Vitamin B12 Levels Linked to Memory Skills and Brain Size

In the past, he says, he would check for the markers only when he suspected a B12 deficiency. Now, Potts says, "I think I'm going to do it on everybody."

How to get your B12

Liver, clams, salmon and trout are all high in vitamin B12. Fortified supplements and cereals, which may be more easily absorbed in the body, are also good sources of the vitamin.

To get your recommended daily value (DV):

• 1 slice of liver, 800% recommended daily value
• 3 ounces of cooked clams, 570% DV
• 3 ounces of sockeye salmon, 80% DV
• 1 cup of yogurt, 23% DV
• 3 ounces of steak, 23% DV

Source: National Institutes of Health fact sheet.

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Jennifer Anderson is a freelance health and science writer.