Over the past couple of years, many people suffering from long Covid reported suffering symptoms that are often grouped together as “brain fog”.
Problems with memory loss, difficulty in concentrating and a lack of mental focus have all been cited as lingering effects of infection with the coronavirus.
But there are other causes of these symptoms, including a deficiency of a nutrient that, experts say, is sometimes not given the attention it deserves.
Cobalamin, better known as vitamin B12, plays a key role in many essential processes in the body, and shortages can cause everything from tiredness to mood changes and brain fog.
A lot of the symptoms associated with B12 deficiency are similar to those observed with long Covid
Prof Martin Warren,
Quadram Institute
“It affects some of the ability of the brain to function properly,” says Prof Martin Warren, who leads a group researching vitamin B12 at the Quadram Institute, a centre for food and health research in Norwich in the UK.
“A lot of the symptoms associated with B12 deficiency are similar to those that are observed with long Covid. They’re obviously not identical, but they are similar.”
B12 deficiencies have been highlighted by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, a UK government organisation, which said last month that they were common in patients receiving metformin, a treatment for type 2 diabetes.
The organisation has advised that B12 levels should be tested in patients on metformin if they show symptoms that suggest they may have a deficiency.
Symptoms can be gradual
When it comes to the “brain fog” sometimes seen with B12 deficiency, symptoms can include confusion and memory problems, while depression may also result.
“Vitamin B12 plays two key roles in metabolism, and one of those roles is to help produce agents in the brain that we use as neurotransmitters, and it also affects the nerve endings and the way that those are put together,” Prof Warren says.
“The effect there is that if you don’t have enough B12, some of those things don’t work properly, and that’s what gives rise to the neurological issues.”
The vitamin’s essential roles in many processes ― from making amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, to synthesising DNA, the genetic material ― mean that the effects of deficiencies are widespread.
Anaemia is one other consequence, with shortages of B12 leading to the production of larger than normal red blood cells, which are unable to function properly.
But despite being potentially serious, symptoms do not show up quickly, so are often not recognised.
“It’s not like you suddenly go down with a fever,” Prof Warren says. “You gradually feel more lethargic or your brain just doesn’t think in the way you used to, but it’s a gradual process.”
Healthy, balanced diet
Ruminant mammals, such as cattle, sheep and goats, obtain B12 from micro-organisms present in their digestive tract. Humans, however, do not absorb B12 from their gut bacteria, so we have no option but to consume it in our diet.
B12 is more common in meat, fish and dairy products and, as a result, vegetarians and especially vegans have to be more careful to ensure that they consume enough.
The increased availability of plant-based alternatives to dairy products, such as almond or soya milks fortified with B12 and other important nutrients, have made this easier.
“With good planning and an understanding of what makes up a healthy, balanced vegan diet, you can get all the nutrients your body needs,” the UK’s National Health Service states in an online briefing document.
For example, 250ml of an unsweetened almond milk substitute sold by a major supermarket chain in the UK contains 0.95 micrograms of B12, which is 38 per cent of the recommended daily intake.
Supplements are an alternative source and are considered safe because, unlike with some other nutrients, consuming significantly more B12 than is necessary is not considered harmful.
But it is important to take in small amounts regularly, because when large amounts are ingested, only a fraction is absorbed.
Another group of people advised to pay particular attention to B12 are the elderly, because about 20 per cent of over 60s are deficient.
“Their bodies lose the ability to absorb the nutrient,” Prof Warren says.
People at particular risk are those with a condition called pernicious anaemia, caused by the immune system attacking cells that produce a protein, an intrinsic factor that is essential for the absorption of B12.
Deficiency in children
Deficiencies of vitamin B12 are also found in the developing world, including in children, whose healthy growth may be impaired.
Among the researchers to have looked at this is Prof Henrik Friis, of the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports.
Earlier this year he and his co-researchers released a study, carried out with Medecins Sans Frontieres, which found that B12 deficiency in infants was a major problem in the West African country of Burkina Faso.
Looking at more than 1,000 children with acute malnutrition aged between six and 23 months, they found B12 deficiencies were widespread and were linked to anaemia and hampered motor development, meaning the growth of the child’s bones, muscles and ability to move.
“In children in a low-income situation we found very high prevalence of deficiencies,” Prof Friis says. “We found two thirds of these children had low or marginal B12 status.”
While cautioning that he is not a neurologist, Prof Friis says that because cobalamin is important for the brain development, deficiencies in children may have long-lasting effects.
“It’s very likely it will have some detrimental effects on the development of these children, and they may eventually grow up and have impaired intellectual capacity,” he says.
Aside from consuming animal-based products, people in developing countries could benefit if B12 was added to foodstuffs available to poorer people, something Prof Friis said might need to be made mandatory.
While the production of many nutrients is relatively straightforward using chemical processes, with B12 about 70 steps are needed and yields are “incredibly low”, Prof Warren says, making it uneconomic.
“We’ve looked at ways to enhance B12 production,” Prof Warren says. “It’s the most structurally complex of all the nutrients, consequently it’s not one of the nutrients you can make through chemical synthesis.”
Instead, it is made by bacteria that are cultured industrially, and Prof Warren and other researchers are looking at ways to improve this synthesis.
While B12’s production is not as easy as it might be, the vitamin is available in many foodstuffs ― and people at particular risk are advised to make sure they take in enough of these products to ensure they do not suffer deficiencies of this vital nutrient.
Dubai's free healthcare clinic helps patients suffering from long Covid
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ponti
Sharlene Teo, Pan Macmillan
The specs
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
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OPTA'S PREDICTED TABLE
1. Liverpool 101 points
2. Manchester City 80
3. Leicester 67
4. Chelsea 63
5. Manchester United 61
6. Tottenham 58
7. Wolves 56
8. Arsenal 56
9. Sheffield United 55
10. Everton 50
11. Burnley 49
12. Crystal Palace 49
13. Newcastle 46
14. Southampton 44
15. West Ham 39
16. Brighton 37
17. Watford 36
18. Bournemouth 36
19. Aston Villa 32
20. Norwich City 29
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
THE SPECS
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The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Our House, Louise Candlish,
Simon & Schuster
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
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A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
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On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
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Price: On request
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE SPECS
Engine: 4.0L twin-turbo V8
Gearbox: eight-speed automatic
Power: 571hp at 6,000rpm
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Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L/100km
Price, base: from Dh571,000
On sale: this week
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE results
Lost to Oman by eight runs
Beat Namibia by three wickets
Lost to Oman by 12 runs
Beat Namibia by 43 runs
UAE fixtures
Free admission. All fixtures broadcast live on icc.tv
Tuesday March 15, v PNG at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Friday March 18, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Saturday March 19, v PNG at Dubai International Stadium
Monday March 21, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
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THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Specs
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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Transmission: 10-speed automatic
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