Research has demonstrated that cognitive function is impaired in elderly people who have such a mild vitamin B12 (cobalamin) deficiency that they are not classed as being clinically deficient. A recent study in New York showed that patients who were found to be B12 deficient scored badly in P3ERP tests, a group of tests designed to study decision-making processes. After being given supplementary vitamin B12 for six months the tests were repeated and the subjects scores had improved significantly, suggesting that certain cognitive problems are due to a vitamin B12 deficiency, easily reversible by administration of dietary supplements.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: 28th World Congress of the International Society of Hematology, August 2000