AUGUST 3 2019 LISTENER 35
Email your nutrition questions to
[email protected]SCIENCE AND NATURE BRIEFS
COW OF THE FUTURE
Researchers have found most of the methane-
producing microbes in the rumens of cattle are
inherited, and may be able to be eliminated
through selective breeding. University of
Aberdeen scientists have begun trials that
may also lead to cows with naturally larger
milk yields, resulting in animals that are more
environmentally friendly and productive.GOOD SPORTS
Team sports help children through trauma,
according to Californian researchers. In an
article in JAMA Pediatrics, they say organised
sports help kids understand resilience, develop
a work ethic and learn about winning and
losing. Children who play sport while going
through a traumatic experience have better
mental health as adults, the researchers say.IRRITABLE BOWEL BREAKTHROUGH
New biomarkers for irritable bowel syndrome
(IBS) have been identified in urine, making
diagnosis more cost- and time-efficient.
Research by scientists at McMaster University
in Canada, aimed at eliminating colonoscopies
from the initial IBS diagnosis process, has found
indicators related to colon elasticity.MAKE MINE A DOUBLE
Gin made from peas instead of wheat would
significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the
spirit-making process. A double shot of gin is
the carbon equivalent of driving 1km in a petrol
car. Arbikie Distillery in Scotland dries, mills and
ferments pea kernels in place of wheat mash,
and when classic gin botanicals are added, the
same flavour is produced. Peas also require
less fertiliser and the hulls can be
fed to cows.the vitamin B12 level in diabetics. It
concluded that patients with type 2
diabetes show a significant reduction
in B12 status after up to four months
of metformin use and that, depend-
ing on an individual’s original B12
status, this could lead to a deficiency.
Although we don’t know how met-
formin affects B12 levels, it’s thought
the drug causes malabsorption of
the vitamin. When this is combined
with the typical decline in absorption
among older adults (Nutrition, June
22), it makes it particularly important
for diabetics in that age group to be
on guard for symptoms.Y
our GP routinely gives patients
on metformin vitamin B12
injections, but most medical
guidelines do not recommend this for
type 2 diabetes. The guidance from
the Best Practice Advocacy Centre
New Zealand, which is used by many
GPs, is that doctors should “check
levels if patients have symptoms of
anaemia or peripheral neuropathy”
and “monitor vitamin B12 levels peri-
odically”. That means annually, or as
appropriate, depending on patient
characteristics.
Only then, if a deficiency is
discovered, would supplemen-
tation be recommended.
Some guidelines don’t
even recommend moni-
toring, merely advising
doctors to keep an eye out
for signs of a deficiency.
Whatever path you and your GP
agree on, the goal is certainly to
ensure optimal vitamin B12 levels are
maintained in patients during long-
term metformin use. lA downside of
metformin is its
potential to lower
vitamin B12 levels.GE
TT
Y
IM
AG
ESpoor memory, stomach problems
(including constipation), loss of
appetite and weight loss. Prompt
treatment is needed, because the
longer it is delayed, the poorer the
chance of reversing the neurological
complications.
The effect of metformin on vitamin
B12 levels was first recognised in the
1970s, and since then a number of
clinical trials, observational studies
and reviews have sought to under-
stand the link. However, metformin
is also taken by non-diabetics, and
much of the research hasn’t sepa-
rated the effect on people with other
conditions.
A 2016 review published in
Diabetes and Metabolism decided to
untangle the data to understand the
specific effect metformin had on