Deficiency of vitamin B12 causes cerebral atrophy
Nitin .K. Sethi, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology
New York-Presbyterian Hospital
Weill Cornell Medical Center
New York, NY 10065
I am big on vitamins both when it comes to taking it myself and recommending it to my patients. So my interest was naturally piqued when I read an article in the journal Neurology titled ” Vitamin B12 status and rate of brain volume loss in community-dwelling elderly” by Vogiatzoglou et al. The authors investigated the relationship between markers of Vitamin B12 status and brain volume loss in an elderly population. They concluded that low levels of vitamin B12 may contribute to brain volume loss (cerebral atrophy) and may be one of the causes of subsequent cognitive impairment in this population. So how do we interpret this data?
Can vitamin B12 intake prevent the onset of dementia.?
If so how much of this vitamin should one take?
And at what age should one start taking this?
Questions for which we still do not have good answers. As I see it, vitamin B12 is pretty innocuous (side-effects are few if any) and thus can be safely taken by the majority of people. Moreover it is cheap (as unlike some other vitamins and anti-oxidants in the market eg coenzyme Q10). Dementia is a devastating neurodegenerative condition for which at present there is no cure. If vitamin B12 intake prevents cerebral atrophy then it may be worthwhile recommending it to my patients.
The elderly are a vulnerable population group. Many times their diet is marginal and thus they are prone to having nutritional (vitamin) deficiencies. Other vulnerable groups include alcoholics (people who drink heavily, usually have marginal diets and thus are prone to vitamin deficiencies), people who have conditions which prevent the body from absorbing vitamin B12 example pernicious anemia, those who have had bowel surgery, Crohn’s diseases, ulcerative colitis etc.
Vitamin B12 is present in meat including fish, poultry, eggs, milk, and milk products. It is important for neuronal function and also helps to maintain healthy red blood cells. So deficiency is more commonly seen in vegetarians especially those who do not have even milk or milk products. It is this group whom I feel shall surely benefit from vitamin B12 dietary supplementation.
At what age should one start taking Vitamin B12 is difficult to answer. Vitamin B12 is stored in the liver and so a person who eats a healthy diet should have ample reserves of this vitamin and does not need supplementation. I usually check the vitamin B12 status of my patients especially those who are elderly or suffering from a chronic medical condition. This can be done by a simple blood test. If they are deficient, I prescribe vitamin B12 (vitamin B12 comes in tablet form. In patients who have very low stores, we sometimes give them a shot of vitamin B12 intramuscularly).
As for the rest of us (“healthy” and not too old) what should we do? One way would be to take a tablet of multivitamin a day. Most good multivitamin combinations do have B12 in them. That is what I do!!!
” the mind is a wonderful thing and a healthy mind is truly beautiful”
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