550 - the B12 Level to Avoid Memory Loss

Consider this: if someone's B-12 level is 185 at age 60, which is
365 points lower than the European low of 550, then how many of
their symptoms could have been avoided if their level had not been
allowed to get that low?

If cognitive process is affected at a B-12 level of 550, then how
much more affected is cognitive process when the B-12 level is
365 points lower?

If someone is 365 points low at age 60, then how low were they at
45?

You may be much younger than 60, even much younger than 45, but
stress burns up B-12 at an alarming rate. If you have symptoms of
low B-12, even though your serum blood level is "normal" by
American standards, are you going to take action? or let the
deficiency run its course?

Isn't prevention ideal?

Also, think about your mum and dad. Look at their fingernails. Ask
them about their symptoms. Then, show them how methylcobalamin
helps.

As an aside, my neurologist said that when serum B-12 is low, then
the amount of B-12 in tissue is even lower. He said that both losing
and replacing B-12 in tissue is a slow process.

Vitamin B-12 deficiency common in older people
MOLNYCKE, SWEDEN. Swedish researchers have discovered that
many older people are deficient in vitamin B-12. Their study
involved 368 men and women aged 75 years or older. Analysis of
blood serum showed that 11 per cent of the participants were
deficient in cobalamin (vitamin B-12). The researchers point out that
a vitamin B-12 deficiency has been linked to neuropsychiatric
disorders such as memory loss and dementia. The researchers
discovered several cases of gastritis (inflammation of the lining of
the stomach) and two cases of celiac disease among patients with
low serum values of cobalamin. They conclude that routine screening
for a vitamin B-12 deficiency is justified in the case of older people.

In a separate letter to the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
doctors from the Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore report on a
case of vitamin B-12 deficiency. The patient, an 85-year-old man,
had developed progressive memory loss and lethargy over a
two-year period. Although his serum level of vitamin B-12 was
within the currently accepted range, the doctors decided to proceed
with vitamin B-12 therapy. The patient received an intramuscular
injection of 1000 micrograms of vitamin B-12 for three consecutive
days, then 1000 micrograms weekly for a month, and then one
injection every month. By the fifth injection his mental status has
vastly improved and his lethargy had completely vanished. The
doctors conclude that the levels of serum vitamin B-12 concentrations
currently considered normal in the United States may be too low and
should be reassessed. The lower limit of 200 pg/mL is based on the
level which causes abnormalities in the blood (pernicious anemia). In
contrast the lower limit in Japan and some European countries is
500-550 pg/mL and is based on the level which causes mental
manifestations such as dementia and memory loss. The doctors
suggest that a trial of vitamin B-12 therapy is warranted in patients
with borderline cobalamin serum levels as it is effective and
inexpensive.

Eggersten, Robert, et al. Prevalence and diagnosis of cobalamin
deficiency in older people, Journal of the American Geriatrics
Society; Vol. 44, Nol. 10, October 1996, pp. 1273-74.
Goodman, Mark, et al. Are U.S. lower normal B-12 limits too low?
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Vol. 44, No. 10,
October 1996, pp. 1274-75.

I copy typed the article because the original scan was so hard for
me to read. I was very careful and checked my typing several times
for accuracy. Still, I put the original article at the bottom of the
page in case you want to refer to it.
Karen Kline 5/29/06