From: Tarja Anchor
Kajava Therapist,
Holistic Health Practitioner
Sublingual B 12 Vitamin
 Did You Know, that...
For example long-term use of acid-reducing drugs has been implicated in vitamin B12 deficiency. Treatment of B12 deficiency generally requires painfull injections of vitamin B12 to bypass intestinal absorption.. But luckily not any more...
Learn about Sublinbgual Vitamin B12 supplements...
Vitamin B12 deficiency is a very serious problem leading ultimately to anemia and irreversible nerve damage. According to studies, B 12 vitamin deficiency is more common than you might think!
B Vitamin Deficiency May Be The Cause If You Are:
Tired - Sluggish - Iirritated - Have difficulty sleeping - Nervous - Stressed - Sad - Depressed - Anxious - Forgetful...also Tongue Soreness, Appetite Loss, and Constipation have been associated with vitamin B12 deficiency...just for example...
And then think about this if you are in risk group... The amount of homocysteine in the blood is regulated by at least three vitamins: folate, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6.
B12 deficiency Risk factors
People at risk for vitamin B12 deficiency include vegetarians, elderly people, and people with increased vitamin B12 requirements suchs as pregnancy, alcoholism, gerd, problems with digestion, drug use, oral contraceptives, thyrotoxicosis, hemolytic anemia, hemorrhages, malignancy, liver or kidney disease.
Number of drugs reduce the absorption of vitamin B12.
A number of drugs reduce the absorption of vitamin B12, oral contraceptives for example. The data regarding the lower vitamin B12 serum levels seen with oral contraceptives is conflicting. When oral contraceptive use is stopped,vitamin B12 levels usually normalize. Nicotine can reduce serum vitamin B12 levels, but the need for vitamin B12 supplementation has not been studied enough. Vitamin B12 deficiency is estimated to affect 10%-15% of individuals over the age of 60. Investigators have found vitamin B12 deficiency in 3-42 percent of persons aged 65 and older. Because vitamin B12 malabsorption and vitamin B12 deficiency are more common in older adults, some respected nutritionists recommend that adults 65 years and older should take 100 to 400 mcg/day of supplemental vitamin B12 as vitamin B-complex supplements.
Vitamin B12 is bound to the protein in food. Because stomach acid is required for the release of vitamin B12 from the proteins in food, vitamin B12 absorption is diminished when using acid-reducing drugs. The most common cause of vitamin B12 deficiency is food-bound vitamin B12 malabsorption.
Vitamin B12 has the largest and most complex chemical structure of all the vitamins.
Adequate Amounts of B Vitamins Are Crucial To: -Heart health.
-Healthy skin, bones, hair and muscles.
-Good emotional balance and positive outlook of life.
-Enough energy, stamina, and to sleep well.
-Healthy brain and nerve cell function.
-Mental clarity and memory.
-Hormone synthesis. |
Causes of vitamin B12 deficiency The human physiology of vitamin B12 is complex and prone to mishaps leading to vitamin B12 deficiency. Since vitamin B12 is found only in foods of animal origin, a strict vegetarian (vegan) diet may result in case of vitamin B12 deficiency. Also alcoholics may experience reduced intestinal absorption of vitamin B12 and deficiency of it .
Preliminary evidence suggests that vitamin C supplements can destroy dietary vitamin B12. Folic acid in large doses can mask vitamin B12 deficiency. Folic acid is frequently used in combination with other B vitamins in a vitamin B complex formulations. Potassium supplements can reduce absorption of vitamin B12 in some people.
Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency Tongue soreness, appetite loss, and constipation have been associated with vitamin B12 deficiency.
Individuals with Alzheimer's disease often have low blood levels of vitamin B12. One study found lower vitamin B12 levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Alzheimer's disease than in patients with other types of dementia, though blood levels of vitamin B12 did not differ. Also, moderately increased homocysteine levels as well as decreased folate and vitamin B12 levels have been associated with Alzheimer's disease.
The amount of homocysteine in the blood is regulated by at least three vitamins: folate, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6. Both vitamin B12 and folate deficiencies result in a diminished capacity for methylation reactions. B vitamin supplementation is commonly used to treat hyperhomocysteinemia. Over-the-counter preparations containing cyanocobalamin include multivitamins, vitamin B-complex, and vitamin B12 supplements.
Large doses of folic acid given to an individual with an undiagnosed vitamin B12 deficiency could correct megaloblastic anemia without correcting the underlying vitamin B12 deficiency, leaving the individual at risk of developing irreversible neurologic damage.
Patients should be encouraged to maintain adequate dietary vitamin B12 intake. Folate and vitamin B12 status should be checked if symptoms of anemia develop. One study suggests that a practical daily combination may include folic acid, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6. Administering vitamin B12 orally, intramuscularly, or intranasally is effective for preventing and treating dietary vitamin B12 deficiency. Diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency is typically based on measurement of serum vitamin B12 levels. More sensitive method of screening for vitamin B12 deficiency is measurement of serum methylmalonic acid and homocysteine levels. These are increased early in vitamin B12 deficiency.
Prevention of vitamin B12 deficiency
Avoid over consumption of foods that block vitamin B12 intake or increase the body’s need for the vitamin, such as soy foods and spirulina. Avoid taking excess vitamin C, especially for long periods. Small amounts of natural vitamin C are a better choice than large amounts of synthetic vitamin C.
–To your health.
This article is the opinion of the author and may or may not be substantiated by scientific fact.
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