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Modifying Levels of Maternal Dietary Folic Acid or Choline to Study the Impact of Deficiencies on Offspring Health Outcomes
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Published on: June 28, 2024

Effect of vitamin B12 deficiency on neurodevelopment in infants: current knowledge and possible mechanisms

Daphna K Dror1, Lindsay H Allen

  • 1Department of Nutrition at the University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA. dkdror@ucdavis.edu

Nutrition Reviews
|May 6, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Severe vitamin B12 deficiency in infants causes neurological issues like developmental regression. Prompt supplementation rapidly reverses these symptoms, highlighting the critical role of vitamin B12 for infant neurological health.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Nutritional Neuroscience
  • Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

  • Infantile vitamin B12 deficiency presents with severe neurological symptoms.
  • Symptoms include irritability, failure to thrive, apathy, anorexia, and developmental regression.
  • These symptoms are rapidly reversible with vitamin B12 supplementation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current knowledge on infantile vitamin B12 deficiency.
  • To analyze case studies of infants born to mothers with pernicious anemia or vegetarian diets.
  • To discuss potential mechanisms underlying deficiency manifestations.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of infantile vitamin B12 deficiency.
  • Pooled analysis of case studies.
  • Discussion of proposed pathophysiological mechanisms.

Main Results:

  • Vitamin B12 deficiency causes significant neurological impairment in infants.
  • Neurological symptoms respond quickly to vitamin B12 treatment.
  • Potential mechanisms include effects on myelination, methylation, cytokine balance, and lactate accumulation.

Conclusions:

  • Infantile vitamin B12 deficiency is a serious condition with profound neurological consequences.
  • Early diagnosis and supplementation are crucial for recovery.
  • Further research into the precise mechanisms is warranted.

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