T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. and Thomas M. Campbell II
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 Vitamin B12 is made by microorganisms found in the soil and by microorganisms in the intestines of animals, including our own. The amount made in our intestines is not adequately absorbed, so it is recommended that we consume B12in food. Research has convincingly shown that plants grown in healthy soil that has a good concentration of vitamin b12 will readily absorb this nutrient.10 However, plants grown in "lifeless" soil (non-organic soil) may be deficient in vitamin b12. |
Jack Challem
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 In 2006, researchers reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine that people taking either high doses of metformin or taking the drug for more than a couple of years were more than twice as likely to suffer from vitamin b12 deficiency. Low levels of vitamin b12 increase the risk of heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer.
Some diabetes drugs reduce blood-sugar levels but do not prevent the progression of prediabetes to diabetes. |
Benjamin H. Natelson, M.D.
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 Another medicine that helps some patients feel better is vitamin b12, given in large doses by injection. One study done many years ago did suggest that it could improve general well-being, but with only limited effects on fatigue. Medical students are taught that vitamins are useful only in patients who, for one reason or another, have a vitamin deficiency. However, enough patients have reported that vitamin b12 is helpful that I am willing to try this, especially because this vitamin is not toxic and costs so little. |
Hyla Cass, M.D.
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 Needed supplements: Take vitamin A (20,000 IU), vitamin E (100 milligrams [mg] in tocotrienol form, see below for more information), vitamin D (400-2,000 IU), folic acid (400 micrograms [meg]), vitamin K (80 meg), calcium (1,000 mg), iron (15 mg, if you're premenopausal), magnesium (400-600 mg), vitamin b12 (200 meg), and zinc (25 mg), and omega-3 fatty acids (1,000-3,000 mg). |
Ray D. Strand
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 The fact remains these women need higher amounts of folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin b12.
Boron
Boron is an interesting nutrient when it comes to bone metabolism. When study subjects took boron in supplementation, the urinary excretion of calcium decreased by approximately 40 percent. Boron also increases magnesium concentrations and decreases phosphorous levels.15 Supplementation with 3 mg daily of boron is more than adequate.
Silicon
Silicon is important because of its ability to strengthen the connective tissue matrix, which strengthens bone. |
Herbert Ross, DC with Keri Brenner, L.Ac.
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 In several studies, vitamin b12 deficiencies have been shown to suppress melatonin production.47 For this reason, B]2, in conjunction with light therapy, is effective for sleep phase syndromes. Deficiencies of magnesium and vitamins Bj and B6 may also reduce melatonin levels, since these nutrients are essential in activating the enzymes that facilitate production of serotonin and melatonin.48
Alternative Therapies to Reset Your Body Clock
Alternative medicine offers a broad range of therapies to reset your body clock and resolve sleep-wake rhythm disturbances. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 A small 3-ounce serving of braised liver provides all the Daily Value for vitamin A (preformed), riboflavin, copper, and vitamin b12. It also contains 93 percent of the selenium, a valuable trace mineral that's one of the most truly powerful cancer-fighting nutrients on the planet. That same 3 ounces also has 55 percent of the Daily Value for zinc,
50 percent of niacin, a surprising 50 percent of folate (which is usually associated with vegetables and fortified foods), 40 percent of thiamin and B6, and about a third of the RDI for iron. For goodness' sake, it even has some vitamin C! |
| That 4-ounce portion of lamb also contains 25 percent of the RDI for zinc and more than one-third of the RDI for vitamin b12. Zinc is an essential mineral that is found in almost every cell and stimulates the activity of approximately 100 enzymes, substances that promote biochemical reactions in your body. It's essential for a healthy immune system, which is adversely affected by even moderate degrees of zinc deficiency. (Men take note: Zinc is needed for the production of healthy sperm, which may be one indirect reason why high-zinc oysters got their reputation as an aphrodisiac! |
Mary-Ann Shearer
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 In addition, chlorine is a powerful irritant that also destroys vitamin E and because of its sterilizing properties destroys vitamin b12. Vitamin E is a natural antioxidant that helps prevent cancer and vitamin b12 is essential for healthy nerves and brain.
We are designed to deal comfortably with water that has a neutral pH level, as it neither leaches minerals from the body (as a more acidic pH will do) nor leaves behind inorganic mineral deposits (as is the case with water that is too alkaline). |
| These physiological reasons may be due to a digestive tract that does not secrete enough hydrochloric acid to activate the intrinsic factor that helps us absorb and use vitamin b12. This could result in a B12 deficiency, which you may believe can be corrected by eating meat. Statistics show that on average 40 percent of vegetarians and meat eaters suffer from a vitamin b12 deficiency, indicating that lack of animal flesh is clearly not the cause. |
Hyla Cass, M.D.
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| DNA changes are where cancer starts. vitamin b12 is also essential for proper nervous system function; it helps to build the myelin sheath, the fatty, conductive coating that enables nerve cells to send information efficiently. Symptoms of severe B12 deficiency include memory loss, numbness or tingling of the arms or legs, difficulty walking, mood swings, and dementia. Lack of this nutrient is one cause of anemia. It may contribute to neuropathy, a common and potentially painful consequence of diabetes. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 But not a health-minded vegetarian diet. Even vitamin b12 is simple to get in sufficient quantities if you put your mind to it.
As a society, we can exist quite comfortably on a plant-based diet. We can get everything we need in terms of nutrition -- including essential oils, vitamins, minerals and the like -- on a plant-based diet. We do not need meat to survive as a civilization. In fact, I believe that the mass consumption of meat devolves our society, because it makes us more angry and aggressive. |
Hyla Cass, M.D.
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| Dose: Folic acid (400 meg), vitamin b12 (200-1,000 meg), vitamin B6 (10-25 mg).
OTHER SUPPLEMENTS FOR BETTER BLOOD-SUGAR CONTROL
People with diabetes can benefit from the comprehensive support a multivitamin. Diabetics are less able to fight off infections than non-diabetics. It seems that a multivitamin can boost diabetics' immunity and resistance to infection. In one revealing study, only 17 percent of diabetics who took multivitamins reported having an infection—such as a cold, the flu, or a stomach flu—while 93 percent who took a placebo (dummy) pill did report having one. |
Ray D. Strand
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| There is not nearly as much money to be made in the sale of vitamin b12, vitamin B6, and folic acid. Sad to say, we are caught in the ripple effects of the economics of medicine. Could this possibly have been the underlying reason that Dr. Kilmer McCully lost his research funds and his job at Harvard?
Dr. McCully takes his own follow-the-money approach, asking who stands the most to gain by not educating people about the dangers of homocysteine. "The most dramatic improvements in longevity over the last couple of hundred years have been through public health, not through medicine," he says. |
Hyla Cass, M.D.
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| Needed supplements: Take CoQ10 (100-300 mg), vitamin E (100 mg in tocotrienol form), and vitamin b12 (200 meg).
STATINS: atorvastatin (Lipitor), fluvastatin (Lescol), lovastatin (Mevacor), pravastatin (Pravachol) rosuvastatin (Crestor), and simvastatin (Zocor)
At this writing, some 36 million Americans have cholesterol counts high enough to make them candidates for statin therapy. The guidelines for safe cholesterol levels continue to change so that more and more people are prescribed these medicines at higher and higher doses.
Actions: These drugs work reduce "bad" LDL and raise "good" HDL. |
| Vitamin B6: 50 mg daily.
• Vitamin B12: 500-1,000 meg daily.
• Vitamin C: 500-1,000 mg
• Zinc: 25-50 mg daily.
OSTEOPOROSIS DRUGS
Alendronate (Fosamax) and risedronate (Actonel) belong to the bisphos-phonate class of drugs. Bisphosphonates are widely prescribed to prevent and treat osteoporosis and to prevent fractures. Some pills are taken daily, and others once a week or once monthly.
Action: These medications slow bone loss by slowing the action of osteoclasts, cells that break down bone. |
Jack Challem
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| They include
• Antibiotics, which interfere with the B vitamins
• Beta-blockers, which interfere with coenzyme Q10
• Metformin, which interferes with vitamins B6, B12, folic acid, and coenzyme Q10
• Oral contraceptives, which interfere with the B vitamins
• Proton-pump inhibitors, which interfere with vitamins B12 and C
• Thiazides, which interfere with magnesium, potassium, and zinc Metformin, one of the most commonly prescribed drugs for prediabetes and diabetes, interferes with the body's absorption and use of folic acid (a B vitamin) and vitamin b12. |
| Low levels of vitamin b12 increase the risk of heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer.
Some diabetes drugs reduce blood-sugar levels but do not prevent the progression of prediabetes to diabetes. According to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine, people taking ramipril (Altace) to treat prediabetes benefited from improved blood-sugar levels; however, the drug did not reduce their risk of developing diabetes or dying.
Early in 2007, Eli Lilly, the maker of Zyprexa (noted previously) agreed to pay a total of $1. |
| They increase our risk of developing atrophic gastritis, which throws a wrench into the absorption of vitamin b12, vitamin C, and likely many other nutrients. They may also reduce calcium absorption, which would explain the greater risk of having a hip fracture.
Recent studies have found that imbalances among different species of gut bacteria can increase the risk of obesity. The imbalances favor gut bacteria that help to break down otherwise indigestible food constituents, leading to the absorption of more calories. |
Hyla Cass, M.D.
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| The RDA for vitamin b12 is 2.4 meg a day, so you can get enough into the body with a dose of 200 to 500 meg a day. You can use 1,000 meg or more per day without fear of harm. There is no evidence of toxicity with this vitamin, although there may be some potential for imbalance between B12 and the other B vitamins. Always accompany a B12 supplement with a B-complex-containing multivitamin.
As you restore your B12, inform your doctor, since changes in levels of this nutrient can lead to hypoglycemia. This is best measured by a blood test that looks at glycosylated hemoglobin, or HbAlC. |
Paula Begoun
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 European vitamin b12 & Gelatin Anti-Breakage Conditioner ($4.79 for 32 ounces) is nearly identical to the European Remoisturizing Conditioner above, except it includes vitamin b12 and gelatin in amounts great enough to serve as water-binding agents. However, that won't repair or prevent hair breakage. Otherwise, the same basic comments apply.
© European Vitamin E Moisture Rich Conditioner ($4.49 for 32 ounces) is nearly identical to the European Remoisturizing Conditioner above, and the same comments apply. The vitamin E cannot make hair "moisture-rich."
© Curl Care Curl Enhancing Mousse ($4. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Avoid cheap, store-bought children's vitamins or anything containing cyanocobalamin (a toxic form of vitamin b12). Quality children's vitamins are available through sources like Nordic Naturals (fish oils) and www.IntegratedHealth.com (also check www.WellnessResources.com for high-quality supplements).
18. Dryer sheets
Most popular dryer sheets and fabric softeners are made with toxic synthetic chemicals that are not safe to use on children's clothing. The fragrance chemicals alone are often highly carcinogenic, and the other chemicals contribute additional toxicity to the clothing. |
Mehmet C. Oz., M.D. and Michael F. Roizen, M.D.
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 Causes of a high MCV include liver disease, alcohol abuse, hypothyroidism, reticulocytosis, marrow aplasia, vitamin b12 or folic acid deficiency, and myelofibrosis. Causes of a low MCV include lead poisoning, chronic kidney failure, hemoglobinopathy, and certain anemias.
Monocytes: A type of white blood cell involved in the immune response to foreign substances, monocytes are often increased in response to chronic infection, inflammatory bowel disease, leukemia, and certain cancers. They may be decreased in people who have anemia or are taking corticosteroids. |
| The Fine Print
Folic acid, vitamin B6, Yes Folic acid, vitamin B5, and vitamin b12 work by reducing levels vitamin BB of homocysteine, a body chemical that's related to increased risk of heart disease. You should get 800 micrograms of folate a day. Most folks get half of that in their diet, so add an additional 400-microgram supplement. Get 50 milligrams of vitamin B6 and 800 micrograms of B,2.
Coenzyme Q10 Yes Mitochondria convert glucose into electric energy, and one of the molecules carrying electrons in this process is coenzyme Q10. |
Steven V. Joyal
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 Everyone who takes metformin should have their kidney function evaluated at least once a year, and blood levels of vitamin b12 and folic acid should be assessed regularly, as metformin use has occasionally been associated with a deficiency of these essential vitamins.
On very rare occasions, metformin has been linked to a condition called lactic acidosis, which is characterized by unusual fatigue or severe drowsiness, muscle pain, breathing difficulties, irregular or unusually slow heartbeat, and cold skin. |
J. E. Williams, O.M.D.
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 Vitamin B12: Like B6, vitamin b12, or cyanocobalamin, is necessary for the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, and it prevents pernicious anemia, a condition of the red blood cells that occurs most often in the elderly. vitamin b12 is also necessary for the maturation of the white blood cells. Like B2 and B6, vitamin b12 plays a role in the immune function such that low levels can impair natural immunity. This vitamin may also have activity against viruses; in one laboratory study, B12 inhibited HIV viral replication in human monocytes and lymphocytes (Weinberg 1995). |
J. Douglas Bremner
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 Rare side effects include a metallic taste in the mouth and reductions in vitamin b12. Glucovance is a combination of glyburide and metformin.
The known side effects and limited efficacy of these drugs led to a search for more-effective drugs with fewer side effects. Although the new-generation diabetes drugs were introduced with great fanfare, in some cases their side-effect profile turned out to be troubling and in some cases even more deadly than the older drugs. |
J. E. Williams, O.M.D.
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| Vitamin B12: Like B6, vitamin b12, or cyanocobalamin, is necessary for the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, and it prevents pernicious anemia, a condition of the red blood cells that occurs most often in the elderly. vitamin b12 is also necessary for the maturation of the white blood cells. Like B2 and B6, vitamin b12 plays a role in the immune function such that low levels can impair natural immunity. This vitamin may also have activity against viruses; in one laboratory study, B12 inhibited HIV viral replication in human monocytes and lymphocytes (Weinberg 1995). |
Ray D. Strand
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| No toxic effects have been associated with supplementation of vitamin K, vitamin Bl (thiamin), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), biotin, vitamin B5 (pan-tethine), inositol, vitamin b12, chromium, silicon, CoQlO, boron, and alpha-lipoic acid.26
A Physician's Defense
I am certain my medical training was not much different from that of the overwhelming majority of physicians practicing medicine today. I essentially received no formal medical training in nutrition. It was not a required class at my medical school. |
Paula Begoun
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| European vitamin b12 & Gelatin Anti-Breakage Shampoo ($4.79 for 32 ounces) does contain vitamin b12 and gelatin, but neither of these can stop or correct hair breakage. The tiny amounts included in this product make them barely effective water-binding agents. This standard shampoo is similar to the European Revitalizing Colour Care Shampoo above, and the same comments apply.
© European Vitamin E Moisture Rich Shampoo ($4.49 for 32 ounces) contains sodium lauryl sulfate as its main detergent cleansing agent, and that makes it too drying for the hair and too drying and irritating to the scalp. |
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