poultry, eggs and low-fat milk.

Fortified breakfast cereals also contain vitamin B12.

For the study, 549 people, average age 75, were split into groups based on their vitamin B12 levels.

The results showed that being in the two lowest groups for vitamin B12 was linked to a more rapid cognitive decline over eight years.

Dr Martha Savaria Morris, the study’s first author, said:

“Men and women in the second lowest group did not fare any better in terms of cognitive decline than those with the worst vitamin B12 blood levels.

Rapid neuropsychiatric decline is a well-known consequence of severe vitamin B12 deficiency, but our findings suggest that adverse cognitive effects of low vitamin B-12 status may affect a much larger proportion of seniors than previously thought.”

People who may have difficulty getting enough vitamin B12 include vegetarians, older people and those with some digestive disorders, such as Crohn’s disease.

Dr Paul Jacques, study co-author, said:

“While we emphasize our study does not show causation, our associations raise the concern that some cognitive decline may be the result of inadequate vitamin B-12 in older adults, for whom maintaining normal blood levels can be a challenge.”

The study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (Morris et al., 2012).

Good sources of vitamin B12 include fish, poultry, eggs and low-fat milk.

Memory problems can be a sign of vitamin B12 deficiency, research finds.

People with B12 deficiency can experience worse memory for both ideas and events.

The vitamin deficiency has also been linked to Alzheimer’s disease and brain shrinkage by some research.

The good news is that B12 deficiency is relatively easy to correct with a change in diet or supplementation.

Good sources of vitamin B12 include fish, poultry, eggs and low-fat milk.

Fortified breakfast cereals also contain vitamin B12.

People who may have difficulty getting enough vitamin B12 include vegetarians, older people and those with some digestive disorders, such as Crohn’s disease.

The conclusions about the link between Alzheimer’s and B12 come from a study of 271 Finnish people aged 65-79 who were followed for 7 years.

At the start of the study, all were healthy — however, by the end, 17 had developed Alzheimer’s.

Blood tests showed that higher levels of vitamin B12 were associated with a lower risk of developing the disease.

Dr Babak Hooshmand, the study’s first author, said:

“Our findings show the need for further research on the role of vitamin B12 as a marker for identifying people who are at increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Low levels of vitamin B12 are surprisingly common in the elderly.

However, the few studies that have investigated the usefulness of vitamin B12 supplements to reduce the risk of memory loss have had mixed results.”

Dr Hooshmand cautioned that B12 supplements for memory problems are not yet supported unequivocally by the research:

“More research is needed to confirm these findings before vitamin B12 should be used solely as a supplement to help protect memory.”

The study was published in the journal Neurology (Hooshmand et al., 2010).

Up to 70 percent of people could have a vitamin D deficiency.

Symptoms of depression can be a sign of vitamin D deficiency, research suggests.

Depression symptoms include moodiness, lack of motivation and tiredness, as well as physical signs like headaches, stomach aches and dizziness.

As many as 70 percent of people could have a vitamin D deficiency.

Foods that are rich in vitamin D include oily fish and eggs, but most people get their vitamin D from the action of sunlight on the skin.

That is why levels are typically lower in the body through the winter months in more Northern climes.

Studies have also linked vitamin D deficiency to dementia.

One study including 286 people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) found higher levels of vitamin D were linked to better cognitive functioning.

Dr Amie L. Peterson, the study’s first author, said:

“About 30% of persons with PD suffer from cognitive impairment and dementia, and dementia is associated with nursing home placement and shortened life expectancy.

We know mild cognitive impairment may predict the future development of dementia.

Intervening in the development of dementia has the potential to improve morbidity and mortality in persons with PD.”

People in the study were given tests of their cognitive function, any depression symptoms and vitamin D levels.

The results showed that people with higher vitamin D levels had better cognitive function and fewer symptoms of depression.

They could name more vegetables and animals in one test and displayed better memory in another test.

Dr Peterson said:

“The fact that the relationship between vitamin D concentration and cognitive performance seemed more robust in the non-demented subset suggests that earlier intervention before dementia is present may be more effective.”

Low levels of vitamin D has been connected to a number of diseases including multiple sclerosis, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cancer.

Vitamin has also been implicated in human memory.

The study was published in the  Journal of Parkinson’s Disease (Peterson et al., 2014).

These symptoms of vitamin D intoxication are from a case report of nutritional supplement overdosing.

Doctors are warning of increased hospitalization due to overdosing on supplements among athletes and the general public.

Misusing nutritional supplements can cause toxicity — known as hypervitaminosis — that can strike people at any age.

One recent medical report records how a middle-aged man was admitted to hospital with hypervitaminosis D and severe hypercalcaemia (high calcium levels).

His symptoms were:

• Repeated episodes of nausea and vomiting,
• abdominal pain,
• diarrhoea,
• leg cramps,
• weight loss,
• dry mouth,
• excessive thirst,
• and tinnitus (ringing in the ears).

The symptoms began 1 month after beginning a supplement regimen advised by a nutritional therapist.

The study’s authors wrote:

“Globally, there is a growing trend of hypervitaminosis D, a clinical condition characterized by elevated serum vitamin D3 levels.

It has been reported that hypervitaminosis D is more likely to occur in females, children, and surgical populations.”

The patient had been consuming large quantities of several nutrients every day containing:

• vitamin D 15 0000IU (recommended daily intake: 10μg or 400IU),
• vitamin K2 100μg (recommended daily intake: 100–300μg),
• omega-3s 4000mg (recommended daily intake: 200–500mg),
• magnesium malate 1000mg, magnesium citrate 1480mg,
• calcium orotate 1000mg,
• vitamin B3 50mg (recommended daily intake: 16mg),
• B9 1000μg (recommended daily intake: 400μg),
• choline + inositol 100mg,
• zinc picolinate 15mg,
• vitamin B2,
• vitamin B6,
• vitamin C,
• selenium,
• several amino acids,
• probiotics,
• sodium chloride,
• and glucosamine with chondroitin.

After experiencing sickness he stopped taking the supplements, but the symptoms still remained.

The doctors ran blood tests and found that the patient had very high levels of vitamin D, increased levels of calcium and magnesium, plus kidney injury.

The patient was kept 8 days in hospital, given intravenous fluid therapy, bisphosphonates (to reduce bone loss and calcium levels), and antiemetic drugs (to stop vomiting).

Two months later, at follow-up, his calcium levels were reduced but his vitamin D levels were still high.

The authors warn:

“Given its slow turnover (half-life of approximately 2 months), during which vitamin D toxicity develops, symptoms can last for several weeks.”

Patients might show different symptoms related to hypervitaminosis D such as

• apathy,
• confusion,
• sleepiness,
• depression,
• psychosis,
• coma,
• pancreatitis,
• peptic ulcers,
• abdominal pain,
• constipation,
• vomiting,
• anorexia,
• abnormal heart rhythm,
• high blood pressure,
• and kidney injury.

In some cases keratopathy (disease of the cornea), arthralgia (joint stiffness), and hearing loss have also been reported.

The authors concluded:

“This case report further highlights the potential toxicity of supplements that are largely considered safe until taken in unsafe amounts or in unsafe combinations.”

Generally, the recommended daily intake of vitamin D can be obtained from exposure to sunlight (ultraviolet light B helps the body to breakdown 7-dehydrocholesterol into vitamin D3) and some foods such as oily fish and wild mushrooms.

The study was published in the BMJ Case Reports (Alkundi et al., 2022).