Category: Nutrition

Vitamin B12 is a critical fuel for the body, helping the body’s nerve and blood cells stay healthy and make DNA.

Night sweats can be a surprising symptom of vitamin B12 deficiency, studies have suggested.

Night sweats can soak the body, pyjamas and bed clothes.

They occur even without an overheated bedroom or sleep environment.

After taking vitamin B12, though, the symptoms can disappear.

Vitamin B12 is a critical fuel for the body, helping the body’s nerve and blood cells stay healthy and make DNA.

In one case study reported in a scientific journal, a man had been suffering from extensive night sweats for years.

They were so bad that he had to change his bedsheets almost daily.

The sweating was most obvious around the upper areas of his body — especially from the top to the mid-chest.

The study’s authors explain the treatment and the results:

“Vitamin-B12 injections 1000mcg daily for seven days followed by monthly injections were prescribed on the basis of elevated homocysteine levels.

Patient reported a dramatic response of his sweating after the second injection of vitamin B12 and remained asymptomatic at three months follows up.”

Several other cases reported by the authors of this study also linked drenching night sweats to vitamin B12 deficiency.

It is still not known exactly why vitamin B12 deficiency should be linked to excessive sweating.

Other symptoms that have been linked to vitamin B12 deficiency include:

• vision problems,
• a smooth tongue,
• pale skin,
• heart palpitations,
• tiredness, weakness and feeling light-headed,
• and numbness or tingling in the body, as well as muscle weakness.

Vitamin B12 deficiency is relatively easy to combat with dietary supplements or a change of diet itself.

Foods that are high in vitamin B12 include liver, fortified cereals, dairy products, salmon and eggs.

Some groups of people are at higher risk of vitamin B12 deficiency, such as older people, vegetarians, and those with digestive disorders.

The study was published in the European Journal of General Medicine (Rehman et al., 2015).

Up to one-quarter of people may have a vitamin B12 deficiency.

Anxiety and hallucinations can be signs of a serious vitamin B12 deficiency.

These are not the only psychological symptoms that have been linked to vitamin B12 deficiency.

Depression and memory problems have also been linked to a deficiency in this vital vitamin.

Among older adults, up to one-quarter of people may have a vitamin B12 deficiency.

However, the level of deficiency among the general population is probably closer to one-in-ten.

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

Vitamin B12 deficiency is easy to rectify with supplements or by dietary changes.

The body uses vitamin B12 to make red blood cells and to keep the nervous system healthy.

Vitamin B12 levels can be boosted through supplementation or by eating foods such as dairy, liver, salmon and eggs.

Fortified breakfast cereals also contain vitamin B12.

The conclusions come from a study of 1,079 seniors in Germany.

The researchers found that 27 percent had a vitamin B12 deficiency.

It also found that more than half were deficient in vitamin D.

Dr. Barbara Thorand, study co-author, said:

“Our study also shows that regular intake of vitamin-containing supplements goes along with improved levels of the respective vitamins.

However, vitamin-containing supplements are not a universal remedy, and particularly older people should watch out for maintaining a healthy and nutritious diet.”

The study was published in the journal Nutrients (Conzade et al., 2017).

Consuming these products in early life and adulthood doubles the risk for bowel cancer before age 50.

In recent years the risk for developing bowel cancer — technically known as colorectal cancer — has considerably increased among people under 50.

The reason for this appears to be the high sugar intake in our diet consumed during teens and adulthood.

A study has found that women who drink sugar-sweetened beverages are at greater risk of colorectal cancer before they reach age 50.

Developing early-onset colorectal cancer was more common among those who consumed sugary drinks habitually at age 13–18 years and in adulthood.

Dr Yin Cao, the study’s senior author, said:

“Colorectal cancer in younger adults remains relatively rare, but the fact that the rates have been increasing over the past three decades—and we don’t understand why—is a major public health concern and a priority in cancer prevention.

Due to the increase in colorectal cancer at younger ages, the average age of colorectal cancer diagnosis has gone down from 72 years to 66 years.

These cancers are more advanced at diagnosis and have different characteristics compared with cancers from older populations.”

In this study, women who had two or more servings of sugar-sweetened beverages (8 ounces or 230ml) a day were twice as likely to develop colorectal cancer by age 50 than those who had less than one serving a week.

The data show that for each 8-ounce increase, there was a 16 percent increase in risk.

Teen’s growth and development is set between age 13 and 18 and diet can have a big impact during this critical period of time.

Each daily serving of sugary drinks at age 13 to 18 years was linked to a 32 percent higher risk of developing early-onset colorectal cancer.

Sugary drinks have been associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes in both children and adults.

However, the impact of sugary drinks on increasing colorectal cancer rates in the younger population wasn’t clear.

Over the past two decades, drinking sugar-sweetened beverages has increased enormously in teenagers and those aged 20 to 34.

At the same time, colorectal cancer incidence in young adults has also risen.

Dr Cao said:

“In past work, we have shown that poor diet quality was associated with increased risk of early-onset colorectal cancer precursors, but we have not previously examined specific nutrients or foods.”

Also, the study found that other drinks such as milk and coffee were linked to a lower risk of colorectal cancer in young adults, suggesting these unsweetened drinks are a better option in the long run.

Dr Cao said:

“Given this data, we recommend that people avoid sugar-sweetened beverages and instead choose drinks like milk and coffee without sweeteners.”

The study was published in the journal GUT (Hur et al., 2021).

Vitamin B12 deficiency is relatively common, especially in the elderly.

Problems with thinking and memory can be signs of vitamin B12 deficiency, studies find.

Low levels of vitamin B12, along with other vital nutrients, are linked to brain shrinkage.

Deficiencies in these critical micronutrients may also be important in the development of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

New research has looked at nutrients in the ‘Mediterranean diet’, which is linked to better brain aging.

It found that people had better cognitive functioning when they had higher levels of important nutrients, including vitamin B12, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, folate and others.

The study included 116 seniors who were given tests of their IQ, memory and thinking skills.

Scans also assessed the efficiency of their brains.

Professor Aron Barbey, study co-author, said:

“Efficiency has to do with how information is communicated within the network.

We looked at ‘local efficiency’ – how well information is shared within a spatially confined set of brain regions – and also ‘global efficiency,’ which reflects how many steps are required to transfer information from any one region to any other region in the network.

If your network is more efficiently configured, then it should be easier, on average, to access relevant information and the task should take you less time.”

The results showed that people performed better in the tests if their blood was higher in levels of these nutrients:

• omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids,
• carotenoids,
• lycopene,
• riboflavin,
• folate,
• vitamin B12
• and vitamin D.

Professor Barbey explained the results:

“Our study suggests that diet and nutrition moderate the association between network efficiency and cognitive performance.

This means that the strength of the association between functional brain network efficiency and cognitive performance is associated with the level of the nutrients.”

Other potential signs of vitamin B12 deficiency include feeling tired, experiencing muscle weakness and being constipated.

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

Fortified breakfast cereals also contain vitamin B12.

The study was published in the journal Neuroimage (Zwilling et al., 2019).

Supplements or foods such as dairy, liver, salmon and eggs can rectify a vitamin B12 deficiency.

A tingling or numbness in the hands, legs or feet can be a sign of vitamin B12 deficiency.

The sensation frequently starts in the feet and moves to the hands.

The feelings may also be linked to problems with walking or even difficulty balancing.

Known to doctors as neuropathy, the problem can affect people of all ages, although it is particularly common in those over 50.

Around one-in-twelve people over 50 experiences the condition.

Other causes of neuropathy include autoimmune processes and genetics — however, the most common cause is diabetes.

Other common signs of vitamin B12 deficiency include jaundice, feeling dizzy and lethargy.

The body uses vitamin B12 to make red blood cells and to keep the nervous system healthy.

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

Foods high in vitamin B12 include dairy foods, beef, salmon, eggs and low-fat milk.

Dr John D. England, a neurologist at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, said:

“People with suspected nerve problems should talk to their doctors about screening tests, especially blood glucose, vitamin B12 level and serum protein levels, since these tests can often point to common causes of neuropathy.”

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 England said:

“There are many people with a neuropathy who have been walking around for years without having been diagnosed and treated.

Both neurologists and people with neuropathy need to know that the appropriate choice of tests is critical to accurate diagnosis.”

The guidelines were published in the American Academy of Neurology.

Those who lack this vitamin are 70 percent more likely to have muscle weakness and physical disability.

Vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for muscle wasting (atrophy) and loss of muscle strength (dynapenia).

People with low vitamin D levels are more likely to see declines in muscle mass, strength, and function besides loss of bone density, a study reveals.

The research also shows that vitamin D supplementation could reduce the risk of dynapenia in seniors with low serum 25(OH)D levels by 78 percent.

Muscle atrophy and dynapenia can lead to physical disability in later life, indeed individuals with such conditions have a higher incidence of falling, hospitalisation, and premature death.

Professor Tiago da Silva Alexandre, the study’s co-author, said:

“Vitamin D is known to participate in various functions of the organism.

Actually, it’s a hormone and its many roles include helping to repair muscles and releasing calcium for muscle contraction kinetics.

It was therefore expected to cause muscle alterations of some kind.

That’s exactly what our study proved.”

Muscle tissue and bone are connected biochemically and physically so endocrine disorders such as low blood levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) could result in bone loss and decreases in the size, strength and function of muscles.

Muscle weakness increased by 70 percent

In this study, more than 3000 adults with no history of dynapenia were followed over four years.

Serum 25(OH)D levels reflect the amount of vitamin D stored in the body, the concentration above 50 nmol/L is classified as sufficient, between 30 to 50 nmol/L as insufficient, and below 30 nmol/L as deficient.

The study found that participants with vitamin D deficiency were 70 percent more likely to dynapenia than those with sufficient levels.

Mr Maicon Luís Bicigo Delinocente, the study’s first author, said:

“This is itself an important finding as it shows that vitamin D deficiency heightens the risk of muscle weakness by 70%.

However, because we knew there are many worldwide cases of people with osteoporosis who take vitamin supplements, we needed to try to measure the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation.”

To obtain the correct data, those on vitamin D supplements and those with osteoporosis were excluded from the study.

Mr Delinocente added:

“we found that the risk of developing muscle weakness by the end of the four-year period was 78% higher for subjects with vitamin D deficiency at the start of the study than for subjects with normal vitamin D levels, and 77% higher for those with vitamin D insufficiency [30-50 nmol/L].”

Vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, maintaining cognitive function, and supporting the immune system.

The main way of getting vitamin D is sunlight, but a large area of  the skin requires exposure to the sun for at least 15 to 20 minutes.

Professor Alexandre said:

“The study analyzed data for people who live in the UK.

There are many more days of sunlight per year in Brazil, and yet we’re known to have a high incidence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency, especially among older people.

Indeed, this is the case worldwide.

It’s necessary to explain to people that they risk losing muscle strength if they don’t get enough vitamin D.

They need to expose themselves to the sun, eat food rich in vitamin D or take a supplement, and do resistance training exercises to maintain muscle strength.”

The study was published in the journal Calcified Tissue International (Delinocente et al., 2022).

Levels are typically lower in the body through the winter months in northern latitudes.

Depression symptoms like energy loss, concentration problems and lack of pleasure can be signs of vitamin D deficiency, research finds.

Around half of the world’s population is deficient in vitamin D.

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 northern latitudes.

The study included 1,282 older people, some of whom were depressed.

The results showed that blood vitamin D levels were 14% lower in those with both minor and major depression.

The study’s authors write:

“Underlying causes of vitamin D deficiency such as less sun exposure as a result of decreased outdoor activity, different housing or clothing habits and decreased vitamin intake may be secondary to depression, but depression may also be the consequence of poor vitamin D status.

Moreover, poor vitamin D status causes an increase in serum parathyroid hormone levels.”

The scientists found that almost half the people in the study were deficient in vitamin D.

The authors write:

“…38.8 percent of men and 56.9 percent of women in our community-based cohort had an insufficient vitamin D status.”

Vitamin D is found in oily fish, egg yolks, fortified cereals and some margarine spreads.

Most people need around 10 micrograms per day, which can also be obtained from supplements.

The study was published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry (Hoogendijk et al., 2008).

Vitamin D deficiency is more common in winter.

Tiredness, depression and weak muscles can all be signs of vitamin D deficiency.

Depression risk is raised by vitamin D deficiency, according to one study.

This may be because of the role that vitamin D plays in regulating serotonin.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter important for mood.

Similarly, poor sleep and headaches can also be signs of the deficiency.

The current recommendations for vitamin D intake by the National Academy of Medicine are 600 IU per day for adults.

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.

Sufficient levels of vitamin D3 can help to restore the cardiovascular system, repairing damage done by diseases like hypertension and diabetes.

The conclusions come from a study that examined the impact of vitamin D3 on a vital component of the cardiovascular system, endothelial cells.

Professor Tadeusz Malinski, study co-author, said:

“Generally, Vitamin D3 is associated with the bones. However, in recent years, in clinical settings people recognize that many patients who have a heart attack will have a deficiency of D3.

It doesn’t mean that the deficiency caused the heart attack, but it increased the risk of heart attack.

We use nanosensors to see why Vitamin D3 can be beneficial, especially for the function and restoration of the cardiovascular system.”

The results showed that vitamin D3 can help to prevent blood clots and reduce oxidative stress in the cardiovascular system.

Getting sufficient levels of vitamin D could help to reduce the risk of heart attacks.

Professor Malinski said:

“There are not many, if any, known systems which can be used to restore cardiovascular endothelial cells which are already damaged, and Vitamin D3 can do it.

This is a very inexpensive solution to repair the cardiovascular system.

We don’t have to develop a new drug.

We already have it.”

The study was published in the International Journal of Nanomedicine (Khan et al., 2018).

These are some common signs of a deficiency in vitamin B12.

Loss of energy and problems concentrating can both be signs of vitamin B12 deficiency, research suggests.

Lack of the crucial vitamin has also been linked to other depression symptoms, such as low mood.

In fact, people with a deficiency in vitamin B12 are at triple the risk of developing melancholic depression, one study has found.

Constipation, muscle weakness and a general feeling of being tired are some other common signs of vitamin B12 deficiency.

It may be that one-quarter of people have a deficiency in vitamin B12.

Vitamin B12 is used by the body to make red blood cells and in supporting a healthy nervous system.

Fortunately, the deficiency is relatively easy to correct.

Foods that contain high amounts of vitamin B12 include beef, salmon, eggs, low-fat milk and dairy in general.

People at higher risk of suffering vitamin B12 deficiency include vegetarians, older people and those with digestive disorders.

Vitamin B12 has been trialled in the treatment of some mental health problems.

One study has found that B vitamins can help people with psychosis to improve their concentration.

People recovering from psychosis in the study performed better on concentration tests after taking B vitamins.

Dr Kelly Allott, the study’s first author, said:

“This indicates the B-vitamins could have a neuroprotective effect; although they are not improving a patient’s concentration skills, they may be protecting these skills from declining.

Psychosis is a diverse condition where everybody presents with different symptoms and a different biological profile.

What was particularly interesting was that the participants who had abnormally high homocysteine levels at baseline were most responsive to the B-vitamin supplements, in terms of improvement in attention.

The results of this study support a more personalised approach to vitamin supplementation in first episode psychosis, suggesting those with elevated homocysteine are likely to benefit most.”

The study was published in the journal Biological Psychiatry (Allott et al., 2019).

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).