Heart Beat: Diabetes drug interferes with vitamin B12

Metformin (Glucophage, generic) is a first-line drug for treating type 2 diabetes. It limits the amount of sugar the body absorbs from food, cuts down on the amount of sugar the liver produces, and makes muscles and other tissues more sensitive to insulin, the hormone that ushers blood sugar into cells. Although metformin is very safe, one-third of those who take it develop low levels of circulating vitamin B₁₂. The body needs this vitamin to make new red blood cells and to keep nerve cells healthy. In a Canadian study, diabetics taking metformin had half the blood levels of vitamin B₁₂ of those who weren't taking metformin; 31% of the metformin takers had levels significantly below normal. They also had more advanced neuropathy, the degeneration of nerves that often accompanies diabetes (Diabetes Care, January 2010).

Older people are prone to vitamin B₁₂ deficiency because aging reduces the body's ability to absorb this vitamin from food; adding metformin can worsen the problem. A severe deficiency can lead to anemia and confusion, and sometimes masquerades as dementia or Alzheimer's disease.