Today’s health food stores stock a wide variety of goods to meet the needs of every diet known to mankind- low fat, low sugar, processed-free, nondairy, low carb, high protein…but what gives with gluten-free?

Gluten is a protein found in grain products such as wheat, spelt and barley, among others.  Patients of celiac disease, a disorder which distresses the small intestines, have trouble digesting such products and are thus advised to follow a gluten-free diet.  Health food aisles abound with gluten-free cake mixes, breads and pastas.  Hundreds of recipe web sites offer creative suggestions for gluten-free living.

Rewind to thirty years ago, and most people would probably have not heard of celiac disease.  So, how did celiac disease suddenly become a household name?  Modernization provides a key – despite the advice from numerous health experts, we Americans still love our Wonder bread; those light, airy loaves cannot be produced without rich, glutinous dough, and agriculturalists have been striving to deliver the most highly glutinous crops of wheat available in order to meet our demands.

Another culprit might be commercial yeast, which has replaced sourdough yeast as the preferred rising agent among bread makers. According to a report published by Applied and Environmental Microbiology, sourdough yeast contains bacteria which break down the gluten in the dough, thereby reducing the likeliness of bowel irritation.  Commercial yeasts offer no such protection.

Celiac disease can lead to other complications such as osteoporosis, anemia resulting from B12 deficiency, fatigue and weight gain, to name just a few. Incidences of celiac disease are rising, either due to increased wheat consumption or the public’s rising awareness of the disorder.

A doctor’s visit is required in order to ascertain whether one is suffering from celiac or from gluten intolerance, the latter of which is less harmful.  Although gluten intolerance does not create any lasting damage, some experts believe that the continuance of a high-gluten diet might lead to an eventual celiac disease diagnosis.

A study published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association suggests that regular intake of vitamin B12, vitamin B6 and B9 (folate) can prevent premature death of heart disease and stroke.

The Japanese study proves that women who eat foods enriched vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and folate are less likely to suffer heart attack or die of a stroke.  Japanese men who eat B-rich foods are less likely to suffer heart failure.

These findings confirm similar studies which have been conducted in the US and Europe, all of which came to the same conclusion; B vitamins such as B12, B6 and folate are essential for cardiovascular health.

Through the Japan Collaborative Cohort (JACC) Study, a survey which collected data on the dietary habits of over 85,000 Japanese between the ages of 40 and 79, scientists were able to gain information on a correlation between the amount of B vitamin intake and likeliness of mortality from heart disease and stroke.   Out of the 85,000 men and women studied, 986 died from stroke, 424 perished from heart attack and over 2,000 died from a variety of heart-related illnesses – all in a 14-year time frame.

Scientists grouped test subjects into five categories, varying in relation to B6, B12 and folate intake.  Of the female test subjects who ate the lowest amounts of B6, B12 and folate, more were likely to die of stroke or heart attack than those who ate a moderate amount of B vitamins.  Similarly, men who consumed the least B vitamins were more likely to die from cardiovascular illness than others.  Of the test subjects who reported eating a steady diet of B6, B12 and folate, fewer suffered mortalities related to stroke or heart disease than counterparts from any of the other groups.

Scientists believe that B vitamins lower homocysteine levels, an amino acid which many doctors believe increase one’s risk of suffering from heart disease and stroke.  Vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid prevent the accumulation of homocysteine.  Eating whole grains, leafy vegetables, legumes and fish are excellent ways to get B vitamins.  However, many suffer from an inability to completely digest B12, resulting in B12 deficiency.  Symptoms include fatigue, memory loss and numbness or tingling in the extremities.

A new study released by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) warns diabetics who take metformin to get their blood checked regularly for vitamin deficiencies, particularly B12.

Sold under the brand name of Glucophage, metformin is often prescribed to patients who suffer from type 2 diabetes.  Metformin increases the body’s receptiveness to insulin while, at the same time, significantly decreasing the amount of glucose secreted by the liver; additionally, it also aids in lowering bad cholesterol.   Scientists, however, have reason to believe that metformin may prevent the body from efficiently absorbing B12, a vitamin which is essential for maintaining a healthy nervous system and red blood cell production.  According to recent research, patients who take metformin are 10% – 30% more likely to have difficulty utilizing B12.  Health experts urge anybody taking the medication over a long period of time to have their B12 levels tested routinely.

B12 deficiency is often misdiagnosed, as its symptoms are similar to those of many other illnesses.

Symptoms include, but are not limited to:

• Heart palpitations
• Trouble sleeping
• Depression
• Loss of memory
• Tingling and numbness in the extremities
• Fatigue
• Nervousness
• Slow reflexes
• Slow blood clotting
• Dandruff
• Trouble swallowing
• Red or sore tongue
• Menstrual complications

Treatment for B12 deficiency may include a series of B12 vitamin supplements taken in the form of intramuscular injections, nasal drops or patching.  The former can be quite painful; patching offers a much gentler solution for people who are unable to absorb B12 naturally and must rely on ongoing supplementation.

References:

Bloomberg Businessweek

Web MD

Diabetes Self-Management

Vitamin B12 is a key component of several body functions. Vitamin B12 plays a key role in the manufacturing of red blood cells, keeps the nervous system working correctly and is key in brain functions.

Symptoms of Vitamin B12 Deficiency

The symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency ranges from virtually unnoticeable to dementia. Obviously the variable is the extent of time that the deficiency has been present. Normally a person will begin by feeling a bit run down. The first visit to the doctor normally results in being misdiagnosed. Maybe anemia will be diagnosed. Maybe nothing will be diagnosed, unless a blood test is specifically run to determine if the proper levels of Vitamin B12 is apparent than the factor will remain unknown, and usually this is not a common part of a blood panel work up, it has to be requested by the health care provider specifically.

As time passes and the condition is not treated, the symptoms will become much more complex. The complexity of the symptoms will also range from headaches to light headedness to forget fullness and the energy level will be way down. There can be some lasting damage is the condition is not caught and treated by this stage.

Host of Increased Health Problems

The risks of Vitamin B12 deficiency range from Vitamin B12 deficiency based anemia to stroke. The risks include neuropsychiatry disorders. Depression can sometimes be attributed to Vitamin B12 deficiency as can memory loss, dementia and at its worse psychosis. With these neurological disorders simply increasing the dosage of Vitamin B12 to cure the deficiency does not necessarily cure the disorders, because the nervous system, by the time these symptoms present themselves may have been permanently damaged. The incidence of neurological illness is prevalent in the older members of society primarily effecting those sixty two years and older when the body’s natural ability to absorb Vitamin B12 is already naturally declining. Many of whom are misdiagnosed over and over upon the initial consult, complaining of fatigue it is attributed to old age.

Cardiovascular risk factors also increase in cases of prolonged Vitamin B12 deficiency. The increase of myocardial infarction and stroke increase dramatically when there is a prolonged Vitamin B12 deficiency. This heart damage may also be irreversible. Stroke is also increased as a result of prolonged deficiency.

There are also some connections between Vitamin B12 deficiency and Alzheimer’s disease. The research is still in its earliest phases and no conclusions have been made yet, but it is hypothesized with strong anecdotal evidence to support the theory that Vitamin B12 deficiency may play a strong role in the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. The theory is that Vitamin B12 deficiency when prolonged damages the dendrites in the brain and causes sections of the nervous system to die out, resulting in an increased risk of memory loss and dementia.

The risks of Vitamin B12 deficiency are evident and very preventable, a balanced diet and periodic screens can offset any potential problems.

Vitamin B12 benefits have been proven scientifically. The science behind the vitamin b12 benefits has prompted vitamin b12 to be produced in all types of forms. There are injectable forms of vitamin b12 and there are ingestible forms of vitamin b12. The use of vitamin b12 as an elixir for all types of physical maladies is nothing new. The practice of using vitamin b12 has been around for quite some time.

Vitamin B12 Benefits

Vitamin b12 benefits are numerous and span from the youngest members of society to the oldest. Vitamin b12 benefits for the body include:

• Keeping melatonin levels up
• Alleviating depression
• Treatment for Alzheimer’s
• Treatment of asthma in children
• Support and increase the immune system in adults and children
• Increased metabolic rate

It would seem that the vitamin b12 benefits run the gamut of health issues. Vitamin b12 benefits may also include the treatment of HIV, the precursor to AIDS.

How Does Vitamin B12 Work?

Vitamin b12 is actually separate b vitamins. There is thiamine, riboflavin, biotin and folic acid amongst others. These individual vitamins work on different structures of the human body. These vitamins are utilized by the body on a molecular level and are used in the production of red blood cells, immunity cells, muscle fibers and other molecular structures. The vitamin b12 is an integral part of the chemical makeup of the human body.

Where Does it Come From?

Vitamin b12 is normally received through food sources. Most diets provide enough vitamin b12 on a daily basis. There are some diseases that deplete the body of vitamin b12. Pernicious anemia is a condition where the vitamin b12 found in diets is not enough, and supplements need to be taken. With pernicious anemia the body does not process the vitamin b12 the way it is supposed to, so supplements are introduced to increase the amount of vitamin b12 in the body with the hope that the overwhelming amount will cause some of the vitamin b12 to be absorbed. Vitamin b12 benefits can be realized with the minimal amounts that are require each day. Supplementing vitamin b12 may or may not increase the benefits of vitamin b12. A medical professional is a good source to use to determine in vitamin b12 benefits will increase with the use of a supplement to the diet.

Vitamin B12 Supplements

Vitamin b12 supplements can be purchased at any health food store, grocery store, drug store or warehouse discount store. Supplements usually come in pill or liquid form. Vitamin b12 benefits are clear and if the diet is not providing the recommended daily allowance than supplements would be a good choice.

Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause a host of medical problems. Vitamin B12 deficiency is the result of inadequate diet or a failure of the body to absorb the vitamin b12.

Conditions

Certain conditions are related to vitamin b12 deficiency. The most well known condition of vitamin b12 deficiency is anemia. Anemia is a condition of the blood. Vitamin b12 is vital to the production of red blood cells. There are other conditions that are not immediately diagnosed as a vitamin b12 deficiency. Vitamin b12 deficiency can sometimes present itself as nerve damage, or the early stages of dementia (Alzheimer’s disease). Depression is also a condition associated with vitamin b12 deficiency. Pernicious anemia is not a condition of vitamin b12 deficiency but typically the cause of vitamin b12 deficiency when dietary causes have been ruled out. Vitamin b12 deficiency can also cause sessions of mania, psychosis and fatigue. Vitamin b12 deficiency over a long period of time can cause irreversible damage to the nervous system. Vitamin b12 deficiency is usually very difficult to diagnose and goes misdiagnosed for long periods of time. Patients are treated for a host of other ailments in the hopes that the treatments will relieve the symptoms, and still do not receive the relief they hope for. Vitamin b12 deficiency can be determined through a simple blood test but it is often overlooked as a possible problem.

Treatment

Vitamin b12 deficiency is treated by increasing the delivery of vitamin b12. Vitamin b12 supplements in severe cases of vitamin b12 deficiency are delivered via injections at very high doses. In the case of pernicious anemia the vitamin b12 supplements are delivered at the rate three times of the recommended daily dosage. It is thought that at the higher levels at least some of the vitamin b12 will be absorbed. Vitamin b12 deficiency can also be treated by the use of sublingual vitamin b12 and other forms of vitamin b12 supplements. The first step in suspected vitamin b12 deficiency should be a visit to a health care provider, to determine through a blood test if there is a vitamin b12 deficiency, once that has been determined than treatment options should be discussed.

Prevention

The prevention of vitamin b12 deficiency is simple enough. Taking a daily supplement of vitamin b12 and eating a proper diet that is rich in vitamin b12 will ward off any problems associated with the dietary vitamin b12 deficiency. If there is a family history of pernicious anemia it is best to get checked to be sure that the condition is not present.

Vitamin b12 deficiency can be a very serious condition with lasting effects, it should not be ignored. Vitamin b12 deficiency is treatable and curable with no lasting damage if caught in time.

Intrinsic factor is a protein produced by the cells of the stomach, parietal cells, which also produce the acid (gastric juice) for digestion. The intrinsic factor is the compound which facilitates and allows the absorption of vitamin B12 from food in the stomach and the intestines.

Once ingested the B12 becomes bound to a binding proteins present in the hydrochloric acid of the stomach. In the less acidic environment of the small intestine, these proteins separate from the vitamin, enabling it to bind to intrinsic factor and enter the bloodstream.

 The intrinsic factor is an enzyme-like unidentified substance secreted by the stomach. It is present in the gastric juice as well as in the gastric mucous membrane. The optimum pH for the action of the intrinsic factor is 7 and it is inactivated at temperatures above 45^oC.

In pernicious anemia, an autoimmune disease, autoantibodies direct themselves against the intrinsic factor and/or parietal cells themselves and lead to an intrinsic factor deficiency, which results in malabsorption of vitamin B12. Atrophic gastritis, an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach, can also cause intrinsic factor deficiency and anemia through damage to the parietal cells. Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency can interfere with normal dissociation of vitamin B12 from the proteins, as well preventing its absorption via the intrinsic factor structure. Bariatric surgery is a known risk factor in the development of pernicious anemia, other risk factors include stomach tumors, gastric ulcers, and excessive consumption of alcohol.

Patients experiencing an insufficiency in their intrinsic factor levels cannot benefit from a low dose oral vitamin B-12 supplement, because it will not absorb through the wall of the small intestine. Historically, the disease was thought untreatable before the discovery that it could be managed with regular injections of vitamin B-12, thus bypassing the digestive tract. Other options are available nowadays if injections are not the desired method of supplementation.

More than 70% of people over the age of 50 are thought to suffer from some form of vitamin b12 deficiency.  When this occurs your body is being deprived of an essential vitamin.  B12 is needed in order for your body to make red blood cells.  Therefore when your body does not have enough vitamin b12 it can lead to anemia. Red blood cells are critical as they carry oxygen through the body.  A person with vitamin b12 deficiency may feel very lethargic, weak, and tired.  There are different methods for a person to receive vitamin b12 such as through vitamin b12 injections or using vitamin b12 patch.  The b12 patch is very convenient for people rather than having to get monthly b12 shots all the time.  With the B12 patch they can avoid all the hassles associated with getting b12 shots.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Vitamin B12 is the only vitamin that is not known to have toxic effects even when taken in large doses. Patients with anemia have been given 1,000 mcg monthly injections to treat vitamin B12 deficiency without any side effects. However, for healthy individuals, large doses of vitamin B12 are not recommended. Healthy adults get enough of this vitamin from a balanced diet. Healthy adults are recommended to take one multivitamin daily that contains vitamin B12. Those at risk for vitamin B12 deficiency include the elderly and vegetarians. The elderly are at risk for atrophic gastritis, and vegetarians often need supplementation because vitamin B12 is found only in foods from animal products. A strict vegetarian diet which prohibits consumption of animal products can result in vitamin B12 deficiency.

Additional Supplementation

Patients with anemia cannot absorb vitamin B12 from food or oral supplements. Therefore, vitamin B12 injections are usually required to correct anemia and to prevent irreversible neurological damage. Patients who have had surgical removal of the stomach lack intrinsic factor which is produced in the stomach, so they cannot absorb vitamin B12 from food or supplements. Patients with resection of the small bowel may not be able to absorb vitamin B12 from food and supplements. Patients with a condition of food allergy to gluten that leads to atrophy of the small bowel lining may also not be able to absorb vitamin B12 from food and supplements. Also, some medications affect the absorption of vitamin B12 in the body. For example, medication used to control blood glucose levels with type II diabetes, treatment used to lower blood cholesterol levels, and also some medications used to control unexplained diarrhea have been known to inhibit the absorption of vitamin B12 from food.

About Vitamin B12 Supplementation

The importance of vitamin B12 can not be ignored. Even though vitamin B12 is required in very small amounts by the body, it is responsible for performing some vital and essential functions. Vitamin B12 is easily available in a balanced daily diet. However, due to the complex process involved in absorption, there may be a deficiency of this vitamin. A deficiency of vitamin B12 may give rise to numerous health problems and serious diseases of which anemia is most common. Different methods of supplementation of vitamin B12 exist. Some prominent methods that are practiced include oral intake, intravenous methods, and through injections also known as vitamin B12 shots.

Vitamin B12 Shots

Vitamin B12 helps in catalyzing the myriad bodily processes. Vitamin B12 should be consumed in appropriate levels in order to meet the various requirements of the body. Many times vitamin B12 is found to be deficient due to inappropriate absorption within the gastrointestinal tract. There are many over-the-counter medications for external supplementation of vitamin B12. However, some of these do not contain enough of the vitamin to effectively reduce the symptoms of deficiency. For this reason vitamin B12 shots are administered. Generally, the shots are given every 1 to 2 days for a period of about 2 weeks in the initial stages. The frequency of the shots can be increased or decreased according to need.