Nutrition Bytes

Vitamin b12 (cobalamin) deficiency has been associated with multiple neurological and psychiatric symptoms such as peripheral neuropathy, myelopathy, altered mental status, depression and dementia. Potentially irreversible neuropsychiatric changes due to low cobalamin levels are avoidable. Despite some controversy over the effectiveness of cobalamin therapy, there is growing evidence that subjects with low serum cobalamin levels suffering from dementia, displayed significant cognitive improvement and/or resolution of their cognitive defects after prolonged cobalamin therapy. Early detection of low levels of cobalamin is imperative for cobalamin replacement therapy to be effective. Treatment of the deficiency, however late may prevent the symptoms from getting worse.