Scientists warn that current vitamin B12 guidelines may be putting your brain at risk
SkimNews Take
The current "normal" range for B12 may reflect a threshold for preventing severe deficiency symptoms, rather than an optimal level for long-term brain health in aging adults.
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- UCSF led a study on vitamin B12 levels in older adults, publishing results in Annals of Neurology.
- Ari J. Green of UCSF’s Neurology and Ophthalmology departments directed the research.
- Brain Aging Network for Cognitive Health (BrANCH) enrolled 231 healthy participants (average age 71) for the study.
- Vitamin B12 levels averaged 414.8 pmol/L, far above the U.S. deficiency cutoff of 148 pmol/L.
- Vitamin B12 concentrations at the lower end of the normal range correlated with slower cognition, delayed visual processing, and increased white‑matter injury.
Why it matters: Older adults will benefit from earlier detection of brain injury, and the study’s 231‑person cohort points to a need for stricter B12 testing, leading to earlier intervention that curbs cognitive decline.
