Vitamin B12 deficiency is not common among healthy young people, except for vegans (vegetarians who also avoid dairy and eggs). However, about 12 to 15% of the elderly in the U.S. have been found deficient in this vitamin. Vitamin B12 deficiency may also occur in people who take acid-blocking drugs or antacids for long periods of time. Although vitamin B12 deficiency in the elderly is often due to age-related declines in absorption of vitamin B12 from food, vitamin B12 supplements can be absorbed sufficiently in members of this age group if they do not have pernicious anemia or other significant gastrointestinal disorders. Supplementation with 100 mcg per day of vitamin B12 was adequate to reverse vitamin B12 deficiency in healthy elderly people, according to one recent report.
The B-vitamins folic acid, B12, and pyridoxine (vitamin B6) are important for the control of homocysteine levels in the blood.Elevated homocysteine levels are associated with several diseases, including heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and osteoporosis, and some, though not all, research suggests that homocysteine has a direct role in causing these diseases. Daily supplementation with these B-vitamins, typically at least 400 mcg of folic acid, 10 mg of vitamin B6, and 50 mcg of vitamin B12, lowers elevated homocysteine levels in most people. Some studies have shown that supplementing with one or more of these vitamins helps prevent or reverse hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and may also reduce the risk of bone fractures.
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