Micronutrients & recovery
Sarcopenic older adults have significantly lower serum Vitamin B-12 concentrations and a higher prevalence of Vitamin B-12 deficiency compared to non-sarcopenic controls, despite similar dietary intakes of other nutrients.
Check your Vitamin B-12 levels if you are experiencing muscle loss. Even if your diet seems adequate, older adults often have lower serum B-12 levels, which is linked to sarcopenia. Supplementation may be necessary to correct deficiencies, as dietary intake alone may not maintain optimal serum levels in this population.
Serum Vitamin B-12 concentrations were significantly lower in the sarcopenic versus the non-sarcopenic control group of older adults (mean ± SD 284 ± 107 pmol/L vs. mean ± SD 335 ± 120 pmol/L, p = 0.015). Likewise, a larger proportion of adults with sarcopenia was considered deficient in vitamin B-12 compared with the non-sarcopenic controls (26% vs. 11%, p = 0.033)
Why this rating
Observational case-control study; serum levels are a stronger biomarker than dietary recall alone.
Source
Nutritional status, body composition, and quality of life in community-dwelling sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic older adults: A case-control study
Sjors Verlaan et al. · Clinical Nutrition · 2015
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