Check on dad's 35-pound weight loss

Q: My 86-year-old father has lost 35 pounds within the last eight months. He saw his primary-care physician when this started, and he was sent for CT scans, an MRI, digestive system studies, blood tests and a colonoscopy. All results were negative. He had only one diagnosis -- unexplained weight loss.

He recently saw a geriatric physician, who found a vitamin B-12 deficiency. Could there be a correlation with the weight loss?

A: As we age, we tend to find food less appealing than we once did. I hope your father is simply uninterested, but a weight loss of 35 pounds is substantial, and the cause must be discovered. I'd be interested to know whether the blood tests revealed any other abnormalities, albeit minor, that might contribute to the problem. I can't determine whether your father's weight loss is related to the B-12 deficiency or to another cause.

Vitamin B-12 is a necessary component of blood formation in the body. In the absence of the vitamin, anemia and other medical problems can become more serious until the deficiency is corrected.

At this point, I would give your father supplemental B-12 injections every week for a month, and then cut back to one a month. Also, I recommend that he be followed by the geriatric specialist. Your father's primary-care physician could have missed the boat, as do many practitioners. The elderly are sometimes a challenge to diagnose; hence, the "unexplained" weight loss.

Put off additional testing and use one form of B-12 supplements for two months. If your father's weight loss is related to his vitamin deficiency, you will start to see results. If not, go ahead with further testing.

Vitamin B-12 is commonly given as an injection, oral pills or sublingual (dissolved under the tongue) pills. There is currently a transdermal patch on the market, but I do not know about its efficacy and reliability. Injection is the most direct and potent way to administer the vitamin and can be done by a physician or properly trained family member. Pill forms are often a lower dosage and may require that several be taken daily to achieve results.

Your dad should eat a well-balanced diet. You may wish to add more carbohydrates and proteins to his diet in the form of chicken, fish and whole grains. Perhaps he is simply burning more calories than he consumes or he is not eating proper foods.

If the geriatric specialist has a different approach, bless his heart. I gladly support the expert's recommendations.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report Fads: Vitamins and Minerals. Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed, stamped number 10 envelope and $2 to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.