GET A DOSE OF THE SUNSHINE VITAMIN
Young women with low levels of Vitamin D are more likely to
be clinically depressed than healthy women, reports a study from the Oregon
State University, in the journal Psychiatry Research. Vitamin D is an essential
nutrient for bone health and muscle function and deficiency has been associated
with impaired immune function, forms of cancer and heart disease. For the
study, women aged 18 to 25 were tracked over five weeks. More than a third
reported symptoms.
Catatonic depression? Could be just
a vitamin deficiency.
Frequent bouts of nerve-racking
anxiety, catatonic depression and stuporous lethargy can be triggered by a
complex interplay between unrelenting work and social pressures. Or they could
simply be a result of dietary omissions.
Most Indians are deficient in
Vitamin B12, which is found in eggs, fish, meats and dairy products and is
essential for the formation of red blood cells and for nerve function. If
untreated, a vitamin B12 deficiency can cause anaemia and irreversible nerve
and brain damage, which is most pronounced in people over 65.
This deficiency is not unique to
India. A systemic review of 40 published scientific papers published in the
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition last year reported that the vitamin B12
deficiency prevalence was 45% in infants, 0 to 33.3% in children and
adolescents, 17 to 39% and 0-86.5% in adults, including those over 65 years.
Higher deficiency was reported in vegetarians than omnivores. The study recommended
that all vegetarians, regardless of their diet, should be screened for vitamin
B12 deficiency.
Frequent infections from
gut-bacteria such as H Pylori further lower absorption of this critical vitamin
among Indians, leading to deficiency.
SLOW AND STEADY
People with chronic vitamin B12
deficiency eventually develop pernicious anaemia, an auto-immune condition in
which people cannot produce enough intrinsic factor, a compound secreted from
the lining of the stomach that is needed to absorb vitamin B12 in the
intestines. This leads to chronic B12 deficiency. People with pernicious
anaemia may need booster injections of B12 every three to six months for the
rest of their lives.
While low levels affect mood, severe
deficiency can lead to deep depression, paranoia and delusions, memory loss,
incontinence and loss of taste and smell, reported the New England Journal of
Medicine.
The deficiency also accelerates
brain decline as you age. People over 65 years with low-vitamin B12 are more
likely to have memory problems, cognitive decline and shrinkage in brain
volume, reported scientists in the journal Neurology 2012. MRI scans of the
brains showed that seniors with four of five vitamin B12-deficiency markers are
much more likely to do poorly in brain function test and have smaller total
brain volumes than their counterparts with no vitamin B12 deficits.
Disorders that interfere with food
absorption, such as celiac or Crohn’s disease, can cause B12 trouble. People
who have had weight-loss surgery or other surgeries that involve partial
removal of the intestine are also likely to need supplementation, as do people
using heartburn drugs, which reduce acid production in the stomach needed to
absorb vitamin B12.
Another group that must get tested
for vitamin B12 are diabetics who are on the commonly-prescribed medicine
metformin. The blood glucose-regulating medicine is an established risk factor
for vitamin B12 deficiency, but very few diabetes patients are informed about
it when they are put on treatment. Those who are often forget; so it is
essential for diabetics to have their vitamin B12 levels checked once a year.
TREATING DEFICIT
Those who eat eggs, dairy, fish and
meats regularly rarely have B12 deficits unless they have had a surgery or an
autoimmune disorder that leads to poor absorption of the vitamin. As with most
vitamin deficiencies, however, those with a deficiency develop symptoms in the
initial stages, so it’s recommended that everyone gets their blood tested at
least once for vitamin B12 levels — the normal values are 200 to 900 picograms
per millilitre (pg/mL) — and then use the reading as a baseline to follow up
every few years.
In people with severe anaemia,
intrinsic factor antibody levels in the blood should also be measured to
determine whether a person has pernicious anaemia.
Vitamin B12 deficiency is very easy
to fix and is treated using an activated form of the vitamin. Hydroxocobalamin,
an active form of vitamin B12, injections given in a muscle two to three times
a week boosts levels very quickly, with most people building adequate stores of
the vitamin after about six shots. Dosing is typically 1000 mcg to 5000 mcg
given two to three times a week for one to two months, depending on the
deficiency and the person’s response to the treatment.
Most people with acute deficiency
notice a boost in energy and mood within days of starting treatment. For those
with mild deficiency, a standard multivitamin is usually enough, but if you
still feel down and out, consider testing and treating the deficiency to get
your health and happiness back on track.
SANCHITA SHARMA HT22MAR15
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