According to an article in today’s New York Times by health writer Jane Brody, below normal levels of B-12 can sometimes mimic the signs of Alzheimer’s Disease.

 

According to Brody, Vitamin B-12 is absorbed less readily as we age, and a deficiency can cause symptoms of memory loss and confusion–the same symptoms as an early Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

 

A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that supplementing people without deficiencies of B-12 did not improve cognitive impairment with normal levels of the vitamin, but did improve cognition among women with a low intake of B vitamins.

 

Although I’m not a doctor, it seems to me that testing for Vitamin B-12 deficiency in older adults should be a routine procedure.

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