Vitamin B12, Key To The Aging Brain

An Oxford University study found that “individuals with lower vitamin B12 levels at the start of the study had a greater decrease in brain volume. Those with the lowest B12 levels had a sixfold greater rate of brain volume loss compared with those who had the highest levels of the vitamin.”

Interestingly, individuals with the greater rate of brain loss were not deficient in B12 – they were merely low in it.

Best Sources of B12

Vitamin B12 is naturally found in foods that come from animals, including fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, and milk products. Seafood is an especially good source of B12, as are fortified breakfast cereals. Milk and eggs have quite a bit less than fish and fortified cereals, as you can see on this chart from the National Institutes of Health.

Vegetarians – and especially vegans, who do not use milk or eggs – should strongly consider a dietary supplement. And older people who don’t “bother” with proper meals need either a dietary supplement or a special effort to eat foods rich in B12 – especially since brain volume loss can result merely from low levels in B12.