According to Lloyds Pharmacy, some of the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency in how the brain works can present with neurological symptoms more akin to those associated with dementia.
These include ‘difficulty remembering and memory problems’ and problems ‘with understanding and judgment’.
Meanwhile, the NHS lists the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency as follows:
• A pale yellow tint to your skin
• A sore and red tongue
• Mouth ulcers
• Needles and pins
• Changes in the way you walk and move
• visual disturbances
• Irritability
• Depressions
• Changes in the way you think, feel and behave
• A decline in mental abilities.
The NHS added: “Some of these symptoms can also occur in people who are vitamin B12 deficient but have not developed dementia.” It is important for anyone with these symptoms to see a GP as soon as possible as a untreated B12 deficiency can have a number of complications.
READ MORE: Expert warns of 4 common deficiencies that can lead to hair loss
For example, untreated vitamin B12 deficiency can cause a range of physiological complications, including infertility, gastric cancer, and neural tube defects. In relation to stomach cancer, the NHS said: “If you have a vitamin B12 deficiency caused by pernicious anaemia, a condition where your immune system attacks healthy cells in your stomach, your risk of developing stomach cancer is increased .”
What is pernicious anemia?
Pernicious anemia is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body’s immune system attacks the stomach, specifically the relationship between vitamin B12 and intrinsic factor.
Vitamin B12 combines with intrinsic factor in the stomach to help the body absorb the vitamin. Pernicious anemia attacks the cells that produce intrinsic factor, making the body unable to absorb B12.
DO NOT MISS
Scientists have not yet worked out the exact cause of pernicious anemia. What they do know is that women over 60, women with another autoimmune disease, and women with a family history are more likely to be affected.
However, not only can B12 deficiency harm adults later in life, it can also harm people early in life, according to a study by the University of Copenhagen.
The study, published earlier this year in the journal Plos Medicine, analyzed the impact of B12 deficiency in infants on their development.
They found that those with B12 deficiency had poorer motor development than those who weren’t. The conclusions were drawn after analyzing over 1,000 children between the ages of six and 23 months.
READ MORE: Citrus fruits may reduce risk of brain shrinkage by 23%
About the study, study lead author Henrik Friis said: “Among the many children who participated in our study, we found a strong correlation between vitamin B12 deficiency and poor motor development and anemia.
“B12 deficiency is one of the most overlooked issues when it comes to malnutrition. And sadly, we see that the food aid we are providing today is not up to the task.”
While the instinct is to dose vitamin B12 through diet, the authors said that short-term dietary intake does not compensate for B12 deficiency. Friis said: “During the time when children were being provided with food aid, their
B12 levels rose before falling significantly after the program ended.
“Although they were supplied with food for three months, their stores remained far from replenished. A typical food aid program only runs for four weeks.”
According to Brix Christensen, the reason for this has to do with a child’s physiology: “A child’s intestines can only absorb 1 microgram of B12 per meal. So if a child is missing 500 micrograms, it will last a lot longer than the few weeks they have access to emergency food aid.”
“In addition, longer-term aid programs are not realistic, as humanitarian organizations try to shorten the duration of treatment in order to be able to help a larger number of children with the same money.”
For adults, increasing B12 levels through diet is a way to increase levels alongside medication. Sources of B12 include:
• Meat
• Salmon
• Cod
• Milk
• Eggs.
What if I’m vegan?
Vegans cannot eat some foods rich in B12. The NHS says: “If you are vegetarian, vegan or looking for alternatives to meat and dairy, there are other foods that contain vitamin B12 such as yeast extract (including Marmite) and some fortified breakfast cereals and soy products.”
#Dementialike #symptoms #vitamin #B12 #deficiency
Leave a Comment