'Healthy' vitamin B12 levels not enough to ward off neuro decline: Experts call for new recommendations for older adults

Medical Xpress / University of California, San Francisco / Annals of Neurology ^ | Feb. 19, 2025 | Alexandra Beaudry‐Richard et al

[ConservativeMind]

Meeting the minimum requirement for vitamin B12, needed to make DNA, red blood cells and nerve tissue, may not actually be enough—particularly if you are older. It may even put you at risk for cognitive impairment.

A new study found that older, healthy volunteers, with lower concentrations of B12, but still in the normal range, showed signs of neurological and cognitive deficiency.

These levels were associated with more damage to the brain's white matter—the nerve fibers that enable communication between areas of the brain—and test scores associated with slower cognitive and visual processing speeds, compared to those with higher B12.

Lower B12 correlates with slower processing speeds, brain lesions In the study, researchers enrolled 231 healthy participants without dementia or mild cognitive impairment, whose average age was 71.

Their blood B12 amounts averaged 414.8 pmol/L, well above the U.S. minimum of 148 pmol/L. Adjusted for factors like age, sex, education and cardiovascular risks, researchers looked at the biologically active component of B12, which provides a more accurate measure of the amount of the vitamin that the body can utilize.

In cognitive testing, participants with lower active B12 were found to have slower processing speed, relating to subtle cognitive decline. Its impact was amplified by older age. They also showed significant delays responding to visual stimuli, indicating slower visual processing speeds and slower brain conductivity.

MRIs revealed a higher volume of lesions in the participants' white matter, which may be associated with cognitive decline, dementia or stroke.

Alexandra Beaudry-Richard, MSc, said that these lower levels could "impact cognition to a greater extent than what we previously thought, and may affect a much larger proportion of the population than we realize."

"Clinicians should consider supplementation in older patients with neurological symptoms even if their levels are within normal limits," she said.

[ckilmer]

Can you give a summary?

[ckilmer]

Or rather. What did you find to be most informative?

[RummyChick]

The whole thing. It helped guide me to the realization that a Doctor telling me that my B12 levels were fine was not good enough.
You can get some of the other b12 testing from
https://www.ultalabtests.com/

Since my genetics red flag processing cobalamin I decided to experiment and see what worked. I used Reddit users comments about their own experiences to work through it.

The arsenic B12 version shots seemed to cause some kind of issue so I stopped them. It’s the only one the Doctor uses.
I have not tried the other shots. I use the pills or liquid. I don’t take it every day. I kamikaze dosage if I am experiencing heavy dizzy symptoms from bending over.

Lack of B12 is not causing the dizziness but it helps. I also use NAC and NAD but not every day.

Doctors automatically seem to think vestibular is the problem with people as per the neurology physical therapist. I have had the vestibular tests and physical therapy. Mine is not that.