Are you a dedicated vegetarian or vegan? Perhaps you decided to follow a plant-based diet to improve your health but over time you’ve started to experience troubling symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, poor memory, and even numbness or tingling in your hands and feet—issues you never had previously. If you can relate, then you may have a vitamin B12 deficiency.
Research indicates that vitamin B12 deficiency is far more prevalent than previously estimated, with at least 40 percent of Americans demonstrating suboptimal levels, and millions more going undiagnosed altogether. The consequences of B12 deficiency are serious and can cause irreversible damage if left untreated.
Read on to learn about the health implications of B12 deficiency and why it is significantly underdiagnosed, the best methods for testing your B12 status, and how to optimize your B12 intake with food and supplements.
What a B12 Deficiency Means for Your Health
Vitamin B12 works with folate to synthesize DNA and red blood cells and assists in the production of myelin, which protects your nerve cells (neurons) and regulates nerve impulse transmission. A deficiency of vitamin B12 can have significant health implications for multiple body systems.
Vitamin B12 deficiency is exceedingly common—especially if you’re following a vegan diet. Find out how to tell if you have a deficiency and learn how eating nutrient-dense foods can help you correct it. #nutrientdeficiency #vegetarian #vegan
The classic association of vitamin B12 deficiency with macrocytic anemia, a condition in which red blood cells are larger than normal due to impaired cell division, speaks to the importance of vitamin B12 for regulating DNA synthesis. However, anemia is but one symptom of B12 deficiency. There are many other B12 deficiency symptoms that occur long before anemia sets in, including:
- Dementia
- Cognitive decline
- Memory loss
- Brain fog
- Depression
- Cardiovascular problems
- Peripheral neuropathy (numbness, tingling, burning in the hands, legs and feet)
- Impaired immune function
- Infertility
- Developmental and learning disabilities
Unfortunately, many of these symptoms are often mistaken for other health conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis. As a result, B12 deficiency is often missed by physicians in the clinical setting, with serious implications for patients’ long-term health.
If You Have an Undiagnosed Deficiency, You’re Not Alone
B12 deficiency is far more common than most healthcare practitioners and the general public realize. A study from Tufts University found that 40 percent of people between the ages of 26 and 83 have plasma B12 levels in the low normal range, a range at which neurological symptoms can occur. Nine percent had an obvious B12 deficiency, and 16 percent exhibited “near deficiency.” (1) Surprisingly, the researchers also discovered that low B12 levels were just as common in young people as in the elderly.
Given the prevalence of B12 deficiency, why aren’t more clinicians and health organizations drawing attention to this serious problem? The answer lies in the fact that B12 deficiency is significantly underdiagnosed. Here’s why it’s frequently missed:
- B12 status is not routinely tested by most physicians.
- Serum B12, the conventional marker of B12 status, only drops in the later stages of B12 deficiency. Relying on serum B12 testing misses many, if not most, people who have an insufficient B12 intake.
- The low end of the laboratory reference range for serum B12 is too low. This is why most studies underestimate the true levels of deficiency.
- The standard serum test for B12 measures the total amount of B12 in the blood but does not rule out functional B12 deficiency. (A “functional” deficiency means that B12 levels are too low for optimum health, but symptoms like anemia may not yet be apparent or diagnosable.) (2) The determination of functional B12 deficiency requires other measures that are infrequently used by physicians.
New and Improved Testing Methods for B12
Fortunately, new, more sensitive tests for B12 deficiency are now available, including tests for methylmalonic acid (MMA) and holotranscobalamin II (holo-TC). Studies using these improved methods of B12 assessment reveal much higher levels of deficiency than studies using only serum B12 testing.
MMA
MMA is a compound in the body that helps with metabolism, via a vitamin B12-dependent enzyme; if MMA levels are high, it suggests that vitamin B12 is lacking. There are two ways to have MMA measured: in the blood serum and in the urine. (3) Some experts believe that urinary MMA is superior to serum MMA as a biomarker of B12 deficiency because MMA is more concentrated in urine than in the blood. However, elevations in urinary MMA can also be caused by kidney dysfunction. Serum MMA, on the other hand, can be elevated in the presence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
If you decide to undergo MMA testing to determine your B12 level, your current health status matters. I recommend urine MMA if you have SIBO, whereas serum MMA is a better option if you have a history of kidney dysfunction.
Holo-TC
B12 is transported around the body by two proteins: transcobalamin II (TCII) and haptocorrin. Eighty percent of B12 is bound to haptocorrin, while only 20 percent is bound to TCII. Holo-TC, the marker that measures TCII, falls almost immediately after B12 intake drops. Serum B12, by comparison, measures total cobalamins (a name for cobalt-containing compounds, like B12). But it measures mostly haptocorrin, and doesn’t decrease until B12 deficiency has been going on for some time.
Homocysteine
Homocysteine is an amino acid in the blood. It’s a marker of B12 deficiency when elevated, though not exclusively. Elevated homocysteine can also be caused by folate and vitamin B6 deficiencies. Homocysteine is more sensitive than serum B12; however, if it is high, you will need additional testing to determine whether the cause is B12, folate, or B6 deficiency.
Holo-TC, MMA, and homocysteine are considered measures of functional B12 deficiency because they reflect whether B12 is being appropriately utilized in the body.
Your Best B12 Testing Option
So, which one of these markers is best?
- Holo-TC is the earliest, most sensitive indicator of B12 deficiency.
- Urinary MMA and homocysteine typically don’t become elevated until the mid to late stages of B12 deficiency.
- Serum B12 is the least sensitive indicator and usually doesn’t fall until the final stage of B12 deficiency.
While holo-TC testing is often the best way to catch an early B12 deficiency, it isn’t widely available in the United States (though it is in Europe). Here, we generally rely on a combination of serum/urine MMA, homocysteine, and serum B12 testing.
If you choose to get a serum B12 measurement, you will need to refer to a different range than the one provided by the lab when interpreting your results. Although most labs define deficiency at <200 pg/mL, it is well documented that many people experience signs and symptoms of B12 deficiency at levels between 200 pg/mL and 350 pg/mL. (4) Also, be aware that a high serum B12 does not necessarily rule out a functional B12 deficiency, which is best detected with MMA or holo-TC.
The same is true for homocysteine. The lab range often goes up to 15 nmol/L, but research has shown that a homocysteine level of 10 to 15 nmol/L is a substantial risk factor for heart disease, and that relationship is linear—the higher the homocysteine, the higher the risk. (5)
The Earlier You Notice a Deficiency, the Better
There are four stages of B12 deficiency, and the earlier B12 deficiency is detected in the progression of these stages, the more likely it is that the symptoms can be prevented or reversed.
Stages I and II
During the first two stages of a deficiency, your plasma and cell stores of B12 become depleted, and the concentration of holo-TC is reduced. Holo-TC is the only available marker for assessing the first two stages of B12 depletion. It’s likely that you won’t experience any noticeable symptoms if you’re in stages I or II.
Stage III
This stage of functional B12 deficiency is characterized by elevated homocysteine and urinary MMA concentrations in the blood. Serum homocysteine and serum/urine MMA are the best markers for detecting Stage III deficiency. At this stage, some people will experience mild symptoms like fatigue or brain fog, but others may not notice any signs or symptoms.
Stage IV
If you’re in the fourth stage of a deficiency, you’ll experience clinical signs, such as anemia, fatigue, and brain fog. Serum B12 and other markers of Stage IV deficiency may not decrease until this point. For some Stage IV patients, the cognitive and neurological symptoms are so severe that many believe they have Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. (6)
As you can see, signs like macrocytic anemia and symptoms like peripheral neuropathy or brain fog do not appear until the final stage of B12 deficiency. Stages I and II of depletion can precede deficiency (Stages III and IV) by months or even years!
To complicate matters further, the physical manifestations of B12 depletion can take years to appear. In the case of neurological symptoms, it may be too late to reverse them by the time the late stage of deficiency has been reached. (This particularly serious for children and young adults whose brains are still developing, as well as any adult at risk for Alzheimer’s or dementia.)
What Is a Normal B12 Level?
As I mentioned before, the cutoff for serum B12 of 200 to 230 pg/mL, used by most studies and labs, is too low. Other studies suggest that B12 levels greater than 400 pg/mL, double the accepted lower limit of normal, boost the beneficial metabolic effects of B12 and prevent neurological damage.
Importantly, research also indicates that at least one-third of B12 in serum is not cobalamin, the metabolically active form of B12 in humans, but corrinoids, which are not metabolically active. This profound finding means that some people with “normal” serum B12 may actually be deficient because the test is counting metabolically inactive corrinoids as B12.
As a rule of thumb, if your serum B12 level is between 200 and 350 pg/mL, B12 deficiency may be a problem. Just remember that a normal serum B12 does not rule out functional B12 deficiency, which can only be assessed with holo-TC, MMA, and homocysteine.
If You’re a Vegetarian or a Vegan, You Should Be Concerned about B12 Deficiency
Vitamin B12 is found almost exclusively in animal foods. For this reason, vegetarians and vegans are highly prone to B12 deficiency. While early studies showed that vegetarians and vegans had only slightly higher rates of deficiency than omnivores, these studies used relatively insensitive markers, such as serum B12, and less stringent cutoffs for holo-TC, MMA, and homocysteine.
For example, one study that used serum B12 (the less sensitive method) indicated that 7 percent of vegetarians and 52 percent of vegans were B12 deficient, whereas when holo-TC was used, deficiency was detected in 77 percent of the vegetarians and 92 percent of the vegans. (7, 8)
Essentially, conventional B12 testing is missing 70 percent of vegetarians and 40 percent of vegans that are B12 deficient! This is a massive oversight that may have devastating consequences for the long-term health of both vegetarians and vegans.
Interestingly, I have noticed in my clinic that other signs of B12 deficiency, such as elevated mean corpuscular volume (a marker known as MCV), can be obscured in vegetarians and vegans. This occurs because vegetarians and vegans often have iron deficiency and a high folate intake; these factors lower MCV and effectively “cancel out” any increase that B12 deficiency would cause. (9) Calcium deficiency, which is common in vegans, can also lead to B12 deficiency because free calcium is required for the absorption of B12. (10) The possibility of multiple nutritional deficits is just one reason to think twice about following a vegetarian or vegan diet.
Omnivores: You Need to Pay Attention to B12, Too
While rates of B12 deficiency are much higher in vegetarians and vegans than in omnivores, that doesn’t mean it’s rare in omnivores. Approximately one in 20 omnivores is B12 deficient. (11) B12 deficiency is also more common in people with risk factors like:
- Gut problems that decrease intestinal absorption of B12
- Past or present use of gastric acid-suppressing medications, metformin, or antibiotics
- A history of miscarriage and infertility
Vegans: You May Need More Supplementation Than You Think
Proponents of vegan diets promote B12 supplementation as the solution to B12 deficiency. However, supplements do not always solve the problem. In fact, research indicates that even well-educated vegetarians and vegans are not supplementing adequately!
Presumably well-educated vegetarians and vegans at a summer camp in the Netherlands were found to have serum B12 levels less than 200 pmol/L, a level associated with reduced DNA synthesis and other harmful metabolic effects. In another study, vegans taking B12 supplements demonstrated a paltry average level of 192 pmol/L.
Furthermore, the rate of B12 deficiency in vegans who supplemented with B12 was higher than in vegans who didn’t supplement! It is not clear why vegans who supplemented had higher levels of deficiency, but it could be due to the interference of supplemental B12 with active B12 levels. (12) In both of these studies, the subjects were from vegetarian/vegan societies and thus likely to be better educated than the general population. However, this did not prevent them from having a B12 deficiency. (If you need help choosing proper supplements, see the last section of this article for more specifics.)
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Your Kids Need B12 throughout Childhood
Women who consume vegetarian and vegan diets during pregnancy and breastfeeding and families that feed their children vegetarian and vegan diets during infancy and childhood are playing with fire and increasing their children’s risk of serious developmental and health problems.
Vegetarian Moms: You Need to Get Enough B12 during Pregnancy
If you’re pregnant and you have a B12 deficiency, your child could have low B12 throughout infancy and childhood. The longer a mother has been a vegetarian, the higher the likelihood she’ll have low serum and breast milk B12 levels that correlate with a deficiency in her infant. (13, 14, 15)
High homocysteine resulting from low maternal B12 status may promote neural tube defects and congenital heart defects in utero. (16)
The Impact of a Deficiency for Your Child
The prevalence of B12 deficiency is 67 percent in American children, 50 percent in New Zealand children, and 85 percent in Norwegian infants who have followed vegetarian or vegan diets their entire lives. (17) This is extremely concerning, as B12 deficiency can have “extensive, severe, and irreversible” consequences for brain and body development in children. (18)
B12 deficiency impairs fluid intelligence, spatial ability, and short-term memory in children; in fact, vegan children score lower than their omnivorous peers in all of these areas. (19)
B12 deficiency in children leads to:
- Poor school performance
- Depression
- Weakness
- Fatigue
- Nerve damage
- Failure to thrive
Even if a vegan or vegetarian child switches back to a diet that includes animal products, they may not be able to reverse all of the problems that come with low B12. A study of kids raised on a vegan diet found that they were still B12 deficient years after they started eating animal products. (20)
B12 deficiency also has serious health repercussions for adults. Notably, it raises homocysteine, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. (23) Ironically, many vegetarians and vegans choose a plant-based diet to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease, yet several studies have shown that homocysteine levels are higher in vegetarians than omnivores and higher in vegans than vegetarians. (24) Vegetarians and vegans with low vitamin B12 status are at risk of developing circulatory health problems regardless of their favorable profile of traditional heart disease risk factors. (25)
What to Do If You Think You Have a Deficiency
The first step I recommend is to get a holo-TC and/or urinary MMA test. If either of them is abnormal, you should immediately take steps to increase your B12 levels. There are two ways to do this:
- Eat B12-rich foods
- Supplement
How to Get More B12 in Your Diet
B12 contains a trace element (cobalt), which is why it’s also called cobalamin. Cobalamin is produced in the gut of animals and is found almost exclusively in animal foods. Some of the best sources of B12 are:
- Liver
- Clams
- Oysters
- Mussels
- Fish eggs
- Octopus
- Fish
- Crab and lobster
- Beef
- Lamb
- Cheese
- Eggs
A common myth among vegetarians and vegans is that it’s possible to get B12 from plant sources like:
- Seaweed
- Fermented soy
- Spirulina
- Brewer’s yeast
Nearly all seaweed tested has been revealed to contain vitamin B12 analogs (that is, chemically similar) called cobamides that block the intake of—and increase the need for—true B12. (26) The one exception is a combination of dried purple laver (nori) and wild mushrooms, which were shown in one study to reduce MMA.
Using a Supplement
Cyanocobalamin is the most frequently used form of B12 supplementation in the United States. But recent evidence suggests that hydroxocobalamin is superior to cyanocobalamin, and methylcobalamin may be superior to both—especially for neurological disease. This is because methylcobalamin bypasses several steps in the B12 absorption cycle and, unlike cyanocobalamin, readily crosses the blood-brain barrier. (27, 28) On top of that, methylcobalamin provides the body with methyl groups that play a role in various biological processes critical to overall health.
We now know that the dose of B12 in a supplement needs to be 100 times higher than the RDA of 2.4 micrograms/mL to be effective (this comes to approximately 250 micrograms/day). If you’re deficient, your dose should be even higher, at approximately 500 micrograms/day.
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Hi,
Is it possible to still be B12 deficient while taking supplemental methylcobalamin B12 and having high serum B12 levels (1700) ?
Hi,
I’ve been taking Jarrow Methyl B-12 for a few weeks and would like to know if it can/should be taken with a meal. It doesn’t say one way or the other on the label.
Thanks
Hi Chris,
I try to only use data I can verify, but I don’t have time to find studies for what I am going to ask at the end. I became vegetarian about 7 months ago and don’t plan to go back for a multitude of reasons, although I still support using animals for most forms of experimentation. I take a 1,000mcg pill a day of methylcobalamin. I heard in the meat verses non-meat debate that most animals in modern farm factories are given frequent B12 shots themselves since the animals don’t get enough from the animals’ more natural dieting methods. That kind of makes sense to me since I heard B12 is made from bacteria common in soil and chickens like eating worms and cows like chewing grass that probably has B12 in it. Do you think that the B12 meat eaters get these days from meat is more like indirectly eating the B12 supplements the animals themselves are given to avoid dying?
Hi Chris
Im 50 years young and Im from Adelaide, Australia and i came your website and i am very interested in the B12. I have read the book Could it be vitamin b12. My husband had his b12 tested but i dont think the doctors here did the right one, so i was wandering if we ordered the vit b12 from the website that you recommend, would it hurt us in taking the b12 if we havent been tested. I also suffer from pancreatitis.
regards, sandi
So, sorry if I missed it but, what is the supplementation dosage for vegans? I have 500 ug Methycobal injections… How often them?
Hi chris i suffer from pancreatitis would you recommend i go and get my B12 levels checked
Im 42 year old female started having GI problems 4 years ago GI DR diagnosed acid reflux,no ulcer,no celiac,High B12 and High Iron he said was not normal but wasn’t worried about it since it wasn’t dangerously high I advised him I do not take supplements but he still said nothing to worry about.Well here it is 4 years later and im real sick again this time with LOTS of issues …Gi issues,dizziness,brain fog,tingling limbs,blurred vision I worried myself into panic attacks and anxiey all my blood work comes back ok but again High B12 !! My dr thinks no connection no big deal I need help…now I read on your web site this may mean im deficient ???? how to I find out??Pease help ive had no life for the past 4 months!!!
Is it fine to boost glutathione (via undenatured whey) while doing a b12 protocol? I saw something of Fredd’s that suggested glutathione would covert methylb12 to glutathionylb12 and excrete it, though I can’t find these mentioned anywhere else. And it would seem, other sources mention glutathione as being protective of b12. Thanks!
Hi! I am 17 year old female. I just turned Vegan and I have started taking 1000 mcg of B12 / day. Is that alright? I also take flaxseed oil in a fruit smoothie, will that affect the absorption of the B12? I am also going to go on a multivitamin and a probiotic. (when my dad gets paid) I was considering going on chlorella too, would that be a good idea? Will any of this affect each others absorption? Thanks!
I have SLE, anemia, high blood pressure,one bi-pass and 4 stents. I (by accident) of one of my doctor’s noticed a huge B12 deficiency and suggested 3 B12 shots a year. I did some research and found Superior Source sublingual b-12. Doing more research I felt better knowing that like Vitamin C you really cant OD on it. Subsequently I had just been taking 500 mcg b-12 in tablet form, which this particular doctor told in my case was useless. I have now been taking 10,000 mcg and some day take 20,000 and have seriously never felt better. When I bruise from my anemia or SLE they heal much quicker and overall my energy level, combine with a couple of Ensure Plus a day has truly been a life saver for me.
Wishing everyone on this post the best.
Hi. I started having horrible anxiety almost 2wks ago. In the past I took a raw Bcomplex and it seemed to help so I again started taking the same BComplex. My doctor just ran a bunch of labs, including a serum B12. All my other labs were fine except the B12, which is 1700. My dr didn’t even say anything about it, just said my labs were perfect. I of course started looking it up and read about all these serious diseases that cause it. Is it possible I am oversupplementing and don’t need the Bcomplex? I know my father lacked intrinsic factor. Can high serum bcomplex be a sign of that? I’m very worried:/
I suspected b12 deficiency a few months ago and decided to take an active b12 test plus homocysteine test. The results came back more than ok. I’ve not been eating meat except maybe 3 or 4 times a month, for 4 years. I have GI problems, leaky gut probably too, I don’t absorb food very well. You would think these two facts combined would inevitably lead to b12 deficiency… If someone knows more about this, you can always leave a comment. Thank you.
Hibi got diagnosed with B12 deficiency October last year I had injections every other day for 2 weeks then 12 weekly now 8 weekly, before I was breathless I had chest pains couldn’t think straight got confused couldn’t retain information and forgetful was an understatement, I had numb tingly site patches all over my body my eyes foggy, muscle aches I slept for 16 hours solid and got up and still felt like I hadn’t slept and was back in bed within 2 -3 hours, I couldn’t function, I also got shingles don’t know why or how I’d had chicken pox, it was after that I was tested and my levels were at 90, now I feel great only sleeping for 8 hours, looking at how I feel now and then I must have been deficient for at least 4 to 5 years, my doctor said he hadn’t come across a B12 case where it had effected someone neurally, but still get the numb tingly sore patches but not as often, I honestly was that bad September last year I thought I was dying x
Thank you for all the good information. Since I didn’t read every reply, I apologize if my comments are repetitious. Post gastric bypass patients are also in need of better B12 testing. I am a successful 10 year post-op who has developed issues following a hysterectomy. Hypothyroid, adrenal, hyperaldosteronism, edema, diostilic hypertension and SIBO. I just ordered some of the sublingual methyl B-12 and hope it helps. In the past I used a sublingual cyan B-12 and got high serum B-12 results. When doc does my next labwork I’ll definitely ask for urine MMA too!
Have you ever heard of sudden onset of B12 deficiency/symptoms? For some time before these “episodes” i have fatigue, significant muscle weakness, menstrual changes, mood swings, emotional changes, etc. 5 years ago, with those symptoms having been present for some time, i suddenly – in the span of 24 hours – experienced significant joint stiffness, pins and needles in my extremities, fatigue, and when i try to sleep, i experience sudden and severe pins and needles increasing to severe burning, throbbing intolerable pain in my feet and hands. This happened repeatedly over two weeks with no answer. I was incapacitated by resulting severe heat sensitivity in hands and feet, joint pain and what felt like bruised, battered and broken feet. No swelling, no redness, anti-inflammatories have no effect. After these “foot attacks” i am crippled.
Eventually a neurologist agreed to see me but sinve i would be coming from an isolated community and with a history of celiacs, they requested that i be given b 12 first. Note i had just startes taking seeious nerve pain killers. The b 12 seemed to help and i stopped the nerve pain killers, within days i no longer had foot attacks though i took a long time to recover from the stifnesa and bruised feeling. I stayes on b12 supplements and was suddenly more energized, improve menstrual (marked change). Etc. ive been on b12 shots, 1 every 3 weeks since. I can tell when one is due before the reminder – the muscle weakness ans fatigue increase.
I’ve ben under a lot of stres lately, as i was before that attack 5 years ago. Nearing my three week mark for b12 i was experiencing the muacle weakness etc but wed of last week, i began to feel significant stiffness in my neck and shoulders. I chalked it up to stress and took toredol. Sat/ sun i began to have noticeable stiffness in my kneea and by sunday night-noticeable stiffnesa in hands and elbows. Within hours – noticeable pins and needles and joint pain in hands. I woke up at midnight with increased foot and hand pain and heat sensitivity and gave myself a shot. Another shot at 7 am mon. Throughout mon/tues i would have rotating pain throughtout joints, shooting pain deom elbow to hands, barely lift my arms due to significant joint stiffnes, and burning pins and needles and shooting pain in hands and feet which increases with heat and lying down ( which may be bduw to the heat-warm bed?). Tues i had my diest significant foot attack. Unbearable pain for 30 min. It repeates hours later. On a friends requet, i tried ice cold water- it seemed to shock the nerves ans the pain halte after 20 seconds. Oddly, after the initial cold shock, my feet felt warm-like the bottom of the bucket was heates? Anyhow. Could walk!!! It lasted 45 minutes before it came back with a vengeance! By then i was at the beach and walked in the surf! Relief!
Unfortunately, again, another attack on both feet and while cold water helped somewhat, it couldnt take away the lingering joint pain and bruised feeling. Feeling a pending attack wed night, i went to ER where it progresses to intolerable pins and needles burning pain, joint pain in hands and feet (everywhere else still hurts – knees, shouldrs, etc). Anti-inflammatory IV-no effect until they just doped me with morphine. The after-effect if these attacks and progressively worse pins and needles in my thighs, buttocks, feet, hands. Etc leave my feet feeling bruised and broken, thighs feel bruised, knees are cripplingly sore. Still heat sensitive but finally manages to sleep through (mostly) the night thurs with no attacks. I can still barely walk and have the stiffness and bruising. The heat sensitivity is a bit decreases. They just started me on Lyrica. I had one dose late last night and one this am.
So -does this sound like it could be b12 still or related but in fact precipitates by something else? My b12 was normal the first time and of course, i had given myself shots before the first round of b12 so it was high in that and subsequent tests.
No inflammation markers though they did not test sed rate. All other routine bloodwork normal. Not lupus. ??? I’ve never read of anyone with b12 having these sudden acute episodes? Has anyone experienced this? Perhaps exercise/stress and some other compounding factors (celiac related) cause an acute reaction below a certain tipping point? Or that tipping point causing some other reaction to precipitate? Have you ever heard of this??? There are a battery of new blood teats including MMA i think, being done now…,
hi
most of what I’ve read is about b12 deficiency. My two year old girl who has been clinically diagnosed with autism has been found to have a spike in her b12 when her bloods have been taken twice in the last year. Nobody can give a straight answer for this every talks about the deficiency side but never the opposite. when her bloods came back today for her age etc, her b12 count in her blood was 1165 when in should of been between 700 -750 . they don’t know why as she doesn’t eat very much and its hard to get anything down an autistic child who doesn’t like what you’ve made she sooner go hungry or graze through the day. Please can somebody explain why this how it is?
Hello,
I am interested in B12. But I also read that really high doses are not proven to be safe.
Can you overdose on B12? Can you take 1000mcg daily forever or only for a while?
I also wonder if B vitamins are water soluble then does this not mean that taking high doses
will simply be excreted by the body?
Sam
A BBC article about the new study on red meat/carnitine that has attracted a lot of media attention (published April 7, 2013) gives the following warning, and I’m wondering what to do with this information:
“….I would strongly recommend that unless you’re a vegetarian or vegan, there is a potential risk from taking L-carnitine, lecithin, choline or **betaine** supplements in an attempt to ward off cognitive decline or improve fat metabolism. If the evidence is confirmed, these supplements would do more to damage arteries than provide health benefits.”
from: the BBC, 7 April 2013, Red meat chemical ‘damages heart’, say US scientists http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22042995
I was just about to order a betaine/TMG supplement today, as per Chris’ low-B12 advice (taking 4 supplements: methylcobalamin + folate + TMG/betaine + potassium), when I saw this BBC article warning against taking betaine. I don’t know if I should just take the other 3 and skip the betaine?
Hi Chris (or anyone that knows),
I am wondering about the MMA test. I have previously only taken the serum B12 test which showed elevated B12 which along with symptoms caused me to suspect a functional deficiency. Although I have been supplementing for a few months I would like to take the MMA test just to be sure I am barking up the right tree. Do I need to cease B12 supps for a certain period of time before taking the test? Thanks!
Lindsay
Chris, can you advise me please?
My husband is 57 and suffers from lots of symptoms – all treated individually by different specialists for past 10 years. He has Ankylosing Spondylitis (an autoimmune disease), peripheral neuropathy in both feet (numb and tingly), a standing tremor, wide gait, osteoporosis, irritable bowel, depression and memory loss. His serum B12 was about 1900 and his MMA falls within normal levels. I am hoping to persuade my GP to refer him for an Active B12 test and Homocysteine – do you think it is worth it? Could he still have those results and not be processing B12 properly or am I barking up the wrong tree here?
Hi Lucy, Is he taking any Magnesium? I know low magnesium can cause systemic and wide ranging problems. And it’s an easy mineral to become deficient in due depleted soils, etc.