Vitamin B12 deficiency is widespread. Among the population groups at risk are older people, vegetarians, pregnant women and patients with renal or intestinal diseases. The neurological symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency are unspecific and can be irreversible. Early detection is therefore important. This article reviews the diagnostic performance of the different laboratory markers for vitamin B...

Vitamin B12 deficiency is common in older people and is associated with cognitive impairment in the absence of anaemia or macrocytosis [1–3]. The prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency increases in the elderly, mainly due to malabsorption of food-bound vitamin B12 due to atrophic gastritis that limits the ability of older people to release vitamin B12 from dietary sources in meat, fish and dairy ...

To clarify the bioavailability of vitamin B12 in lyophylized purple laver (nori; Porphyra yezoensis), total vitamin B12 and vitamin B12 analogue contents in the laver were determined, and the effects of feeding the laver to vitamin B12-deficient rats were investigated. The amount of total vitamin B12 in the dried purple laver was estimated to be 54.5 and 58.6 (se 5.3 and 7.5 respectively) micro...

Vitamin B12 deficiency is estimated to affect 10%-15% of people over the age of 60, and the laboratory diagnosis is usually based on low serum vitamin B12 levels or elevated serum methylmalonic acid and homocysteine levels. Although elderly people with low vitamin B12 status frequently lack the classical signs and symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, e.g. megaloblastic anemia, precise evaluation...

AIMS To systematically review the literature on daily losses and bioavailability of vitamin B12. These estimates could be used for deriving recommendations on vitamin B12 intake for adults and elderly. METHODS We identified publications on daily vitamin B12 losses (July 2011) and publications on the bioavailability of vitamin B12 from foods or diets (June 2010) in MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Coch...

The efficacy of a long acting Vitamin B12 consisting of microencapsulated Vitamin B12 in a polymer of organic acids, when injected subcutaneously or intramuscularly into the anterior neck region, was evaluated in lambs and calves. The serum and liver Vitamin B12 concentrations of the treated lambs (0.12 to 0.25 mg Vitamin B12 /kg LW) were increased and maintained, being at least 40% higher than...

Vitamin B12 is an essential micronutrient required for optimal hemopoetic, neuro-cognitive and cardiovascular function. Biochemical and clinical vitamin B12 deficiency has been demonstrated to be highly prevalent among patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. It presents with diverse clinical manifestations ranging from impaired memory, dementia, delirium, peripheral neuropathy, sub a...

Vitamin B12 plays a vital role in neuronal development, particularly in myelinogenesis. Demyelination of the autonomic nervous system occurs early in vitamin B12 deficiency. However, the impact of maternal vitamin B12 deficiency during pregnancy on neuronal function in the offspring is poorly documented. The objective of this study was to assess cardiac autonomic nervous activity in children bo...

BACKGROUND Studies have shown a clear relationship between depressive disorders and vitamin B12 deficiency. Gastroenteritis and Helicobacter pylori infections can cause vitamin B12 deficiency. Helicobacter pylori infections are not uncommon among people of Turkish descent in The Netherlands. AIM To examine the frequency of vitamin B12 deficiency in depressive patients of Turkish descent and c...