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Recent studies have investigated the association between vitamin B12 deficiency and cognitive decline in the elderly.
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Further research is needed on vitamin B12 and neurological behavior, but nutrients are essential for energy production.
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Vitamin D deficiency can cause anemia, malaise, sensory deficits, and nerve damage.
Vitamin B12 is an easy-to-take vitamin, whether it’s food or supplements. This is good because deficiency can cause long-term damage to nerves and cognition.
Dr. Eduardo Villamor, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan, has found that recent studies show a high rate of cognitive decline in elderly people with vitamin B12 deficiency and an excess of either folic acid or vitamin B9.
Some studies suggest that vitamin B12 can help depression and prevent dementia, but Villamor said more research is needed on the effects of vitamin B12 on neurological behavior. ..
“There is a great deal of interest in the role of vitamin B-12, especially in the elderly’s neurocognitive function,” said Villamor. “The role of vitamin B-12 in fetal, infant, and child neurodevelopment is also an important area of research.”
Here’s how to find out if you’re deficient in vitamin B12 and why you need important nutrients.
Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency range from mild malaise to severe neurological complications.
According to Villamor, people who are deficient in vitamin B12 have different symptoms depending on how long they are deficient in nutrients.
He said that people with mild vitamin B12 deficiency can develop fatigue. Vitamin B12 reacts with compounds in the body to produce DNA and energy. Therefore, deficiency can cause fatigue.
Mild to moderate vitamin B12 deficiency can cause anemia. Or if the body lacks enough healthy red blood cells to help distribute oxygen. Dr. Aaron Goodman, a hematologist and professor at the University of California, San Diego, previously told insiders that anemia caused by vitamin B12 deficiency causes cracks and pain around the mouth.
According to Villamor, moderate vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to a form of anemia called macrocytosis, or when red blood cells become hypertrophied. According to the Mayo Clinic, this condition usually does not cause symptoms, but it can be manifested by regular blood tests.
Moderate deficiency can also lead to peripheral neuropathy, or damage to nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy include sensory problems such as tingling and numbness in the limbs, glossitis, or glossitis that can be sensitive to spicy or acidic foods.
Severe deficiency can cause “serious neurological and psychiatric symptoms,” Villamor said. The neurological symptoms are:
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Hypersensitivity
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Cognitive impairment
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depression
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Psychosis
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dementia
Elizabeth Vail, a registered dietitian, told insiders earlier that some neurological symptoms can be permanent if vitamin B12 deficiency remains untreated.
Severe vitamin B12 deficiency, according to Villamor, can cause more serious anemia and other blood cell problems, heart inflammation and weakness, and even infertility.
Treatment of vitamin B12 deficiency
According to Villamor, people at greatest risk of B12 deficiency have low intakes of animal foods such as eggs and meat, which are the only natural sources of vitamins. These people are “sufficiently animal,” by choice, for example due to strict vegetarians, or socio-economic constraints, as in many low- and middle-income countries where animal foods can be expensive. You may not eat food.
Vitamin B12 deficiency can be prevented by consuming animal foods “if choice and purchasing power allow” or by taking oral supplements and fortified foods. Other treatments include intramuscular injections or infusions.
Doctors added that older people and those who have had stomach surgery, such as bypass, may have a type of malabsorption that can cause vitamin B12 deficiency. People taking medications and drinkers to reduce stomach acid may also be at risk, according to Villamor.
Read the original article by Insider
