Genetic Link Found to B12 Vitamin Interference
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Canadian researchers have identified a mutant gene that impairs the body’s ability to handle vitamin B12, producing diseases that are accompanied by an increased risk of heart disease, stroke and dementia.
The team reported this week in the journal Nature Genetics that a defective form of a gene called MMACHC interferes with the vitamin’s ability to help synthesize red blood cells and maintain the nervous system. The identification will allow early diagnosis of such diseases as methylmalonic aciduria and homocystinuria.
