Get StartedDiscover the key facts you need to know about Vitamin B12 and how it impacts your overall business health! Learn why B12 is important in terms of cell energy production, formation of red blood cells, and the nervous system. Plus, get the scoop on causes for low B12, MTHFR gene mutation, and differences between cyanocobalamin vs. methylcobalamin supplements. Get the facts now to maximize your business health!
B12 plays an important role in producing cell energy, formation of red blood cells, as well as functioning in your nervous system, so particularly in terms of learning and memory. B12 is really important for maintaining DNA synthesis in many cells, and if you don't do this, you can get abnormal red blood cells. There's a lot of causes for low B12. There is a particular condition where some people develop antibodies to this factor called intrinsic factor. Intrinsic factor is a special factor that helps you absorb B12 in the gut. And if you have an antibody against the factor, you may develop what's called pernicious anemia. Another cause is malabsorption. A lot of people are getting gastric bypass or obesity surgery. And if you bypass the stomach may not necessarily have this special intrinsic factor available. So many patients who have gastric bypass surgery end up with B12 insufficiency. Now the most common reason though is dietary insufficiency, and usually I see this a lot with people who have like a vegan diet, having more than two drinks a day, sometimes certain medications like heartburn medications, even metformin. There's a particular gene mutation that has gotten a lot of press recently, methyl tetrahydrofolate reductase or MTHFR. If you have this particular mutation, you may not be able to absorb B12 appropriately because you won't be able to methylate. For these individuals, it's really important to get a certain form of B12. Oftentimes when you use it as a supplement, it's provided as two forms, cyanocobalamin as well as methylcobalamin. Cyanocobalamin is typically used in most supplements because, well, it's cheaper. It's a synthetic form. But the issue with it is it's not as readily absorbed. And if you have an empty HFR gene mutation, it's going to be really hard to absorb that. You want to choose the methyl cobalamin form. Even if you get your B12 tested, you ideally want it a little bit higher than what's considered normal. Normal is anywhere between 550 to 800. I've actually found that 800 to 1000 plus picograms per milliliter seems to be the most effective. There's actually a lot of research out there suggesting that higher B12 concentrations can improve. Athletic activity. We think it's primarily because of the increased red blood cell and oxygen carrying capacity. It allows you to work out longer and and have more functional exercise capacity. And then the other thing I get a lot is whether or not patients should take intramuscular B 12 or oral B 12. There is a concern that if you have a gastric bypass, where again, You're bypassing the stomach. You're not being exposed to that special protein. The stomach secretes intrinsic factor. You may not be able to absorb it appropriately in those situations. Yeah. Maybe intramuscular B12 is a good idea where you inject it, but for the most part, though, taking oral B12, particularly if it is the. methylcobalamin, not the cyanocobalamin, the methylcobalamin seems to work well. The very last thing of course is you want to make sure that you take an appropriate amount. I typically encourage patients to take at least a thousand micrograms of the methylcobalamin form of B12. If you like what you heard and you're interested in potentially working with me or joining the clinic, click on the link below to learn more about SUMAUP and what the clinic and I can offer you.
