Some Important Information On Vitamin B-12

Post by **tex** » Fri Sep 30, 2011 2:25 pm

Hi All,

Some new research has come up with some eye-catching results for B-12, and since we are definitely at risk of malabsorbing B-12 while we are reacting, (and probably until our gut finishes healing), I thought that we should all be aware of this. Dr. Briffa pointed this out in a recent blog:

In general, tests which indicated low B12 status (e.g. raised homocysteine levels) were associated with lower cognitive function tests scores and smaller brain volume. This was true for all of the 5 markers for B12 except serum B12 levels.

What this evidence suggests is that B12 may have an important role to play in the ageing brain, and that assessing levels via the standard blood test is not particularly useful.

This situation is reminiscent of tests for iron levels in the body. Serum iron is a generally useless test of actual iron levels in the body, while other tests (notably ‘ferritin’) are much more useful in practice.

The absorption of B12 is a quite complex process, and ageing may well lead to an impairment of B12 absorption and increase the risk of deficiency. There is a risk, of course, that using the most common test for B12 levels (serum B12) runs the risk of missing genuine B12 deficiency. The end result might be someone languishing in a B12-deficient state, which may have profound implications for their health and wellbeing.

http://www.drbriffa.com/2011/09/29/b12- ... ater-life/

While I have no proof, it certainly appears that this may be what happened to me, since I definitely have gluten-induced ataxia, and peripheral neuropathy, and MRI scans show that my brain has shrunk. There is little doubt that I eventually became B-12 deficient, after years of reacting, before I figured out what was causing the problem.

Any neurologist can tell you that many people show brain shrinkage, as they get older, but the cause is usually unknown - well, this may well be the cause that they have been looking for.

Tex

Lesley · Post by **Lesley** » Fri Sep 30, 2011 5:57 pm

Thanks for this Tex. I have not had an MRI, but I know I am having these problems. All I have to do is shake me head and hear it rattling around in there.
Really interesting to get this info.

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Fri Sep 30, 2011 8:31 pm

Tex wrote:MRI scans show that my brain has shrunk.

If your brain has shrunk, how intelligent were you before you lost some of it, because you are surely one of the most intelligent people I've ever known. You also have an amazing ability to make the complex easily understood.

Gloria

starfire · Post by **starfire** » Sat Oct 01, 2011 5:10 am

I agree, Gloria.

MBombardier · Post by **MBombardier** » Sat Oct 01, 2011 9:05 am

Me, too.

I have a question. Zipfizz (a powder that is put into water) provides 2500 mcg of B-12 along with other vitamins, amino acids, etc. There are no fat-soluble vitamins except 10mg of E, so I am not worried about poisoning myself. Probably, even with the apparent severe damage in my small intestine, I am getting enough B-12. I have a couple of these a day, and the tube says to have no more than three a day. My question is: Is that because B-12 is stored in the liver unlike the other B- vitamins? Is there any B-12 liver toxicity to be concerned about when the damage in my gut heals?

Post by **tex** » Sat Oct 01, 2011 10:41 am

Marliss,

I have no idea why that warning is on that product, because the Office of Dietary Supplements of the National Institutes of Health, has never set a tolerable upper intake level for B-12. Here's what they say about it:

Health Risks from Excessive Vitamin B12
The IOM did not establish a UL for vitamin B12 because of its low potential for toxicity. In Dietary Reference Intakes: Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline, the IOM states that "no adverse effects have been associated with excess vitamin B12 intake from food and supplements in healthy individuals" [5].

Findings from intervention trials support these conclusions. In the NORVIT and HOPE 2 trials, vitamin B12 supplementation (in combination with folic acid and vitamin B6) did not cause any serious adverse events when administered at doses of 0.4 mg for 40 months (NORVIT trial) and 1.0 mg for 5 years (HOPE 2 trial) [62,63].

Of course, what we consider to be a high dose, and what they consider to be a high dose tends to differ.

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitaminb12

If that product also contains B-6 or B-9, the limitation warning is probably because of one of them. In 1998, they set limits on those two "B" vitamins according to this guideline:

The committee set the tolerable upper intake level for vitamin B6 at 100 milligrams per day for adults. Intakes above this amount could cause sensory neuropathy, a nerve disorder that can lead to pain, numbness, and weakness in the limbs. Likewise, adults with vitamin B12 deficiency who take excess folic acid place themselves at greater risk of progressive, crippling neurologic damage. For folic acid, the committee set the tolerable upper intake level for adults at 1,000 micrograms, or 1 milligram, per day.

http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpin ... ordID=6015

IMO, an explanation is in order for their warning about the limits on folic acid. Apparently, the risk is not that the folic acid will harm most users, it's mostly that the folic acid will mask a B-12 deficiency. IOW, if one takes enough folic acid, the blood tests normally used by doctors will completely miss a B-12 deficiency, thereby leading to an accidental, (invisible to the tests), condition of B-12 deficiency. That means that if someone is going to take high amounts of folic acid, they need to take high amounts of B-12, as well, as a safety precaution. FWIW, I take 19 times the tolerable upper intake level that they have set for folic acid. Their limit is 1 mg per day - I take 19 mg. (I also take 2 mg of B-12, and 50 mg of B-6). All this is in addition to a multivitamin which contains at least the RDA for those vitamins.

Tex

Post by **tex** » Sat Oct 01, 2011 11:00 am

Gloria and Shirley,

Thanks, I appreciate the kind words, but I think that I'm just lucky enough to be a fairly decent researcher, and it seems that I have the lucky gift of being able to look at the whole picture, and notice the significance of certain details that many people tend to overlook.

Tex

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Sat Oct 01, 2011 11:52 am

Tex,

I feel very lucky that you have that lucky gift

Love,
Sara

MBombardier · Post by **MBombardier** » Sat Oct 01, 2011 1:30 pm

Interesting... There is 13 mcg of Folate and 2.5 mg of B6. Perhaps it has something to do with the 100 mg of caffeine from guarana seed extract. So more than three would be more caffeine than three cups of coffee.

Lesley · Post by **Lesley** » Sat Oct 01, 2011 5:10 pm

You are more than just a researcher. You actually understand and can explain stuff that I would be stumped even trying to read.

Post by **tex** » Sat Oct 01, 2011 5:41 pm

I appreciate all the kind words, but if you're not careful, I might start thinking that I actually know what I'm talking about, and I could end up like all those lost GI specialists out there.

Thanks,
Tex