Category: Nutrition

B12 deficiency is relatively easy to correct with a change in diet or supplementation.

A poor memory can be a sign of vitamin B12 deficiency, studies find.

People with a vitamin B12 deficiency sometimes have worse memories for both events and ideas.

Indeed, low levels of vitamin B12 and folate have both been linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Folates include vitamin B9, folacin and folic acid.

Memory problems are one of the key symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

This link has been observed by researchers for more than three decades.

A deficiency in B12 or folate can cause higher levels of the amino acid homocysteine in the body.

Homocysteine has a neurotoxic effect and could lead to neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer’s.

One study followed 370 people over 75-years-old for three years.

In that time, 78 had developed Alzheimer’s disease, with more than half having a vitamin B12 or folate deficiency.

Dr Hui-Xin Wang, the study’s first author, said:

“In our study, we found that low levels of either of these two vitamins were related to an increased Alzheimer’s disease risk.

Monitoring B12 and folate levels is important in order to avoid unfavorable conditions, even for those elderly people who are quite healthy in terms of cognition.”

The good news is that B12 deficiency is relatively easy to correct with a change in diet or supplementation.

Good sources of vitamin B12 include liver, beef, fish, poultry, eggs and low-fat milk.

Fortified breakfast cereals also contain vitamin B12.

People who may have difficulty getting enough vitamin B12 include vegetarians and vegans, older people and those with some digestive disorders, such as Crohn’s disease.

If taking supplements, be careful not to have more than 2 mg per day — any more could be harmful.

The study was published in the journal Neurology (Wang et al., 2019).

Around 60% of people may have a vitamin D deficiency.

Muscle fatigue is a common sign of vitamin D deficiency, research finds.

Vitamin D is vital for enabling the muscles to work efficiently.

Low levels of this vitamin are linked to poor energy and tiredness.

Taking vitamin D supplements helped people in the study to feel much less tired.

Vitamin D is also found in oily fish, egg yolks, fortified cereals and some margarine spreads.

The study examined 12 people with a severe vitamin D deficiency, before and after treatment.

Participants’ muscles were scanned to check their response to exercise.

The results showed that those taking vitamin D supplements for 10-12 weeks felt much less tired.

Dr Akash Sinha, the study’s first author, explained the results:

“The scans provided a unique window into what is really going on in the muscle as it works.

Examining this small group of patients with vitamin D deficiency who experienced symptoms of muscle fatigue, we found that those with very low vitamin D levels improved their muscle efficiency significantly when their vitamin D levels were improved.”

The fatigue they were feeling is likely due to problems in the body’s mitochondria.

Mitochondria are the ‘power stations’ within each cell in our body.

Without vitamin D the mitochondria cannot work efficiently.

After supplementation, participants’ mitochondria recovered more quickly from exertion.

Dr Sinha said:

“We have proved for the first time a link between vitamin D and mitochondria function.

Of the patients I see, around 60% are vitamin D deficient and most people living north of Manchester will struggle to process enough vitamin D from sunlight alone, particularly during winter and spring.

So a simple vitamin D tablet could help boost your energy levels – from within the cells.”

The study was published in the Journal of Endocrinology (Sinha et al., 2013).

Vitamin B12 is relatively high in foods including fish, poultry, eggs and low-fat milk.

Difficulties with thinking and memory skills might be a sign of a lack of vitamin B12. People with a vitamin B12 deficiency find it hard to learn words and names and solve puzzles, a study finds. In addition, vitamin B12 deficiency is linked to problems maintaining attention. A deficiency in vitamin B12 has also been linked to brain shrinkage. One study of 1,459 older people measured their folate and vitamin B12 levels, as well as giving them cognitive tests. The results were explained by Dr Martha Savaria Morris, the study’s first author:

“We found a strong relationship between high folate status and good cognitive function among people 60 and older who also had adequate levels of vitamin B12.”

Some good sources of folates include:

• fruits,
• vegetables,
• chickpeas,
• lentils,
• liver,
• and whole-grains.

Vitamin B12 is relatively high in foods including fish, poultry, eggs and low-fat milk. Dr Morris said:

“People with normal vitamin B12 status performed better if their serum folate was high. But for people with low vitamin B12 status, high serum folate was associated with poor performance on the cognitive test.”

In contrast, low vitamin B12 was problematic:

“For seniors, low vitamin B12 status and high serum folate was the worst combination. Specifically, anemia and cognitive impairment were observed nearly five times as often for people with this combination than among people with normal vitamin B12 and normal folate.”

People who may have difficulty getting enough vitamin B12 include vegetarians and those with some digestive disorders, such as Crohn’s disease. Dr Morris concluded:

“Our findings support the often-expressed idea that many seniors would benefit from more folate, but the research shows that we must look at the effects this would have on seniors with age-related vitamin B12 deficiency, who may be more numerous than once realized.”

The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Morris et al., 2007).

B12 deficiency early in life can lead to these cognitive problems.

Difficulties with memory and thinking skills can be signs of vitamin B12 deficiency, research finds.

People with a deficiency in this vitamin can find it hard to recall memories or to concentrate.

A study finds that low levels of vitamin B12 in infancy would result in poor development and performance on visuospatial skills and social perception tasks later on.

Social perception and visuospatial abilities are part of cognitive functioning, like understanding information and responding to them, or making judgments about social rules.

In this study, children low in vitamin B12 at 5 years of age scored poorly in cognitive tests such as recognising other children’s feelings and solving puzzles.

Dr Ingrid Kvestad, the study’s first author, said:

“Our results clearly demonstrate associations between early vitamin B12 status and various measures on development and cognitive functioning, as for example the ability to interpret complex geometrical figures, and the ability to recognize other children`s emotions.”

Their findings suggest that vitamin B12 deficiency causes harm or delays the development of children’s brains.

Previous studies have found that vitamin B12 is important for the developing brain, learning, problem solving skills, and memory.

Dr Kvestad said:

“The number of children in low-income countries that do not develop according to their potential is large.

Our results indicate that correcting children`s vitamin B12 status early may be one measure to secure a healthy development for these vulnerable children.

We are currently in the process of confirming our results in randomized controlled trials.”

Red meat is a good source of vitamin B12, but in South Asia and countries with low incomes, animal products are limited, thus low B12 status is often seen in those population.

For this study, 500 infants in Nepal underwent a blood test to estimate their vitamin B12 levels.

Then five years later, these children underwent several cognitive development tests.

Dr Kvestad said:

“Most of the Nepalese children participating in the study did not have severely low levels of vitamin B12, but their levels were suboptimal, below the recommendations for best possible growth and development.

It’s like a hidden deficiency of the vitamin in these children’s bodies, making their cells work rigorously to signalize imminent danger.

Our study is one contribution in the big puzzle to understand the implications low B12 levels might have on small children’s cognitive development.”

The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Kvestad et al., 2021).

A deficiency of these two types of omega fatty acids can cause health problems.

Skin and eye problems can be signs of omega-3 and omega-6 deficiency.

Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids deficiencies are linked to dry eye syndrome, dermatitis such as eczema and dry and rough skin.

Dietary consumption of fish oil or taking fish oil extract can help treat skin disorders such as dermatitis, skin cancer, and skin infection.

The three main omega-3 fatty acids are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential as our body cannot make it.

Fish is a good source of EPA and DHA while ALA is mainly found in plant oils.

Walnuts, chia seeds, soybean, hemp seed and flaxseed oils are high in ALA whereas salmon, trout, sardines, and mackerel are high in EPA and DHA.

A diet high in sunflower, peanut oils and corn, which are low in ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) but high in LA (linolenic acid), can also cause omega-3 deficiency.

Gamma-linolenic acid or GLA is an omega-6 fatty acid found to have anti-inflammatory effects.

Evening primrose oil and borage oil are rich in GLA and dietary supplementation of these reduces skin dryness and dermatitis.

Patients with atopic dermatitis (eczema) have been shown to have lower Dihomo-GLA that is synthesized directly from GLA.

Treating dry eye syndrome

Low level of essential fatty acids like alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in the body can cause dry eye syndrome.

This is a condition in which tears are not able to make enough moisture and lubrication for the eyes.

It causes redness, soreness, dryness, irritation, blurriness, pain, and a sandy or gritty feeling.

A study by Professor Reza Dana and colleagues shows that topical drop application of ALA will significantly reduce the symptoms of dry eye syndrome.

In a different study, consumption of tuna has been shown to reduce the risk of dry eye syndrome.

The risk of dry eye syndrome was reduced 68 percent in women who had five servings of tuna per week compared to women who only had one serving of tuna per week.

Dr Debra Schaumberg, the senior author of the study, said:

“We are accustomed to the mantra ‘you are what you eat’ and our study suggests that this also applies to a person’s vision.

Based on this report, preventing dry eye syndrome is another potential reason to follow a diet rich in tuna and other foods plentiful in omega 3 fatty acids.”

Boosting cognitive function

With ageing, DHA deficiency can occur resulting in impaired memory, learning processed, and age-related disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Dietary intake of DHA supports antioxidant activity, improves membrane fluidity and increases the expression of several proteins that are key for improving memory functions.

The review was published in the journal Marine Drugs (Huang et al., 2018).

What is the right dose of vitamin D and could higher amounts do harm to our bodies?

What dose of vitamin D is the right amount; 400 international units (IU) per day or 4,000 IU per day or 10, 000 IU per day?

A clinical trial in Canada has found that taking vitamin D at high dosages is worthless and could even reduce bone density.

Some signs of taking too much vitamin D include:

• dehydration,
• fatigue,
• nausea,
• muscle weakness,
• thirst,
• and constipation.

Our skin makes vitamin D from exposure to sunlight and during the summer it only takes 15 minutes to get enough vitamin D for the day.

During winter time people in many countries such as Canada can’t get enough sunlight so the advice is to take a vitamin D supplement.

Our body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium for healthy bones, immune function, and mental health.

The Canadian study focuses on the necessity for vitamin D supplementation regarding bone density and bone strength.

They conducted a 3-year study on 311 healthy adult aged 55 to 70.

One group received 400 IU of vitamin D3 daily, the other 4,000 IU per day, and the third 10,000 IU per day.

Calcium and vitamin D together are important for bone health, therefore, the research team also provided participants a calcium  supplement of 1,200 mg daily.

Health Canada recommends a dosage of 600 IU to 800 IU of vitamin D per day for a healthy adult aged 70+.

Osteoporosis Canada’s recommendation for vitamin D daily intake is 400 to 2,000 IU to avoid the bone loss disease.

Moreover, some individuals taking even a higher amount due to a vitamin D deficiency or a medical condition.

Therefore, it brings us back to this question of what is the right amount and what dosage of vitamin D can be harmful.

The study examined participants’ bone mineral density (BMD) by measuring levels of calcium and other minerals in the bone.

The risk of breaking a bone increases when the bone density is lower.

The BMD examinations showed that bone loss was significantly different between the three dosage of vitamin D groups.

Over the 3-year study, people on 10,000 IU of vitamin D saw a 3.6 percent reduction in their BMD while for the 4,000 IU group the reduction was 2.6 percent, and for the 400 IU group a 1.4 percent drop.

In short, the findings contradicted the hype about higher doses of vitamin D helping to increase bone density and build strong bones.

In this study, those who were on 10,000 IU vitamin D per day had the biggest decrease in bone density, suggesting a higher dosage can cause damage to the bones.

Professor Steven Boyd, the study’s co-author, said:

“with XtremeCT, the latest in bone imaging technology, we were able to find dose-dependent changes over the three years.

However, we were surprised to find that instead of bone gain with higher doses, the group with the highest dose lost bone the fastest.

That amount of bone loss with 10,000 IU daily is not enough to risk a fracture over a three-year period, but our findings suggest that for healthy adults, vitamin D doses at levels recommended by Osteoporosis Canada (400-2000 IU daily) are adequate for bone health.”

In addition, the study found that vitamin D supplements at higher doses, when taken for a long period, could increase risk of developing hypercalciuria, high amounts of calcium in the urine which can cause kidney stones.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Burt et al., 2019).