Vitamin B-12 | What is It?

What is Vitamin B-12?

This vitamin has been at the center of a lot of controversy.  It was hard to discover.

Vitamin B-12 is difficult to attain and assimilate through your diet whether you eat a plant-based or an omnivorous diet.

Most methods of supplementation are ineffective.

Numerous health challenges result from a deficiency of B-12, and yet most health practitioners do not test for it or don’t know how to properly test for it (we will cover that in View#3: The Gold Standard for Testing B-12).

Finally, there are fundamentalist dietary advocates who will argue that you don’t need to supplement with B-12 at all. THEY ARE MISTAKEN, as you will see from decades of research.

B-12 is one of the most important nutrients in our body. B-12 is a bright red crystalline compound, due to the element cobalt at its center. “Vitamin B-12 works with folic acid in many body processes including synthesis of DNA, red blood cells and the insulation sheath (the myelin sheath) that surrounds nerve cells and facilitates the conduction of signals in the nervous system.

There are many signs of low B-12 levels. The first is low energy, sometimes coupled with depression.

Severe depletion manifests as pernicious anemia, which was invariably fatal until the discovery of B-12 in liver. But long before anemia sets in, other conditions may manifest, most often neurological problems (numbness, pins and needles sensations, a burning feeling in the feet, shaking, muscle fatigue, sleep disorders, memory loss, irrational anger, impaired mental function and Alzheimer’s) or psychological conditions (dementia, depression, psychosis and obsessive-compulsive behavior).” [1] With a B-12 deficiency, one can also have diarrhea, fever, frequent upper respiratory infections, impotence, infertility, sore tongue, enlargement of the mucous membranes of the mouth, vagina, and stomach, macrocytic anemia, low platelets, increased bleeding, low white blood cell count. [2]

In other words, you don’t want to be low in this essential nutrient!

B-12 History

In 1934, researchers Whipple, Murphy, and Minot shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology for Medicine for their life saving discovery found in liver to address an autoimmune disorder called pernicious anemia that destroys the parietal cells in the stomach that secrete intrinsic factor (which is essential for B-12 levels) and inhibits the ability to carry oxygen in the bloodstream. Prior to this discovery, death was inevitable.  In 1948, the substance they discovered in liver was isolated and named cobalamin (vitamin B-12). [3]

Note the words “parietal cells in the stomach that secrete intrinsic factor (which is essential for B-12 levels).”

Our western diet and lifestyle has been hard on our stomachs. One of the most prescribed pharmaceuticals, and one of the most often purchased over the counter medications, is for heartburn… a sign of a weakened stomach. We will come back to this topic of a weak stomach, low stomach acid, and low B-12, but just wanted to point that one out from the top.

B-12 Sources

Vitamin B-12 is unusual. While most vitamins can be made by a wide variety of plants and specific animals, no plant or animal is capable of producing B-12, and the exclusive source of this vitamin is tiny microorganisms: bacteria, yeasts, molds, and algae. Animals contain the microorganisms that create B-12, and also eat the plants on which B-12-producing microorganisms live. Historically, humans have relied on three main sources for B-12:

1. Animal Foods

2. Plant Foods with B-12 on them

3. Probiotics naturally present in the human gut that create B-12 (Large Intestine, Small Intestine)

Let’s look at these sources, and whether they are sufficient to keep our B-12 levels in a healthy range.

1.  Animal Foods

B-12 is found almost exclusively in animal foods such as liver, kidney, meat, fish, shellfish, milk products and eggs, but the original source of B-12 in nature is bacteria, the only creatures able to manufacture this vitamin. Bivalves such as clams, mussels and oysters contain high levels of B-12 because they siphon large quantities of vitamin B-12-synthesizing microorganisms from the sea.[4]

Looking at the foods above, you would think we have this issue taken care of. WAIT.

Research shows that Omnivores (people who eat meat and plant-foods) are deficient in B-12. Take this research, for example:

A longitudinal study on Raw Live Vegans compared with Omnivores called “Vitamin B-12 Status of Long-Term Adherents of a Strict Uncooked Vegan Diet.”[5] You can download the study here:

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/125/10/2511.full.pdf

The conclusions:

In the longitudinal part of the study, food consumption data were collected and blood samples were taken from nine “living food eaters” (1 male, 8 females) on two occasions 2 years apart. The cross-sectional study revealed significantly lower serum vitamin B-12 concentrations in the vegans (average 193 pmol/L) compared with their matched omnivorous controls (average 311 pmol/L).

Here is the chart of B-12 levels for the participants in the study: Raw Vegans and Omnivores:

Note that the average serum B-12 levels for both Raw Vegans and Omnivores was TOO LOW. Both groups were low.

The Japanese set healthy serum B-12 levels at a minimum of 550… The highest level measured was for an Omnivore around 480, with many lower in B-12 than that… so both the Raw/Live Vegans (average 193 pmol/L) and their matched omnivorous controls (average 311 pmol/L) are in need of B-12 support!

Also, an attempt to eat enough animal products to get adequate B-12 could do more harm than good – animals not only concentrate elements like B-12, but also agrochemicals, industrial chemicals, artificial hormones and antibiotics… Without getting into the HUGE topic of nutrition (for that, see www.JuiceFeasting.com), trust the data (a few pages down) – relying solely on animal products for adequate B-12 levels is a no-go…

2. Plant Foods with B-12 on Them

One of the world’s preeminent physicians in the study of plant foods is Dr. Gabriel Cousens, M.D., author of Conscious Eating and medical practitioner of plant-based live foods for over 40 years. In his article,  “The Mysterious B-12” Dr. Cousens clearly explains that analog B-12(not human-active or available for use by humans) is mainly found in plants, and where human-active B-12 is found, analog B-12 is also there, limiting absorption. Dr. Gabriel Cousens:

“Many of us have felt that spirulina, Klamath Lake Algae, all the sea vegetables had enough active B-12 to avoid a B-12 deficiency. Although the research is not fully in, we do know that, as I pointed out in Conscious Eating, these substances do have human active B-12. The problem is they also have a significant amount of analog B-12 that competes with the human active B-12. This analog amount was not measured in my studies. Using the methyl malonic acid reduction approach, which is now the gold standard, research showed that when people used dry and raw nori from Japan, the dried nori actually made the methyl malonic acid (MMA) status worse, which means it actually reduced the B-12 status. Therefore it could possibly worsen a B-12 deficiency. Raw nori seemed to keep the methyl malonic acid at the same level, meaning it did not harm the B-12 status, but the research showed it did not particularly help it either. No food in Europe or the U.S. has been tested for lowering methyl malonic acid. Research absolutely has to be done to answer this question fully.

There are many ideas of plant foods that have active B-12, but few are proving to actually raise B-12 or prevent its loss. The research has shown, for example, that tempeh does not supply human active B-12. Research in both the U.S. and the Netherlands has confirmed this. There was one paper that showed that tempeh from one particular source in Thailand did have some B-12, but what they basically found was that fermented soybean did not contain B-12. Other foods such as barley, malted syrup, sourdough bread, parsley, shitake mushrooms, tofu, and soybean paste, had some B-12 in them. Amazake rice, barley miso, miso, natto, rice miso, shoyu, tamari, umeboshi, and a variety of nuts, seeds and grains did not contain any elements or even any detectable B-12 analog.

My study using the earlier gold standard test for B-12 active bacteria did show indeed that arame, dulse, kelp, kombu and wakame had significant human active B-12. Other studies have shown that dulse did have a certain amount of B-12 analog per serving. Until research is done to see if it actually lowers the methyl malonic acid levels, the question has to be raised that we can’t assume that because a food has human active B-12 it will help avoid a B-12 deficiency, because the actual non-human active analogs may be blocking the human active B-12. The same question arises now with the aphanizomenon flos-aqua and spirulina, as well as chlorella. So, until we actually do the gold standard test of these, through the methyl malonic test, to see if it actually lowers the methyl malonic acid, I think it is reasonable to eat these foods, but not expect that they are actually going to raise your human active B-12.”

A study done in 1991 by Miller found that serum B-12 appeared to be unrelated to consumption of wakame, kombu, and other sea vegetables or tempeh in macrobiotic children.

For more information on this important topic, you can follow up with these studies on the subject of B-12 analogues in food:

Herbert V, Drivas G, Manusselis C, Mackler B, Eng J, Schwartz E (1984) “Are colon bacteria a major source of cobalamin analogues in human tissues?” Transactions of the Association of American Physicians, vol. 97, pp. 161-171.

Herbert V (1988) “Vitamin B-12: plant sources, requirements, and assay.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 48, pp. 852-858.

Herbert reported that tests on tempeh, a fermented soy product, and the blue-green superfood spirulina revealed that they contained almost no human-active B-12, in other words, the “B-12″ they contained (per USP assay test) was predominantly analogues, or non-human active B-12. Herbert [1988, p. 857] reports:

“We suspect that people taking spirulina as a source of vitamin B-12 may get vitamin B-12 deficiency quicker because the analogues in the product block human mammalian cell metabolism in culture [i.e., in the lab] and we suspect that they will also do this in the living human. The presence of analogues, rather than true B-12, in fermented foods makes them unreliable sources for B-12.”

What About the Klamath Lake AFA Study in 2009?

Another question around B-12 and plant foods comes from 2009 Italian study on 15 Vegans taking Klamath Lake AFA MicroAlgae, to see the effects on blood serum B-12 levels and blood homocysteine levels. The study was called:

“Effect of a Klamath algae product (“AFA-B12″) on blood levels of vitamin B12 and homocysteine in vegan subjects: a pilot study.”[6]

The 15 Vegans in the study were tested before, during, and after the study for blood levels of homocysteine (high levels indicate low B-12 levels), blood serum B-12 levels, and folate.

During the first three months of the study, the Vegans took no supplemental B-12, and were then tested at three months. For months 3-6, the Vegans ate Klamath AFA Microalgae, and were again tested. Here are the result averages for all participants:

Several things to note here:

1.  The average levels of homocysteine for these subjects was too high before and afterthe study. A safer level is closer to 6 – 8 µmol/l.
2.  Serum B-12 is not a correct indicator of human-active B-12, because B-12 analogs in the blood are also registered in the results, and these “analogs” are not useful to the human body.
3.  Even the Serum B-12 levels of the Vegans were too low both before and after the trial. The Japanese set healthy levels at 500 pg/ml….
4.  Serum B-12 levels dropped by 22 points from the beginning to the end of the trial (and per the previous point, were too low anyway)

So, while blood levels of homocysteine decreased by a small margin, they were still at unhealthy levels at the end of the study, and their tiny decrease cannot be attributed to human-active B-12 in the AFA Algae.

In FACT, given that average serum B-12 levels DECREASED from the beginning to the end of the study, and participants still saw a small decrease in homocysteine levels, I would suggest that their homocysteine levels decreased despite their poorer B-12 scores.This is good news for the ability of Klamath Lake AFA to reduce homocysteine for reasons other than B-12 status.

That should settle it!!! Plant foods provide no significant amounts of Vitamin B-12 as far as we can tell, both from testing foods (research above), and from looking at the data on humans who eat plant-based only diets (see the section VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN DIETS below for clinical data).

Does Cooking Destroy Vitamin B-12 Levels In These Foods?

There are just a few studies on this question, and the jury is still out. I have been an educated advocate in the Raw Vegan community for years, and this topic is important to cover. The small sample of data we do have suggests that B-12 levels are reduced by heat, but how much is unclear. All of this data is on B-12 levels in animal products. More study needs to be done. Here is what we have: [7] [8] [9]

• Herbert [1984] reports that dehydration at 200°C (392°F) for 6 days reduced B-12 levels by approximately one-third. The temperatures for this study are WAY over normal dehydration or cooking temps.

• Banerjee and Chatterjea [1963] report wide variation in B-12 losses in cooking various types of fish, meat, and milk. B-12 losses, when they occurred, ranged from 23.7-96.4%. However, one fish species in their study showed no loss of B-12, and samples from three fish species (and also goat liver) showed increases in B-12 levels from cooking. (The authors suggest the increase may be caused by cooking increasing the B-12 level in the extraction solvent.) The result that B-12 level for some species increased via cooking, of course, raises questions regarding the overall reliability of their experimental methods and results. Also, their study measured B-12 via microbial assay (Euglena gracilis var. bacillaris), which today is regarded as a less-reliable assay method (does not/may not distinguish analogue forms from true B-12). Banerjee and Chatterjea [1963] also tested 20 types of plant foods, and found no B-12 activity in any of the raw plant foods.

• Heyssel et al. [1966] report that liver boiled in water for 5 minutes lost only 8% of its vitamin B-12 content (vs. raw liver), while muscle meat broiled at 171°C (340°F) for 45 minutes lost 27% of vitamin B-12 (vs. raw meat). They note that some of the B-12 they record as lost might actually be contained in the drippings (liquids discarded) in cooking.

Again, we have no data on the cooking of plant foods and the loss of B-12. WHAT WE DO KNOW, from our information above, is that neither plant foods nor animal foods provide sufficient quantities of human-active B-12 for most of the population, so the point is somewhat irrelevant. We are going to take care of our B-12 needs in a way that guarantees good, healthy levels, no matter what diet we eat!

3. Probiotics in the Human Gut (Large Intestine, Small Intestine)

The Large Intestine. In humans and animals, bacteria produce B-12 in the colon; however, little if any is absorbed across the colon wall. According to Dr. Gabriel Cousens, M.D., “Whether one’s colon is clean or not, B-12 does not get absorbed from the colon.”

Studies have been done on reingesting the B-12 produced by the probiotics in the large intestine. This practice is called “direct coprophagy” and I doubt anyone reading this will be interested in eating clinically rendered products from their colon…. But what this shows is that in your feces in your large instestine there is a small percentage of human-active B-12 in amongst a large percentage of non-human active B-12 analogues.
V. Herbert [10] writes:

In one of the less appetizing but more brilliant experiments in the field of vitamin B-12 metabolism in the 50s, Sheila Callendar in England delineated that colon bacteria make large amounts of vitamin B-12. Although the bacterial vitamin B-12 is not absorbed through the colon, it is active for humans. Callendar studied vegan volunteers who had vitamin B-12 deficiency characterized by classic megaloblastic anemia. She collected 24-h stools, made water extracts of them, and fed the extract to the patients, thereby curing their vitamin B-12 deficiency. This experiment demonstrated clearly that 1) colon bacteria of vegans make enough vitamin B-12 to cure vitamin B-12 deficiency, 2) the vitamin B-12 is not absorbed through the colon wall, and 3) if given by mouth, it is absorbed primarily in the small bowel.

Human-Active B-12 in the Colon? In another study, Herbert [11] et al. collected the 24-hour fecal output from 6 men. They found that the (24-hour) total fecal output contained ~100 mcg of total corrinoids, of which only ~5 mcg was true B-12 (the remainder being analogues).

Backing up this research is the conclusion by RH Allen and SP Stabler at the Department of Medicine at the University of Colorado.[12] They studied the levels of non-human active and human-active B-12 in human feces, and found:

“Cobalamin analogues [non-human active B-12] are present in human feces and account for over 98% of the total Vitamin B-12.”

These three pieces of research show that there is very little human-active B-12 in our feces. However, if extracted clinically and reingested, it would be assimilated, despite the predominant levels of non-human active B-12 analogues. Frankly, I would rather easily do what we will cover in the section, “THREE SUPPLEMENT PROTOCOLS FOR VITAMIN B-12.”

The Small Intestine. B-12 may be produced by probiotics in the small intestine, but how much, and whether much of it is human active B-12 is uncertain. This point is discussed in Albert et al. in their 1980 research, “Vitamin B-12 synthesis by human small intestinal bacteria” in Nature.[13] The bottom line in the paper of Albert et al. is that it shows certain intestinal bacteria might produce B-12, but what kind and how much might be produced (and absorbed) under actual conditions in the small intestine is unclear.

G. Langley [14] writes in Vegan Nutrition:

“In some people, B-12 producing bacteria certainly exist in the small intestine where the vitamin manufactured can, in theory at least, be absorbed. Exactly what contribution this makes to the daily B-12 intake of vegans remains to be clarified.”

As we will see from the data, whether you are vegan or include animal products in your diet, we are low, low, low in Vitamin B-12 – so whatever intestinal bacteria exist that are producing human-active B-12, it is insufficient.

Summary on B-12 Sources

Regardless of human dietary and health history, today we are seeing high levels of B-12 deficiency in the human population, irrespective of the diet we eat (However, Vegans and Vegetarians appear to have a greater deficiency than persons eating some meat – but both groups are deficient). THE REASONS FOR THE DEFICIENCIES will be covered in the next section, “B-12 Deficiency: Risks and Symptoms.”

Types of B-12, and Supplementation

Like most vitamins, B-12 can occur in a variety of forms and can take on a variety of names: cobrynamide, cobinamide, cobamide, cobalamin, methylcobalamin, hydroxcobalamin, aquocobalamin, nitrotocobalamin, and cyanocobalamin.

Each of these designations contains a form of the word “cobalt,” since cobalt is the mineral found in the center of the vitamin. [15]

While there are many types of cobalamin, there are two types that are best used for effective supplementation:

1. Hydroxocobalamin
2. Methylcobalamin

**BIG SECRET:

Most foods and supplements contain a form of B-12 called CYANOCOBALAMIN, and it is the worst choice for supplementation. Check out this article [16] by Kerri Knox, RN on www.NaturalNews.com:

All three types [Methylcobalamin, Hydroxocobalamin, and Cyanocobalamin] are considered `Vitamin B-12`, they are NOT all the same and using the right one can be a critical decision.

Cyanocobalamin is probably the most commonly used in the medical world and is often given as `B-12 Shots` in a doctor’s office for those with certain medical conditions.

But cyanocobalamin is actually the WORST choice, despite the fact that doctors in the US are more likely to prescribe it over any other form. Not only does cyanocobalamin require a higher dosage for the same effectiveness of hydroxycobalamin, but it is Entirely Ineffective for several different conditions related to vitamin B-12 deficiency.

As such, it has been suggested repeatedly by several researchers, starting with Dr. AG Freeman in 1970, that cyanocobalamin should be removed from the market. While Great Britain followed through with researcher recommendations and removed the inferior product, doctors in the the United States have no such restrictions and still use cyanocobalamin routinely.

“…there [is] no condition in which it has been claimed that cyanocobalamin was preferable to hydroxocobalamin” `Cyanocobalamin- a case for withdrawal: discussion paper`

While hydroxocobalamin is preferred over cyanocobalamin, another formulation called methylcobalamin is actually the BEST choice.

Technically a `coenzyme` of vitamin B-12, it is almost never used despite being effective, readily available, inexpensive and available in both sublingual preparations and injectable form. This is too bad because there are many people that could very well benefit from the methylcobalamin form of vitamin B-12 that would NOT benefit from the other forms. Degenerative neurologic problems are where methylcobalamin shows its greatest benefits over other cobalamin preparations, and it is often one of the ONLY promising treatments for these tragic diseases. While Japan uses methylcobalamin nearly exclusively and it is the form present in prescription vitamin B-12 there, the United States has virtually ignored the hundreds of studies that show the benefits this simple vitamin can bring.

“Methylcobalamin is the form found in food and has much higher bioavailability than the form most widely available in supplements, cyanocobalamin.”`B-12 (Cobalamin)

Not only has methylcobalamin been shown to work in neurologic diseases, it also helps with the elimination of toxic substances in the body. One of the ways that humans detoxify is through a process called ‘Methylation’. Methylation is a CRITICAL function of a healthy body, but all too often we ‘use up’ the necessary raw materials because of our nearly constant exposure to environmental pollutants. Methylcobalamin is actually able to replenish the ‘methyl’ portion that is missing in methylation, while the other forms of vitamin B-12 REQUIRE a methyl donor in order to be converted into a biologically active form in the blood. Therefore, people who already HAVE methylation detoxification problems, such as children with autism, can actually be made WORSE if other forms of vitamin B-12 are administered!

While getting ENOUGH vitamin B-12 is an important factor for maintaining general well being, getting the right KIND, in the form of methylcobalamin is equally important. In fact, choosing correctly could very well mean the difference between good health and disease.

“In a study performed at the Linus Pauling Institute of Medicine in Palo Alto, CA, methylcobalamin extended survival time in mice with cancer, whereas cyanocobalamin had no effect on survival time and was deemed “not active” by the study’s authors.

In another study, titled ‘Effects of B-12 on Performance and Circadian Rhythm in Normal Subjects,’ published in the journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, six women (mean age 35 years) and 14 men (mean age 37 years) were randomly assigned to treatment for 14 days with 3 mg of either cyanocobalamin or methylcobalamin after 9 days of pre-treatment observation. Only the group taking the methyl form of cobalamin experienced reduced sleep time and higher self-reported ‘sleep quality,’ ‘concentration,’ and ‘feeling refreshed’ one week after beginning methylcobalamin supplementation.”[17]

We will return to these types of B-12 and how to effectively use them in the section, “Three Supplement Protocols for Vitamin B-12.”

+ Introduction to the B-12 Exposed Course

+ Take-Home Quotes

+ What You Are Going To Do With This Course

+ Vitamin B-12: What is It?

+ View #1.1: B-12 Deficiency: Risks and Symptoms

+ View #1.2: Vegetarian, Vegan, & Raw/Vegan Diets: The Research

+ View #2: A Second Look: B-12 Deficient? Take This Test

+ View #3: The Gold Standard for Testing B-12

+ Healthy Ranges for B-12 Tests

+ Three Supplement Protocols for Vitamin B-12

+ Supplement Options: What You Need to Know

+ Nutrient Interactions with B-12

+ Why is B-12 Deficiency an Epidemic?

+ ARTICLES: A DEEPER LOOK

+ Quick Reference

+ About the Author, David Rainoshek, M.A.

References/Citations