Vitamin B-12 - A Truly Essential Vitamin - Webinar Replay - Episode 832

Vitamin B-12 - A truly essential vitamin. Webinar presented by: Celebrity Fitness Trainer Vinnie Tortorich & Andy Schreiber, CEO of Pure Vitamin Club What is Vitamin B-12? Also called "cobalamin," Vitamin B-12 is one of the 8 members of the B vitamin family, and is considered one of the "essential vitamins." The reason they're called "essential" is that they are literally required for the human body to work properly. There are 13 essential vitamins: Vitamin A Vitamin C Vitamin D (D2 and D3) Vitamin E Vitamin K (K1 & K 2) Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) Vitamin B3 (Niacin) Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid) Vitamin B6 Vitamin B7 (Biotin) Vitamin B9 (Folate, or Folic Acid) Vitamin B12 The B Vitamins Water soluble (the body does not store them) Help the body convert food into fuel, which is used to produce energy Needed for healthy skin, hair, eyes, and liver Help the nervous system function properly What Does Vitamin B-12 Do? Vitamin B12 helps keep the body's nerve and blood cells healthy and helps make DNA, the genetic material in all cells. Vitamin B12 also helps prevent a type of anemia called megaloblastic anemia that makes people tired and weak. How Is Vitamin B-12 Absorbed? Two steps are required for the body to absorb vitamin B-12 from food. First, hydrochloric acid in the stomach separates vitamin B-12 from the protein to which vitamin B-12 is attached in food. After this, vitamin B-12 combines with a protein made by the stomach called intrinsic factor and is absorbed by the body. Some people have pernicious anemia, a condition where they cannot make intrinsic factor. As a result, they have trouble absorbing vitamin B-12 from all foods and dietary supplements. How B-12 Works With Other B Vitamins Vitamin B-12 works closely with Vitamin B-9 (Folate, or Folic Acid) to do the following: Make red blood cells and help iron work better in the body. Produce S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe), a compound involved in immune function and mood Vitamin B-12 works closely with Vitamin B-9 and Vitamin B-6 to do the following: Control blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine. High levels of homocysteine are associated with heart disease. What Foods Contain Vitamin B-12? Vitamin B-12 does not occur in any plant-based foods. The best dietary sources are: Meat Fish & Seafood Poultry Dairy Products Eggs Some packaged foods, such as breakfast cereals, are "fortified" with Vitamin B-12, as well as with other vitamins, but these are by definition "processed" foods, and may not be the best choices for people trying to maintain a healthy diet. Will Vitamin B-12 Give Me Energy? It's a common myth that taking a Vitamin B-12 supplement will automatically give you a boost of energy. Unless you have a deficiency, or are in the "low normal" range of Vitamin B-12, there is no evidence that taking a B-12 supplement will increase your energy at all. What Is A Vitamin B-12 Deficiency? First it's important to understand what constitutes a deficiency for Vitamin B-12. There is some question about where the actual clinical cutoff is. Plasma Vitamin B-12 levels are measured in pmol/L – picomoles per liter. Some important numbers to know: The currently accepted cutoff for clinical "deficiency" is 148 pmol/L. The "low normal" range is between 149 and 257 pmol/L A major study from the 1970's, the Framingham Offspring Study, revealed some very surprising data about Vitamin B-12 levels in the population studied: Around 9% of the population fell below the clinical deficiency level (148 pmol/L) More than 16% of the population fell below 185 pmol/L, a seriously low level A full 39% of the population fell into the "low normal" range – below 258 pmol/L According to a nutritional epidemiologist at Tufts University in Boston, many people who fall into the under 185 level are actually fully deficient, in terms of the health effects, and a significant percentage of people in the under 258, or "low normal" range, can exhibit some of the neurological symptoms of clinical deficiency. What Are The Symptoms Of Vitamin B-12 Deficiency? • Chronic Fatigue • Mood Changes, Increased Depression or • Muscle Aches and Weakness Anxiety • Joint Pain • Abnormal Heart Problems / Palpitations • Difficulty Breathing/Shortness of Breath • Poor Dental Health, Including Bleeding Gums • Feeling Dizzy and Mouth Sores • Poor Memory • Digestive Problems like Nausea, Diarrhea, or • Inability to Concentrate Well Cramping • A Poor Appetite (A more serious deficiency can also cause pernicious anemia, which can cause memory loss, confusion, and even long-term dementia.) Who Is Most At Risk For Vitamin B-12 Deficiency? People over 50 People who take, or have taken for extended periods, antacids or proton inhibitors, such as Prilosec, Zantac, Prevacid, etc. People with digestive disorders, such as Crohn's disease, IBS, celiac disease, etc. People who take the diabetes drug Metformin Vegans and vegetarians Women who take birth control pills Women with a history of infertility or miscarriage What Do I Do If I Have A Vitamin B-12 Deficiency? Research shows that for people who have a Vitamin B-12 deficiency, increasing dietary intake of meat, fish, dairy, etc., may not be enough, and supplementation may be necessary. For most people with moderate deficiency, or who are in the "low normal" levels, oral supplementation is highly effective. For people with more serious deficiencies, it may be necessary to supplement with regular injections. What Is The Best Form Of Vitamin B-12? The two most common forms of Vitamin B-12 are methylcobalamin and cyanocobalamin. Methylcobalamin is the form of B-12 that occurs in nature, and is by far the more preferred form for supplementation. Cyanocobalamin is a synthetic form of B-12 that binds the actual B-12 to a cyanide molecule. It is used in many commercially available Vitamin B-12 supplements, and can even be found in many brands of injectable B -12 prescribed by physicians. In order to utilize Cyanocobalamin, the liver must actually dispose of the cyanide molecule, and convert the cobalamin back to the methyl form. This greatly diminishes the effectiveness, and taxes the liver. So why do so many supplements, and even injections, use this form? It's CHEAPER! A LOT CHEAPER! Capsules, Liquid, or Tablet? What delivery method for B-12 is the best? Because B-12 absorption is so easily affected by levels of stomach acid, any pills that are swallowed are not the best option. You will sometimes see "Soft Chews," or other forms of candy used to deliver B-12, but these require sugar, or artificial sweeteners. Liquid supplements are effective, but difficult to transport and to dose accurately. Sub -lingual tablets dissolve under the tongue, delivering the B-12 directly to the blood stream, and are the most effective delivery method. How Are Sub-Lingual Tablets Made? Vitamin B-12, as taken in supplements, is measured in "micrograms," so the physical amount even in a high-dose supplement is very small. To visualize this – a typical multivitamin capsule contains about 850 mg of raw material. A high dosage of Vitamin B-12 is between 1,000 and 5,000 mcg, or between 1 and 5 mg. On the left, you can see that even the highest dose of B-12, 5,000 mcg, barely even shows up against the amount in a typical capsule. This means that a filler of some sort must be used to create a tablet large enough to even register or be able to handle. So What Do Most Tablets Use As A Base? Because the amount of cobalamin in a Vitamin B-12 supplement is so small, by definition it requires that the cobalamin be attached to some sort of base material. Virtually all products available use one of two such materials. Either: Lactose – a disaccharide sugar composed of galactose and glucose that is found in milk. Lactose makes up around 2 – 8% of milk. Lactose is a poor choice for a lot of people, as many people are lactose intolerant. Additionally, vegans, who need to rely on supplementation to meet their B-12 needs, cannot take lacto