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This is a common condition in the elderly which comes from the inability to secrete sufficient stomach acid to kill bacteria. This problem affects approximately 20% of people between 60 and 69 years of age, and 40% of people over 80. These bacteria, which are not killed by the normal stomach acid, interfere with the absorption of vitamin B12. The author notes that the deficiency of vitamin B12 may not be severe enough to show up in the blood, but it can be associated with psychiatric dementias. A significant number of elderly people have atrophic gastritis with hypo- or achlorhydria, predisposing them to bacterial overgrowth.
This study also showed that organisms found in yogurt have no impact on the flora of healthy elderly subjects and a relatively small impact on elderly atrophic gastritis subjects.
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