Vitamin B12 For Elderly Diets

Vitamin B-12 maintains a healthy nervous system, helps form red blood cells and the building blocks of all cells, DNA. Deficiency of the vitamin is rare, although the elderly are more at risk than the general population. Symptoms of deficiency in the elderly can develop at blood levels just below normal, according to the Mayo Clinic.com. Talk with your doctor if you are concerned about your vitamin B-12 levels.

Adequacy of Dietary B-12

The US Department of Agriculture survey "What We Eat in America" or WWEIA, asks Americans to note the foods consumed in the past 24 hours. From this survey, researchers produce tables noting the amounts of 64 key nutrients. WWEIA notes that men over the age of 60 consume 5.7 mcg of vitamin B-12 per day, while women over the age of 60 consume 4.3 mcg of vitamin B-12 per day. The recommended dietary allowance for vitamin B-12 for individuals over the age of 65 is 2.4 mcg per day. On average, elderly American individuals appear to be getting enough vitamin B-12 from theirs diet alone, but this is not the case, according to Harvard Health Publications.

B12 Basics

Vitamin B-12 is an unusual water-soluble vitamin. Your body can store the vitamin for years in your liver, while excreting excess amounts in your urine. Meat, eggs, shellfish, poultry and dairy products are the best sources of vitamin B-12. Your liver stores B-12, and so it can take years for a deficiency to occur and for symptoms to develop. Vitamin B-12 is bound to the protein in food, and when you eat that protein the acid in your stomach breaks the bonds and releases the vitamin. The elderly, however, may have low stomach acid secretion and not properly absorb B-12.

Atrophic Gastritis

Vitamin B-12 deficiency affects an estimated 10 to 15 percent of people over the age of 60. Although they typically consume an adequate amount of B-12 in their diet, according to WWEIA, the elderly do not absorb the vitamin properly. This is due to the prevalence of a condition called atrophic gastritis that causes a decline in the amount of stomach acid and an overgrowth of stomach bacteria. The reduced stomach acid may not release enough vitamin B-12. What amount is released is captured by the bacteria overgrowth that binds to the B-12 making it unavailable to the patient, according to a study published in 1999 in the journal "Annual Review of Nutrition." Fortunately, the crystalline form of vitamin B-12 found in supplements and fortified foods is unaffected by atrophic gastritis. Talk to your health care provider for more information about B-12 supplements.

Deficiency Related Dementia

Vitamin B-12 deficiency in the elderly can cause symptoms of dementia, according to a 2005 study published in "Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology." This study found that elderly patients with B-12 deficiency showed symptoms of psychosis, difficulty concentrating, problems with visuospatial tasks and problems with planning and organizing, or executive functions. Unlike Alzheimer's patients, these dementia patients did not have language problems or difficulty imitating motor actions, also called ideomotor apraxia. Symptoms in these patients improved with vitamin B-12 supplementation. The authors suggest that vitamin B-12 deficiency can cause a reversible dementia in the elderly.