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Although vitamin B12 may not be as bumpy as calcium or immediately recognizable a household name like Vitamin C or D, this is just as important to your health – and especially for your brain health.
This water -soluble vitamin plays a role in a whole bunch of processes in your body, helping to get your DNA, red blood cells and generate energy, among other things. But new research suggests that we may not get enough B12, which could actually increase the risk of developing dementia in the future.
Here’s what neurologists and nutritionist want to know about Vitamin B12, plus its potential effect on your present and future brain health.
To meet the experts: Amit Sahdev, Doctor of Medicine, MS, Medical Director at the Department of Neurology at the Michigan State University; Jessica Cording, Rd, author of The little book to change the game; Clifford Segil, Do, Neurologist at the Health Center of Providence Saint John in Santa Monica, California
What did the study find?
For the study published in February in Annals of NeurologyResearchers hired 231 healthy elderly people without dementia or mild cognitive disability (which is considered a precursor to dementia). All participants had levels of B12 in their blood, which are an average of 414.8 pmol/l, which is well above the established minimum level of 148 pmol/l (everything below is considered a “deficit”, explains the study).
Researchers have pierced the data to focus on a biologically active vitamin B12 component, which shows the amount of B12 that the body can actually use. They found that participants with less active levels of B12 experience a more slow processing rate and respond more slowly to visual stimuli, suggesting that they had a more slow visual speed of processing and more slow electrical impulses in the brain S These influences became even more evident in the older participants.
During MRI, the researchers found that those with lower B12 levels have more white lesions in their brain, which can be associated with dementia and cognitive decline.
The study concluded that the findings should “challenge” the current B12 recommendations.
What are the current B12 recommendations?
The current recommended intake for B12 varies at age and depends on whether you are pregnant or breast -feeding. However, most adults aged 19 and older are told to strive to receive 2.4 micrograms of B12 per day, according to National Health Institutes (NIH). (If you are pregnant, this increases to 2.6 micrograms until breastfeeding lifts it to 2.8 micrograms.)
But as the study points out, this may not be enough to protect the health of the brain.
What is the ideal B12 range you should strive for?
The survey does not say what the B12 levels recommend should Be, only this is possible for some people not to receive enough and that more research is needed in this area to understand optimal levels.
At the moment, the best way to find out if you are hitting a good B12 range for your body is to get a blood test, says Jessica Cording, Rd, author of The little book to change the gameS
Cutting between normal and deficiency blood levels of vitamin B12 varies depending on the laboratory, but all lower than 200 or 250 pg/ml is usually considered deficient, according to NIH. However, there are other markers that can suggest that you are low in B12, so it is really best to talk to your health care provider about your results if you are tested.
Credit points out that some health service providers will say that you are levels, even if you are at the low end of the “normal” range. “I like to see people in the middle of the B12 laboratories,” she says. “There is” normal “and then there is” optimal “.
Someone within the “normal” B12 restrictions can handle the intake of their B12 in multivitamin, Cording says. “If they have a remarkable deficit, I could put them at a higher dose – 500 micrograms or 1000 micrograms – and see how they feel.”
How does B12 help the brain function?
B12 does several different things in the brain. On the one hand, it helps to turn sugar into energy.
“Our brain works on sugar. Vitamin B12 is important for the processing of this sugar in energy, “explains Amit Sahdev, MD. “Low levels of B12 can lead to mental fog.”
B12 is also required for optimal cell function and red blood cell formation, cording said. “All these things can affect knowledge,” she adds.
Cording says it often recommends that patients test B12 levels if they feel more slow than usual, tired or feel down and don’t know why.
Symptoms of low B12 levels can also imitate signs of dementia. “I check the B12 level in all patients I see with memory loss,” says Clifford Segil, Do, a neurologist at the Health Center of Providence St. John in Santa Monica, California. Segil also says B12 is “great for overall health and it helps to give energy to people.”
Segil says more research is needed, but they are supporting new discoveries. “An intervention that includes a better diet is something that any neurologist would like to focus on,” he says.
Can I get B12 from my regular diet?
Yes, you can get B12 in your diet. These foods have higher levels of B12, according to NIH:
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Beef liver, 70.7 micrograms
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Food yeast, 8.3 to 24 micrograms
Dairy products and some breakfast cereals also contain B12, but “it’s mainly in animal products,” Cording says.
What B12 additives are best?
If you are considering going to the B12 supplement, it is a good idea to register with a healthcare provider first. “The laboratory test is always a great place to start, because then you know how high the dose should be,” says Cording.
Most people do a capsule well, but you can also get B12 in a tablet that dissolves under your tongue, she says. If you have problems absorbing B12, you may need to get an infusion via IV.
But again, if you suspect that low B12 levels are a problem, talk to your healthcare provider. They can do a thorough check to see what can be behind your symptoms and understand the next steps from there.
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