VITAMIN B12 DEFICIENCY IN OLDER ADULTS

 

Studies have shown that half of all older adults are deficient in vitamin B12. If you follow my blogs, you probably know I have had several colon surgeries and have lost part of my colon thus I am susceptible to this deficiency. My late husband suffered from depression and dementia. We both took vitamin B12. My husband was on pills prescribed by his doctors for several years now and his dementia stabilized. I have had to take shots at various times over the years, My status is checked every few months and I have been off shots for a while not. So you can see why I am bringing this to the attention of older adults. Did you know that vitamin B12 only comes from meat, poultry, and seafood? That is a lot of my problem, I'm sure, could it be yours? If you feel tired, have trouble sleeping, walk around 'in a fog', etc, ask your doctor to check your vitamin B12 levels. Here are what some of the experts have to say on the subject:

• "Being even mildly deficient in vitamin B12 may put older adults at a greater risk for accelerated cognitive decline."^[6] - Tufts Nutrition News, 2013
• "B12 deficiency is common, with troubling symptoms...that are similar to many other problems related to growing older."^[8] -The Mayo Clinic Health Letter, September 2013
• B12 deficiency can be sneaky, harmful and is relatively common, especially among older people."^[9] -The Harvard Medical School's health blog January 10th, 2013
• "B12 is the most important nutrient you aren't thinking about...B12 deficiency can mimic all of the effects of aging."^[7] - Dr. David Katz of the Yale University Prevention Research Center in 2012