B12 and acid-lowering agents

Elderly subjects experienced no decrease in vitamin B12 levels resulting from their use of H2 antagonists and/or proton pump inhibitors, T.S. Dharmarajan, MD, et al., Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center, Bronx, N.Y., report in an abstract presented at the American College of Nutrition's recent annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Investigators enrolled 280 inner-city, community elders, ages 60 to 104. Thirty-five subjects were prescribed H2 blockers and five were prescribed PPI, with duration of therapy ranging from two months to more than two years. Data on vitamin use, including B12, were gathered during physical examination, and serum vitamin B12 measurements were taken. "Our findings do not support earlier reports that H2 receptor antagonists and/or proton pump inhibitors exert a negative effect on vitamin B12 status," the researchers say, nevertheless calling for long-term prospective studies examining the influence of acid-lowering agents on serum B12 levels