> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.foodconsumer.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Vitamin b12 important for kids' cognition
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/vitamin_b12_important_for_kids_cognition_1011160317/
- Published: 2016-10-11T18:36:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:22:25.000Z
- Description: A review in Advances in Nutrition notes that inadequate vitamin B-12 intake or blood levels during pregnancy and early childhood are associated with impaired cognitive development, and that no study has tested whether B-12 supplements benefit children's cognition.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Vitamins, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

It's not just adults that need vitamin b12\. A review report published in Advances in Nutrition reminds parents of the importance of vitamin B-12 for the brain development and cognitive function in their children.

The report says that inadequate serum vitamin B 12 levels or intake during pregnancy and early childhood are known to be associated with adverse pediatric health outcomes such as impaired cognitive development.

Authors of the report say that although vitamin b12 insufficiency is common and it is associated with adverse cognitive outcomes, no studies have been conducted to examine the potentially beneficial effects of vitamin b12 supplements on pediatric cognition.

Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that is naturally occurring in animal foods such as fish, meat, poultry, and eggs. Vitamin b12 is generally not present in plant foods. For that reason, vegans and vegetarians can be vitamin b12 deficient if they do not take vitamin B 12 supplements. (David Liu)

For more information on vitamin B12, visit [https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/#h2](https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/?ref=foodconsumer.org#h2)

[Sudha Venkatramanan Ilianna E Armata Barbara J Strupp and Julia L Finkelstein Vitamin B-12 and Cognition in Children Adv Nutr September 2016 Adv Nutr vol. 7: 879-888, 2016](http://advances.nutrition.org/content/7/5/879.abstract?ref=foodconsumer.org)