by Alex Ortner

January 11, 2012
from RawFor30Days Website

Vitamin B-12 is one of 8 B complex vitamins.

It is found in animal products such as meat, eggs, milk and fish. Obviously a problem if you are vegetarian or vegan!

B-12 is involved in the metabolism of every cell in the body and deficiencies are a bit of a hidden epidemic in society.

Deficiencies are associated with chronic diseases such as,

• cardiovascular disease

• Alzheimers

• depression

• bipolar disease

If you take drugs for diabetes, stomach acid, ulcers, blood pressure, birth control or cholesterol you are likely to be deficient too.

Many vegans and vegetarians opt to use blue-green algae to increase their B-12 levels but these cannot be used effectively by the body. The best source of vitamin B-12 in nature is spirulina. The only problem with using spirulina for your B-12 is that it is hard to assimilate enough B-12 from this (although I still recommend taking Spiriluna).

B-12 is a large molecule compared to other vitamins and needs an enzyme called intrinsic factor to metabolize in your body.

As you age you lose the ability to secret hydrochloric acid that helps to release Vitamin B-12 from your food. To further exacerbate the problem it is hard to absorb through the stomach so even if you are eating foods or taking supplements that are rich in Vitamin B-12 it is unlikely that you are getting enough.

You would only absorb around 1% at best from a capsule supplement dose.
 

Cobalamin (cbl) absorption and metabolic pathway.

(A) Structure of cobalamin (vitamin B12) with a corrin ring bound to a central cobalt atom.

(B) The metabolic journey of cbl from nutrient intake to its intestinal absorption.

Endocytic receptors and proteins responsible for vitamin B12 intestinal absorption include

cubilin (CUBN), amnionless (AMN), receptor-associated protein (RAP) and megalin (LRP-2).

The membrane megalin/transcobalamin II (TCII) receptor complex allows the cellular uptake of cbl.

Lysosomal-mediated degradation of TCII and subsequent release of free cbl

is essential for vitamin B12 metabolic functions.

MS: methonine synthase;

THF: tetrahydrofolate;

MTHFR: methyltetrahydrofolate reductase;

MCM: methylmalonyl coA mutase.

This is a vitamin that is known to supply us with energy but it is also good for the formation of your red blood cells and the support of your immune system. It also helps your body produce melatonin that helps you sleep so if you have difficulty sleeping you may benefit from more B-12.

Other deficiency symptoms according to Dr. Gabriel Cousens, include,

‘diarrhea, fever, infertility, sore tongue, enlargement of the mucous membranes of the mouth, vagina and stomach, macrocytic anemia and low white blood cells and platelet count.’

It may also be a factor in babies who show ‘failure to thrive’.

Lack of B-12 can lead to children being neurologically impaired because they need B-12 for the development of their neurological and hematological systems. There are three reported cases of children dying of B-12 deficiency so it’s pretty important.

Studies show that about 80% of vegans or live fooders become B-12 deficient and 39% of meat-eaters are B-12 deficient. If you suspect you are deficient then get tested. The gold standard test is a methylmalonic acid test. Standard tests may show you false results.

If you are looking for ways to increase your energy, improve your sleep, you suspect you have a deficiency or you follow a raw food or vegetarian diet it may be beneficial for you to take a B-12 spray supplement. The most effective delivery system is through microscopic droplets of B-12 that come in a fine mist that gets sprayed into the mouth.

Personally both I and all of my family members take a B-12 spray called “B-12 Energy Booster” by Dr. Mercola.

You can learn more about it by clicking here.

There are a number of B-12 sprays available but I take this one because it seems to have a reasonable price and because I trust Dr. Mercola as the source.