Vitamin B12 Intake and Status and Cognitive Function in Elderly People
Open accessAbstract
Current recommendations on vitamin B12 intake vary from 1.4 to 3.0 μg per day and are based on the amount needed for maintenance of hematologic status or on the amount needed to compensate obligatory losses. This systematic review evaluates whether the relation between vitamin B12 intake and cognitive function should be considered for underpinning vitamin B12 recommendations in the future. The authors summarized dose-response evidence from randomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies on the relation of vitamin B12 intake and status with cognitive function in adults and elderly people. Two randomized controlled trials and 6 cohort studies showed no association or inconsistent associations between vitamin B12 intake and cognitive function. Random-effects meta-analysis showed that serum/plasma vitamin B12 (50 pmol/L) was not associated with risk of dementia (4 cohort studies), global cognition z scores (4 cohort studies), or memory z scores (4 cohort studies). Although dose-response evidence on sensitive markers of vitamin B12 status (methylmalonic acid and holotranscobalamin) was scarce, 4 of 5 cohort studies reported significant associations with risk of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, or global cognition. Current evidence on the relation between vitamin B12 intake or status and cognitive function is not sufficient for consideration in the development of vitamin B12 recommendations. Further studies should consider the selection of sensitive markers of vitamin B12 status.
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Systematic reviews show no association between blood vitamin B12 concentrations and cognitive decline or dementia, but some studies using newer biomarkers find associations between low vitamin B12 status and enhanced risk of dementia or cognitive decline.
“However, more recent systematic reviews have less clear conclusions: no association was found between blood vitamin B12 concentrations and cognitive decline or dementia, but four studies that assessed vitamin B12 status with newer biomarkers found associations between low vitamin B12 status and an enhanced risk of diagnosis with dementia or cognitive decline [165].”
From Vitamins and Minerals for Energy, Fatigue and Cognition: A Narrative Review of the Biochemical and Clinical Evidence (2020) · cites this paper as [165]
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- Authors
- Doets, E. L., van Wijngaarden, J. P., Szczecińska, A., Dullemeijer, C., Souverein, O. W., Dhonukshe-Rutten, R. A. M., Cavelaars, A. E. J. M., van 't Veer, P., Brzozowska, A., & de Groot, L. C. P. G. M.
- Affiliations
- Wageningen University & Research (NL)
- Venue
- Epidemiologic Reviews
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2012-12-05
- Volume
- 35
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 2-21
- ISSN
- 0193-936X (ISSN-L)
- 1478-6729
- OpenAlex
- W2148546218
- Cited by
- 67
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2025: 7 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 0.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- research.wur.nl
- Locations
- Epidemiologic Reviews (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling (acceptedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Rheumatology › Folate and B Vitamins Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
- Keywords
- vitamin B12, dietary intake, vitamin B12 status, cognitive function, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, older adults, methylmalonic acid, holotranscobalamin, dose-response relationship, memory
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Alzheimer Disease, Cognition, Cognition Disorders, Dementia, Diet, Humans, Methylmalonic Acid, Transcobalamins, Vitamin B 12
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