Research published in the Journal of the Neurological Sciences (2009; Volume 284, Issues 1–2, Pages 144–148) evaluated vitamin B12 status in 102 patients with Alzheimer’s disease. At initial testing, 7% of patients were found to be vitamin B12 deficient, with deficiency defined as a serum B12 level below 350 ng/L.
When follow-up testing was conducted two years later, the prevalence of B12 deficiency had increased to 22%. Based on these findings, the authors suggested that monitoring vitamin B12 status over time may help reduce the risk of neurologic complications associated with B12 deficiency and may support quality of life in this population.
