Interesting interview on Vit B12.

Thought people here might find it interesting. One telling quote:

Well the public health message is that vitamin B12 deficiency is way commoner than everybody thinks and in order to know if someone has B12 deficiency you can’t just measure a serum B12. In Europe they measure something called holotranscobalamin, not readily available here and probably not in Australia. So if you have somebody who has a borderline B12 level you’ve got to measure the homocysteine level to know whether they have metabolic B12 deficiency.


That might help explain why so many of us feel rotten despite showing normal B12 levels on our blood tests...

Radio show & transcript of interview

I'm not good at science, so if anyone wants to discuss it more or tell me I've misinterpreted things, that's ok. (just do it nicely, without arguing, please)

Ivy.

My B12 was borderline low and so they did two tests to determine if I really had a defiency. These tests were a Homocysteine test and methylmalonic acid (MMA) test. The amount of these substances rise in the blood as the B12 level falls. My folate level was also tested as folate and B12 deficiency can often go together.

BTW, the tests did show I was B12 deficient. My neurologist said my B12 level was "fine". I asked my GP to run the other tests and that is how it was discovered I was deficient. I fired the neurologist. My B12 levels returned to normal after treatment with sublingual methylcobalamin, 1 GM daily. Taking cynacobalamin often does not work as the body must convert the cynocobalamin to methylcobalamin to utilize the B12. Those of us wilth CD in the area where B12 is absorbed will not be able to process it.

So I gather a B12 supplement from a drug store probably wouldn't help? My GI said my B12 and folate levels were fine but I still feel tired all the time. Figure its just something I have to deal with...

I read the transcript last night, but the effort of reading it so exhausted me, I was unable to reply :-/

It was definitely interesting. Hard to follow at times, because it introduced too many strands of info in too little space, IMO. I would also have liked a clearer 'take home' message on what to do, but if I remember rightly it's to take a lot of B12 (unless you have kidney disease, in which case you need to take an alternative form of B12) to reduce your risk of strokes and heart disease.

I'll read it again this evening... >_>