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Vitamin B12 Deficiency Can Cause Symptoms That Mimic Aging - NYTimes.com

Vitamin B12 Deficiency Can Cause Symptoms That Mimic Aging - NYTimes.com

It is an important question. As we age, our ability to absorb B12 from food declines, and often so does our consumption of foods rich in this vitamin. A B12 deficiency can creep up without warning and cause a host of confusing symptoms that are likely to be misdiagnosed or ascribed to aging.

A Vital Nutrient

B12 is an essential vitamin with roles throughout the body. It is needed for the development and maintenance of a healthy nervous system, the production of DNA and formation of red blood cells.

A severe B12 deficiency results in anemia, which can be picked up by an ordinary blood test. But the less dramatic symptoms of a B12 deficiency may include muscle weakness, fatigue, shakiness, unsteady gait, incontinence, low blood pressure, depression and other mood disorders, and cognitive problems like poor memory.
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Anonymous said…
Random comment:

Recently I was experiencing pain in the tips of my toes. This went on for a few days and my googling concluded it was potentially a problem associated with ageing: peripheral neuropathy (also associated with diabetes but my carb intake is quite low).

However some pundit said he experienced the same thing and remedied it with B12 supplementation.

Well amazingly, it worked. Placebo? Maybe. But one I'm going back to if the pain ever returns.
12/06/2011 4:22 AM
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