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LACK OF B12 AND MEMORY LOSS
Lack of B12 is a common cause of senility. An article from Austria shows that many doctors miss the correct diagnosis of B12 deficiency because people with a deficiency often have normal blood levels of that vitamin.
Many people suffer from vitamin B12 deficiency because they have low blood levels of homotranscobalamine II, the protein that transprts B12 into the mitochondria where it acts. So you can have normal levels of B12 and still be deficient. When you body lacks B12, your red blood cells do not mature properly and are much larger than normal, and a poison called homocysteine accumulates in your bloodstream. Doctors in Austria showed that much more dependable tests for B12 deficiency are MCV, a test that measures the size of red blood cells; and blood levels of homocysteine, the poison that damages your arteries and brain cells.
Erythrocyte mean cellular volume and its relation to serum homocysteine, vitamin B12 and folate. Acta Medica Austriaca, 2002, Vol 29, Iss 2, pp 57-60. M Haltmayer, T Mueller, W Poelz. Haltmayer M, Konventhosp Barmherzige Brueder Linz, Dept Lab Med, Seilerstaette 2, A-4014 Linz, AUSTRIA
Checked 5/3/07