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Could Too Little Vitamin B-12 Shrink the Aging Brain?
Posted 26 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Sept. 26 – Too little vitamin B-12 may be associated with smaller brain size and more problems with thinking skills as people age, new research suggests. And the number of people who suffer from B-12 deficiencies may be greater than thought because current methods for measuring levels of the vitamin may not be accurate, said Christine C. Tangney, lead author of the study published in the Sept. 27 issue of Neurology. The study was funded by the U.S. National Institute on Aging. The researchers assessed the study participants' vitamin levels not only from B-12 levels themselves, but from blood metabolites that are considered markers of B-12 activity (or lack of it) in the tissues. But the findings aren't nearly enough to start recommending people take B-12 supplements to jumpstart their brains, cautioned Dr. Marc L. Gordon, chief of neurology of Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen ... Read more
Related support groups: Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Can Vitamin B12 Reduce Alzheimer's Risk?
Posted 18 Oct 2010 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Oct. 18 – People who eat a diet rich in vitamin B12 may be protecting themselves from Alzheimer's disease, a small, preliminary study suggests. The findings add to the debate about whether vitamins can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. While this new study appears to support the role of vitamins, other studies have yielded mixed results, the researchers said. "Previous studies have reported that vitamin B12 deficiency is a common condition in the elderly," said lead researcher Dr. Babak Hooshmand, a research assistant with the Aging Research Center at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. "Our results indicate that vitamin B12 and related metabolites may have a role in Alzheimer's disease, but more research is needed before we can get conclusions on the role of vitamin B12 supplements on neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease," he ... Read more
Related support groups: Alzheimer's Disease, Vitamin B12 Deficiency
B12 Deficit May Boost Risk of Birth Defects
Posted 2 Mar 2009 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, March 2 – Women who do not have enough vitamin B12 in their blood before and after conception have a greater chance of having a baby with brain or spinal cord defects, a new study says. Most at risk may be vegans and vegetarians, since B12 is far more common in meat and animal-based foods, noted an American and Irish research team whose findings were published in the March issue of Pediatrics.. According to the study, women with low levels of B12 had at least 2.5 times the risk of giving birth to a child with these neural tube defects, which can lead to partial paralysis or even death, than women with the highest B12 levels. "Vitamin B12 is essential for the functioning of the nervous system and for the production of red blood cells," Dr. Duane Alexander, director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said in a news release ... Read more
Related support groups: Vitamin B12 Deficiency, B12 Nutritional Deficiency
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Related Condition Support Groups
Transcobalamin II Deficiency, Vitamin/Mineral Supplementation and Deficiency
Related Drug Support Groups
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