Memory loss does not have to be an inevitable part of aging. Making sure you eat enough vitamin B12 may help you keep your memory as you enter your twilight years, suggests a 2011 study by Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center and another 2011 study done in various Australian universities. Vitamin B12 deficiency seems to play a crucial factor in retaining memories, in paying attention and in how quickly people can learn new things.
These are promising first studies, but more needs to be done to determine if taking vitamin B12 supplements could help prevent memory loss or as a treatment for Alzheimer’s. Always talk to your doctor before taking vitamin supplements to be sure it will safe for your individual health situation.
Details of Studies
The Chicago study focused on adults over age 65 that had been diagnosed with memory loss. These volunteers were checked for vitamin B12 deficiency. Sure enough, a significant number of the volunteers did check out as not having enough vitamin B12 in their bodies. They also had slightly smaller brains than senior citizens who managed to get enough vitamin B12.
The Australian study lasted a year and looked at 900 volunteers was originally supposed to be about preventing depression, but the results convinced the researchers to change the focus of their paper. They suggest that vitamin B9 (folate) should also be taken with vitamin B12 for people over 60. People need about a year in these vitamins before any positive results are noticed.
Theories
Lack of B12 is thought to not only lead to a smaller brain, but may trigger the brain into making a chemical called homocysteine which may damage the brain and the heart. A person’s homocysteine levels can be checked with a blood test. But it’s not as simple to check a person’s vitamin B12 levels.
It used to be that blood tests were done, but the Chicago study shows that blood tests are inaccurate. A much better way of testing is to check the blood for homocysteine instead of vitamin b12.
Getting Your Vitamin B12
But why would senior citizens not get enough vitamin B12 in their diets? It’s found in multivitamins, many vitamin-fortified cereals, fish, eggs, meat and dairy products like yogurt or cheese. It turns out that as we age, we lose the ability to digest vitamin B12. This may be caused by the aging body’s overall slowing of the metabolism, or how well it can convert food into fuel.
Because of this digestion problem, senior citizens either need to increase the amount of vitamin B12-rich foods they eat or take vitamin B12 pills. The study recommends that people 50 years old or more should start doing this in order to avoid memory loss. People only need 2 to 6 micrograms per day. A microgram is one-millionth of a gram.
