Collin County Living Well Magazine January/February 2018 | Page 33

ing gums, stomach upset and weight loss, diarrhea or constipation. If the deficiency isn’t corrected, it can dam- age the nerve cells. These effects can include tingling or numbness in fingers and toes, difficulty walking, mood changes or depression, memory loss, disorientation and dementia. Even infants who are deficient in B12 can have permanent damage to the ner- vous system. cohort of the Framington Heart Study with a focus on an established mini- test commonly used as a screening for dementia. The subjects were divided into five groups based on their vitamin B12 blood levels and the two lowest groups were associated with signifi- A study by researchers from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Re- search Center on Aging at Tufts Uni- versity released information regarding the potential effect of mild vitamin B12 deficiency on some older adults and the link for greater risk for accelerated cognitive decline. The study involved 549 women and men enrolled in a cantly accelerated cognitive decline using the test scores over an eight-year time peri od. An interesting area to note is that those in the second low- est group did not appear to do any better in regards to cognitive decline than those who had the lowest vitamin B12 levels. Lead researcher, Martha Savaria Morris of the Nutrition Epide- miology Program at HNRCA stated, “rapid neuropsychiatric decline is a well-known consequence of severe vi- tamin B12 deficiency, but our findings suggest that adverse cognitive effects of low vitamin B12 status may affect a much larger portion of seniors than previously thought.” While the study did not show causations, it is raising concern that inadequate vitamin B12 may be contributing to cognitive de- cline in older adults. If you think that you may have a problem with B12 absorption or may be otherwise deficient in any nutrient building block, call our Certified Clinical Nutritionist, Christina Reiter, for a comprehensive analysis of your health at TexasStar Pharmacy, 3033 W. Parker Rd., #100, Plano, TX 75023, 972-519-8475 or find us at texasstarpharmacy.com. TexasStaradforlivingwell.pdf 1 April 8, 2017 C M FREE 30 MINUTE NUTRITIONAL CONSULTATION WHEN YOU MENTION LIVING WELL! Y CM (By Appointment) MY CY CMY K Donna S. Barsky, Pharm.D. (Doctor of Pharmacy)/Owner 3033 W. Parker Rd., #100 • Plano, Texas 75023 (Corner of Parker and Independence) [phone] • [email protected] COLLIN COUNTY Living Well Magazine | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 31