Allen called me shortly after he read this. I say shortly because he knows I sleep late and he does
respect my sleep time. He was surprised that it has taken this long
to publish something we have known for a long time. He knew that I
would be busy for most of the afternoon and again the following day,
but felt this was important enough to remind me of it and ask that I
blog about it. Then he asked if I could meet with Ben, Barry, and
him on Saturday. I agreed and was happy to do this.
When I arrived, they were waiting for
me. Allen had printed a copy for me and asked if I had read it. I
told him that I had and would be blogging about it after March 18.
Barry said you already have posts that far out and I said yes. Plus,
I have three other blogs ready to post and about 18 more topics I
want to write in the weeks ahead. Ben said yes, there have been many
topics of interest lately. I said I wish I had time to write about
all the topics that interest me.
People taking metformin, one of the
safest type 2 diabetes medications, for several years may be at
heightened risk of vitamin B12 deficiency and anemia, according to a
new analysis of long-term data. Allen knows this from first hand
experience and others of us know this because our vitamin B12 levels
were low and we cannot absorb what we need from the foods rich in
B12.
Metformin helps to control the amount
of sugar, or glucose, in the blood by reducing how much glucose is
absorbed from food and produced by the liver, and by increasing the
body’s response to the hormone insulin, according to the National
Institutes of Health.
The study used blood samples and the
researchers found that at year five, average B12 levels were lower in
the metformin group than the placebo group, and B12 deficiency was
more common, affecting 4 percent of those on metformin compared to 2
percent of those not taking the drug.
Borderline low B12 levels affected almost 20 percent of those on
metformin and 10 percent of those taking placebo.
Average vitamin B12 levels were higher by year 13 than in year five,
but B12 deficiency was also more common in both the metformin and
placebo groups, as reported in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology
and Metabolism. The down side of being vitamin B12
deficient can mean nerve damage that is severe and may be
irreversible. Severe and prolonged B12 deficiency has also been
linked to impaired cognition and dementia. It can also cause anemia
(low red blood cell count), but fortunately, this condition is
reversible with treatment. Another finding of the study was more
people in the metformin group were also anemic at year five than in
the placebo group.
Humans do not make vitamin B12 and need
to consume it from animal sources or supplements. Vegetarians may
get enough from eating eggs and dairy products, but vegans need to
rely on supplements or fortified grains.
Doctors who prescribe metformin to
patients long-term for type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes,
polycystic ovarian syndrome or other indications should consider
routine measurement of vitamin B12 levels, the authors conclude.
People who are taking metformin should
ask their doctor about measuring their B12 level. Restoring healthy
B12 levels is easy to accomplish with pills or monthly injections.
Finally, the study authors say, “The
risk of B12 deficiency should not be considered a reason to avoid
taking metformin.”
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