Thirty percent of individuals age 50 and older are deficient in vitamin B-12, states the Harvard Medical School. The journal "Annual Review of Nutrition" concurs, and finds that the deficiency is primarily due to the decreased absorption of B-12 due to atrophic gastritis of the stomach. Supplements of vitamin B-12 are readily digested by the elderly and may be taken with your doctor's OK.
Vitamin B-12 and Atrophic Gastritis
Vitamin B-12 is the only B vitamin that contains the mineral cobalt. It plays an essential part in the processing of folic acid, which is vital for the synthesis of DNA, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. As you grow older, your stomach lining grows thinner, producing less and less acid. This results in a condition called atrophic gastritis. Acid-pepsin secretion is necessary to break down the foods to release vitamin B-12. As the acid decreases, so does the B-12 available from food sources. However, vitamin supplements of B-12 are in a crystalline form and your body's ability to absorb that type remains intact. Supplementing with vitamins should require your physician's approval. The recommended dietary allowance for people over 51 is 2.4 mcg per day. The Linus Pauling Institute recommends that B-12 supplements be in crystalline form and the daily dose be 100 to 400 mcg.
Cancer
Lack of vitamin B-12 renders folate unusable for the synthesis of DNA. The strands of this vital component become altered and damaged, leaving some DNA markers susceptible to cancer-causing risk factors. A study cited by the Linus Pauling Institute shows a group of older men with decreased levels of vitamin B-12 with breakage in the DNA of their white blood cells, the cells that fight infectious invaders, such as cancer.
Cardiovascular Disease
More than 80 studies concluded that even moderate increases in levels of homocysteines, an amino acid, may put individuals at risk of cardiovascular disease, states the Linus Pauling Institute. Vitamin B-12 and folate, or folic acid, regulate serum homocysteine levels. B-12 supplementation, after folic acid supplementation, proved to be the most effective course of action in the studies, with B-12 becoming the most important determinant of homocysteine concentrations.
Alzheimer's Disease
Elevated homocysteine levels, along with decreased levels of folic acid and vitamin B-12, have been found in some elderly people with Alzheimer's disease. The study in the "Archives in Neurology," however, could not conclusively say that the cause was B-12 deficiency. "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," in a 2000 study, concluded 6 to 8 percent of all Americans suffered from Alzheimer's disease, and that a correlation existed with vitamin B-12 deficiency. Other studies showed a doubling of the risk of developing Alzheimer's in the senior population with lowered serum B-12 levels.
References
- Harvard Medical School: Vitamin B12 Deficiency : Vegetarians, elderly may not get enough vitamin B12, says the Harvard Health Letter
- "Annual Review of Nutrition"; Vitamin B12 Deficiency in the Elderly; H.W.Baik, et al.; 1999
- Linus Pauling Institute: Vitamins
- Linus Pauling Institute: Micronutrients for Older Adults
- "Archives in Neurology"; Folate, vitamin B12, and serum total homocysteine levels in confirmed Alzheimer disease.; R.Clarke, et al.; Nov.1998
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