Vitamin B12 - Methylcobalamin

 

Methylcobalamin is a form of bio-active B12 that is well absorbed and crosses the blood brain barrier more effectively than other forms of B12. This makes it suitable for general/systemic wide B12 deficiency, and more uniquely for brain/nerve disorders. It is the form of vitamin B12 active in the central nervous system. It is essential for cell growth and replication. In some people the liver may not convert cyanocobalamin, the common supplemental form of vitamin B12, into adequate amounts of methylcobalamin needed for proper neuronal functioning. Methylcobalamin may exert its neuroprotective effects through enhanced methylation, acceleration of nerve cell growth, or its ability to maintain already healthy homocysteine levels. For methylcobalamin to be available to the brain, it should be allowed to dissolve in the mouth.

 

The body relies on the efficient conversion of carbohydrates and fatty acids to glucose, the body's fuel. Vitamin B12 plays a major role in that conversion.

 

 

The older one gets the more likely a vitamin B12 deficiency becomes. Vitamin B12 deficiency comes about from either not getting enough in your diet and/or from losing the ability to absorb it.

 

 

Per Lozenge:

 

Vitamin B12 1mg i.e. 1,000 microgram (As methylcobalamin)

 

Other ingredients: sorbitol, mannitol, cellulose, vanilla flavor, magnesium stearate, modified cellulose gum, silica. Contains corn.

 

This product contains NO milk, egg, fish, peanuts, crustacean shellfish (lobster, crab, shrimp), soybeans, tree nuts, wheat, yeast, gluten, or rice. Contains NO artificial sweeteners, flavors, colors, or preservatives.

 

 

General maintenance use: one lozenge daily dissolved in the mouth.

 

Intensive use: up to 8 lozenges daily, dissolved in the mouth, or as recommended by a healthcare practitioner.

 

Vitamin B12 deficiency is more common than previously thought, not limited to vegetarians who were previously seen as the "primary" group suffering from this deficiency. It is common also in the over-60s (as high as 25% of this group). Furthermore, evidence is now emerging that other age groups may also have a deficiency.

 

The body depends on vitamin B12 for many vital processes, including these listed below

When blood levels of vitamin B12 are low, one or more of these processes may be affected. Without adequate B12, one can experience symptoms related to low energy, mental fatigue, mood changes, sleep difficulties, and even occasional indigestion.

 

The body relies on the efficient conversion of carbohydrates and fatty acids to glucose, the body's fuel. Vitamin B12 plays a major role in that conversion.

 

The older one gets the more likely a vitamin B12 deficiency becomes. Vitamin B12 deficiency comes about from either not getting enough in your diet and/or from losing the ability to absorb it.

 

As one ages the digestive system deteriorates (especially with a western diet). The lining of the stomach loses its ability to produce hydrochloric acid which releases vitamin B 12 from your food. The use of antacids or anti ulcer drugs will also lower your stomach acid secretion and decrease your ability to absorb vitamin B12.  Infection with Helicobactor pylori, a common contributor to stomach ulcers, can also result in vitamin B12 deficiency.

 

However the main cause of vitamin B12 deficiency is a term researchers call "food-cobalamin malabsorption syndrome". Cobalamin is the scientific term for vitamin B12. This typically results when the stomach lining loses the ability to produce the protein that binds to vitamin B12 and allows your body to absorb it at the end of your small intestine.

 

Many people often feel tired, run-down, and lacking in energy. Low energy is a major health complaint. One of the main reasons for this is the regular consumption of refined/processed foods, which are: 

Add to this the harmful effects of caffeine, pollution, conventional therapies, and the stress most people experience every day.

 

Extra energy is just one of B12's many health benefits, Vitamin B12 confers other health benefits too, some of which are listed below

If You Avoid Meat, You Probably Need to Take B12

 

 

Many people avoid red meats for a large variety of reasons. However, this puts one at a high risk for developing vitamin B12 deficiency, because plant sources have virtually no vitamin B12 and most oral (non-sublingual) forms of B12 in nearly all supplements are practically useless, as little is absorbed into your bloodstream.

 

Vegetarians should take this essential micronutrient to ensure an adequate supply of it, because it is found almost exclusively in animal tissues. The few plant foods that are sources of B12 are actually B12 analogs, not the form that provides all the benefits of the real deal. A B12 analog is a substance that blocks the uptake of true B12, the result being, the body's need for the nutrient actually increases. 

 

If you suffer from sleeping difficulties, daytime B12 supplementation may help. B12 plays a vital role in melatonin production. Melatonin has been called "the sleep hormone" because it is responsible for letting you get a good night's sleep. As one ages, it becomes increasingly more difficult to get a good night's sleep because the body becomes less efficient at making this hormone.  

 

Some of the symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency include....

Sometimes even those who eat foods rich in B12 may need to supplement.  Even if one eats plenty of meat, poultry, lamb's liver, brewer's yeast, clams, eggs, herring, mackerel, kidneys, milk, dairy products, seafood etc low levels of B12 may still prevail. This is possibly because the body is unable to absorb it from the gut.  Vitamin B12 needs the help of a protein in order to be absorbed.  That protein is called intrinsic factor.  And because the lining of your stomach makes intrinsic factor, people with less-than-optimal gastrointestinal health often need to supplement with B12. 

 

Likewise, most people over the age of 50 have a limited ability to absorb B12 too, thus, the need for supplementation.

 

Sublingual B12 is preferred as evidence indicates that most of the vitamin goes via the lymphatic system. Therefore, this treatment mode may yield more benefit by avoiding the digestive system.

 

Methylcobalamin is the form of vitamin B12 active in the central nervous system. It is essential for cell growth and replication. In some people the liver may not convert cyanocobalamin, the common supplemental form of vitamin B12, into adequate amounts of methylcobalamin needed for proper neuronal functioning. Methylcobalamin may exert its neuroprotective effects through enhanced methylation, acceleration of nerve cell growth, or its ability to maintain already healthy homocysteine levels. For methylcobalamin to be available to the brain, it should be allowed to dissolve in the mouth.

 

 

High-dose sublingual Vitamin B12 has been found, in many cases, to help relieve Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, bi-polar disorder (especially depression), phychotic depression, violent behaviour, paraniod psychosis, asthma, allergies, low immunity and chronic fatigue. Vitamin B12 in the form of  Methylcolbalamin is non-toxic and crosses the blood-brain barrier and is therefore especially beneficial in brain and neurological disorders.

 

Please click here to read the Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, May 2006 by Joseph G. Hattersley about the use of high dose Vitamin B12 for the reversal and prevention of Alzheimer's Disease and other diseases.