To B(12) or not to B(12) that is the question

Liposomal B12, in the HYDROXO Form

Soooooo, just in case here is some need to know clinical info on vitamin B12.

There are four forms

We do not use CYANOcobalamin, end of.

The ACTIVE forms are:

– METHYLcobalamin – which works in the METHYLATION cycle, making everything from DNA/new cells, neurotransmitters, myelin, creatine, while also breaking down histamine & oestrogen, plus tons more (it is really, REALLY important)

ADENDOSYLcobalamin, which works in the KREBS cycle, making energy.

You can learn more about methylation here in this 2 minute video from the IN Health supplement site.

https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/754209830

But we also have an inactive, but direct precursor to the active forms, called HYDROXOcobalamin.

Our Active B12 sublingual is the go to form for people with pain, fatigue, and neurological symptoms as it needs no conversions.

BUT this form is not ideal for those with anxiety or a strong history of mental health issues.

The reason?

Active forms work immediately and that means sudden changes in neurotransmitters, and if they are really imbalanced, they can change too quickly and give them unpleasant anxiety.

So, if we have any concerns, we go for HYDROXOcobalamin the inactive form, to slowly feed into the active forms.

As it is a liquid, it also allows us to start with a very low dose of just a few drops building up to 500-1000 mcg (0.5-1ml) over a few weeks.

The other amazing thing is the B12 is encapsulated into a fatty globule called a liposome, which means it is absorbed very quickly in the mouth, oesphageous and small intestines without need for digestion, into the blood stream.

For this reason, I have found for some of my hardcore B12 patients with auto-immunity (aka pernicious anaemia), who cannot absorb from food and need injections, have discontinued the use of injections when they use liposomal B12.

This is not a universal finding, and patients like that often need combinations of inactive and active in different delivery mechanisms.

One reason might be that B12 is a water soluble molecule, and by encapsulating it in a phospholipid bilayer (liposome) we can pass it into and past the phospholipid bilayer of every single cell in your body.

Some people do indeed have issues with B12 transporters in the cell membrane, and are unable to move B12 from the blood into the cell –

Liposomals seem to get us around this issue.

So to summarise that:

Issues with absorption into the gut are bypassed via sublinguals (directly into the blood via the mouth) which we use for ACTIVE B12 or via liposomal B12, which requires no transport effort in the gut, it goes directly into the blood.

Both achieve the same thing via different routes.

HOWEVER – Some people may have an issue with CELLULAR transport, taking B12 from the BLOOD into the CELL (which is where we want it) and LIPOSOMAL B12 does this with no effort.

This may explain why some more complex, unwell patients do better on LIPOSOMAL than sublinguals.

Other cool things that hydroxo B12 does, that the active forms do not, is to bind toxic gases.

It is a potential treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning.

Plus, it can bind the toxic hydrogen sulfite (H2S) which can come from sulphate reducing bacterial overgrowth in the gut, which often gives rotten egg like smelly farts.

H2S is associated with Crohns disease and other bowel issues and psoriasis.

And it can bind excess nitric oxide, which may be over produced in a sustained inflammatory response and is often linked with migraine and other chronic pain syndromes.

I believe this last function is very important.

We also have a new one page B12 infographic which is attached ready to print and laminate for reception and treatment rooms, which is attached.