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Vitamins and Minerals (Poster Session)

(P17-023-24) Association Between Plasma Levels of Vitamin B12 and Cognitive Trajectory: A Community-Based Cohort of Older Adults in China

Sunday, June 30, 2024
11:45 AM – 12:45 PM CT
Location: Poster Board 359

    Presenting Author(s)

  • TS

    Ting Shen (she/her/hers)

    MPH student
    Zhejiang University
    Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China (People's Republic)

    • Co-Author(s)

  • XC

    Xiao Chen

    Fudan University

  • XS

    Xuehui Sun

    Fudan University, China (People's Republic)

  • MG

    Mengyan Gao

    Zhejiang University School of Medicine

  • Yiying Gong, BM

    Zhejiang province, China
    Zhejiang University School of Medicine
    Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China (People's Republic)

  • YH

    Yuhui Huang

    Zhejiang University, China (People's Republic)

  • YZ

    Yan Zheng

    Human Phenome Institute, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai

  • XW

    Xiaofeng Wang, Ph.D.

    Human Phenome Institute, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai
    shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)

  • XJ

    Xiaoyan Jiang

    Fudan University, China (People's Republic)

  • CY

    Changzheng Yuan, ScD

    School of Public Health, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou

Disclosure(s):
Ting Shen: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.


Objectives: Evidence regarding the role of plasma vitamin B12 in cognitive function has yielded mixed results. We aimed to investigate the prospective association between plasma vitamin B12 levels and the trajectory of cognitive function in a community-based prospective cohort of older adults in China.

Methods: Data of 554 participants (74.4 ± 3.6 years) without baseline cognitive impairment in the Rugao Longevity and Ageing Study (RuLAS) from 2014 to 2019, were analyzed. Fasting blood samples were collected and assessed for baseline plasma vitamin B12 levels in 2014. Cognitive function was measured using the Hasegawa Dementia Scale (HDS) every 1.5-2 years till 2019 and cognitive impairment was defined as a score ≤ 21.5 points. Group-based trajectory modeling was used to identify potential heterogeneity of longitudinal changes in cognitive function. Multinomial logistic regression was then performed to investigate associations between baseline plasma vitamin B12 levels and the identified trajectories.

Results: Three trajectories of cognitive function were identified during an average follow-up of 4.3 years: stable function (43.3%), slow decline (38.8%), and rapid decline (17.9%). The mean levels of plasma vitamin B12 were 517.7 pg/mL for the overall participants, 528.6 pg/mL for stable function, 519.9 pg/mL for slow decline, and 486.6 pg/mL for rapid decline, respectively. Compared with stable function group, the multivariate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals CIs) of developing rapid decline across increasing quartiles of plasma vitamin B12 levels were 1 (reference), 1.01 (0.42 - 2.46), 0.37 (0.15 - 0.92), and 0.64 (0.26 - 1.57), respectively (P-trend = 0.164. Non-significant associations were observed when comparing slow decline group with stable function. Furthermore, the associations were similar in the sensitivity analysis after further adjustment for major diseases and plasma biomarkers.

Conclusions: We generally observed no significant associations between plasma vitamin B12 levels and the trajectory of cognitive function in older adults, except a strong protective signal detected for moderate level of 497-632 pg/mL. Studies with larger sample size and longer follow-up are warranted to confirm the study findings.

Funding Sources: None