Another boost for the importance of B12

UPDATE: 27 July 2011

Dementia and Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 deficiency is well recognized as a cause of cognitive decline and dementia.4 Dementia due to vitamin B12 deficiency responds to vitamin B12 therapy, unless it has progressed to the point of irreversible brain damage.

The presence of a normal serum vitamin B12 level does not rule out vitamin B12 deficiency as a possible cause of cognitive impairment. Some patients with dementia who had normal serum vitamin B12 concentrations and normal hematological parameters were found to have subnormal or undetectable levels of the vitamin in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), suggesting that they had a defect in the transport of vitamin B12 across the blood-brain barrier or accelerated breakdown of the vitamin in brain tissue.5-6

In one study, subnormal CSF vitamin B12 levels were found in 9 of 12 patients with senile dementia, 5 of 6 with alcoholic dementia, and 0 of 5 patients with multi-infarct dementia. Vitamin B12 deficiency would have been missed in the vast majority of these patients if only serum vitamin B12 had been measured.

Parenteral vitamin B12 therapy (dosage and duration of treatment not specified) produced "clear" clinical improvement in some of these patients, but oral vitamin B12 was not beneficial.7 The lack of clinical improvement with oral therapy is consistent with the observation that CSF vitamin B12 levels did not increase in demented patients after oral administration of the vitamin, but did increase after intramuscular administration.

4. Hector M, Burton JR. What are the psychiatric manifestations of vitamin B12 deficiency? J Am Geriatr Soc 1988;36:1105-1112.

5. van Tiggelen CJM, Peperkamp JPC, Tertoolen HJFW. Assessment of vitamin B12 status in CSF. Am J Psychiatry 1984;141:136-137.

6. Mitsuyama Y, Kogoh H. Serum and cerebrospinal fluid vitamin B12 levels in demented patients with CH3-B12 treatment - preliminary study. Jpn J Psychiatry Neurol 1988;42:65-71.

7. van Tiggelen CJM, Peperkamp JPC, Tertoolen JFW. Vitamin B12 levels of cerebrospinal fluid in patients with organic mental disorder. J Orthomolec Psychiatry 1983;12:305-311.

 

7 June, 2010 -
Making enough red blood cells: Scientists identify molecules that ensure red blood cell production

ScienceDaily (2010-06-06) -- Scientists have identified two small RNA molecules which ensure that enough red blood cells are produced efficiently, by fine-tuning a number of different genes involved in this process. ... > read full article
Original post date: 2008
Yesterday I received an article from a well known journalist, Jeff Rense, regarding a report that lack of B12 leads to brain shrinkage.

Printed from The Times of India - Eating veggies shrinks the brain 14 Sep 2008, IST,AGENCIES

MELBOURNE: Scientists have discovered that going veggie could be bad for your brain-with those on a meat-free diet six times more likely to suffer brain shrinkage.

Vegans and vegetarians are the most likely to be deficient because the best sources of the vitamin are meat, particularly liver, milk and fish. Vitamin B12 deficiency can also cause anaemia and inflammation of the nervous system. Yeast extracts are one of the few vegetarian foods which provide good levels of the vitamin.

The link was discovered by Oxford University scientists who used memory tests, physical checks and brain scans to examine 107 people between the ages of 61 and 87.

When the volunteers were retested five years later the medics found those with the lowest levels of vitamin B12 were also the most likely to have brain shrinkage. It confirms earlier research showing a link between brain atrophy and low levels of B12.

Brain scans of more than 1,800 people found that people who downed 14 drinks or more a week had 1.6% more brain shrinkage than teetotallers. Women in their seventies were the most at risk.

Beer does less damage than wine according to a study in Alcohol and Alcoholism.

Researchers found that the hippocampus-the part of the brain that stores memories - was 10% smaller in beer drinkers than those who stuck to wine.

And being overweight or obese is linked to brain loss, Swedish researchers discovered. Scans of around 300 women found that those with brain shrink had an average body mass index of 27 And for every one point increase in their BMI the loss rose by 13 to 16%.
Copyright © 2008 Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd

This morning, in one of the clinical newsletters I receive an abstract on this research was included.

AGING, COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT, DEMENTIA, ELDERLY, BRAIN VOLUME LOSS - Vitamin B12
Reference: "Vitamin B12 status and rate of brain volume loss in community-dwelling elderly," Vogiatzoglou A, Refsum H, et al, Neurology, 2008; 71(11): 826-32. (Address: Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Le Gros Clark Building, South Parks Rd., Oxford OX1 3QX, UK. E-mail: anna.vogiatzoglou@dpag.ox.ac.uk ).
Summary: In a prospective study involving 107 community-dwelling volunteers between the ages of 61 and 87 years who were free of cognitive impairment at the start of the study, greater brain volume loss was found to be associated with lower levels of vitamin B12 and holotranscobalamin (both of which remained significant after adjusting for various potential confounding factors). An increased rate of brain volume loss was found among subjects in the lowest tertile of vitamin B12 levels (<308 pmol/L) (odds ratio: 6.17), the lowest tertile of holoTC (<54 pmol/L) (odds ratio: 5.99), and low transcobalamin saturation. The authors conclude, "Low vitamin B(12) status should be further investigated as a modifiable cause of brain atrophy and of likely subsequent cognitive impairment in the elderly."

If you have been reading this BLOG and/or my monthly newsletter, herbalYODA Says! or erviewing my website you will find a goodly amount of information about vitamin B12.

Sadly, in today's mainstream, cookie cutter medicine, the loss of this amazing nutrient in practice is ignoring a tool that can support the health of many people, and help correct many health woes.

Some benefits of B12 include reducing or eliminating hypertension in women, reversing the anemia associated with cancer and chemotherapy, reversing the nutrient depletion caused by too many pharmaceuticals (many for diabetes and cardiovascular disease), protecting the growing fetus and mother during pregnancy, staving off dementia, protecting and improving general health.

The problem currently is that mainstream medicine fears giving this vitamin, by injection, because they might lose their license. They rigidly abide by a lab result that may show a good level of B12 in the blood but fail to look at B12 levels in the cell - where it counts.

As we age, and the more we rely on cell phones and wireless technology, we cannot process B12 orally.

The sublingual tablets or homeopathic remedies (such as RK BioDrops) offer benefit. For sublingual use, I suggest (based on existing medical references from the days when B12 shots were not taboo) 2400 mcg daily or 2800 mcg daily for ill, aging people and in pregnancy.

For vegetarians we always suggest an excellent organic B12 we obtain from Germany or eat some meat. Adelle Davis always promoted calve's liver for this reason.

And move away from fake food and non-fat diets too.

Check this blog for more on B12. Our May 2007 newsletter is also available by request with a donation. Purchases of RK BioDrops and organic nutritional yeast may be completed by contacting us.