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Health News Archive 500 - Disability
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Low Vitamin B6, B12 & Selenium Intake Increases Disability Risk

Disability is becoming a significant issue, due to the high costs of medical care needed to treat disability and the growing number of Americans over age 65. With 7 million Americans older than 65 years currently disabled, this number is only expected to increase and with it the healthcare costs. As a result, strategies aimed at preventing or delaying the onset of disability are “urgently needed”.

A new study in the November 27, 2006 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine has found that vitamin B6, B12, and selenium decrease risks of disability in Americans older than 65.

In this study, researchers studied 643 women participating in the Women’s Health Initiative Study every 6 months between 1992 and 1995. They drew blood to measure vitamin levels of vitamin B6, B12, selenium, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin D, and zinc. They also had the women fill out questionnaires on physical activity and ability to complete daily activities.

At the end of the study, researchers found that deficiencies in three nutrients in particular, vitamin B6, B12, and selenium, significantly increased risk of disability in women. Specifically, women in the lowest 25% of B6, B12 and selenium intake had disability rates that were 35%, 39%, and 100% higher than the upper 75% of intake, respectively.

When trying to explain how these vitamins help decrease disability, researchers cited vitamin B6 and B12’s role in lowering levels of homocysteine, a protein that increases oxidative stress, and decreases both artery and brain health, as well as selenium’s role in protecting cells against oxidative damage.

Because only blood levels, and not actual dietary/supplement intake, of the nutrients were measured, no recommendations could be made by the researchers. Nevertheless, they concluded that “low [blood] concentrations of selenium and vitamins B6 and B12 predict subsequent…disability in older women.”

Source: Benedetta B. Low Micronutrient Levels as a Predictor of Incident Disability in Older Women. Arch Int Med 2006; 166(21): 2335-2340

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