Re: Vegans & B12 deficiency

[Guest guest]

I do not eat meat, fish or poultry.

I take 100 mcg of Cyanocobalamin each day.

My vitamin B12 serum level is 1137 pg/mL (reference range 200-1100 pg/mL).

If one is in doubt, then they should get tested.

How in the world has Mercola gotten so many followers?

[Guest guest]

Marketing, hype, communications, and by being a clever businessman.

Re: Vegans & B12 deficiency

I do not eat meat, fish or poultry.

I take 100 mcg of Cyanocobalamin each day.

My vitamin B12 serum level is 1137 pg/mL (reference range 200-1100 pg/mL).

If one is in doubt, then they should get tested.

How in the world has Mercola gotten so many followers?

[Guest guest]

I think the point was that, as a vegan, you can't be maximally healthy

WITHOUT taking certain supplements (like B-12). Many vegans haven't deeply

researched what needed nutrients thay are missing by eating no animal

products.

Re: Vegans & B12 deficiency

I do not eat meat, fish or poultry.

I take 100 mcg of Cyanocobalamin each day.

My vitamin B12 serum level is 1137 pg/mL (reference range 200-1100 pg/mL).

If one is in doubt, then they should get tested.

How in the world has Mercola gotten so many followers?

[Guest guest]

Unfortunately, normal or high " serum levels of B12 " are no guarantee that

sufficient " active " vitamin B12 is being delivered to where it is required

in the body, and then functioning properly there.. High B12 results can be

entirely spurious, and worse than useless because they are misleading.

(A situation that could lead directly to Alzheimer's dementia.)

There are at least 38 types of cobalamin analogues, and only two are

" biologically active " in humans, while another two can be converted by the

body into one of the two active forms. The other 34+ " inactive B12 analogues "

are measured by the same " serum B12 " test.. This means that in many cases,

a high " serum B12 " result is meaningless, but there's no way to know which

cases have these " false positives " , from just this one test result.

The inactive B12 analogues are either produced by intestinal bacteria, or

supplied by various animal-derived and vegan foods. Inactive B12 analogues

block or inhibit the active forms of B12 from being used in the body.

--- Quotes:

" ...... humans must reduce B12 to its usable (+1) oxidation state (the only form

that can cross the blood-brain barrier) and then enzymatcially change B12 into

one of two metabolically active coenzyme forms: adenosylcobalamin and

methylcobalamin. If any of these steps do not take place, the brain and nervous

system are deprived of vital B12. Serum B12 tests can come back normal -- for

the B12 is locked in the serum, and reported out as B12 analogues -- but the B12

cannot be broken down into usable forms to be transferred to essential brain and

nervous tissue. "

above, from -

http://forums.bettermedicine.com/showthread.php/9948-vitamin-b12-deficiency-is-c\

ommonly-misdiagnosed/page14

" Algae such as nori and spirulina contain only vitamin B12 analogs that are

biologically inactive in humans. "

" Inactive analogues interfere with active forms, quickening the onset of

symptoms in marginal cases. "

" It has been found that a significant percentage of the activity in 'B-12

enriched' foods are inactive analogs. Hamburger, cottage cheese and boiled eggs

averaged about 10% analogs while milk products (whole, evaporated, nonfat)

averaged about 30%, whereas nearly 100% is inactive from tempeh. ... "

---

There's one test that measures whether the body has (or doesn't have)

a " functional deficiency " of active- vitamin B12.. This test is the

" methylmalonic acid " (MMA) test.. (An elevated homocysteine test result

by itself, is not sufficient to reliably indicate a B12 deficiency.)

--- Quotes:

" As of 2004 no plant sources of vitamin B12 had been found, though many had been

tested including various seaweeds, algae and fermented foods. Where claims have

been made as to B12 being present in a plant source, it has not been based on

the test for MMA levels, and any subsequent tests have found no reduction in

MMA, proving the presence only of inactive analogues. " ... " A group of Finnish

people living solely on fermented vegetable foods believed that vitamin B12 was

produced by the fermentation processes. When their MMA levels were checked over

a certain period they were found to be increasing, proving that normal methods

of fermenting foods does not result in B12 production, but only its inactive

analogues. It is assumed that passive absorption from B12 produced by gut

bacteria in herbivorous animals is adequate due to the increased length of, and

increased fermentation time in, their intestines. Additionally many " herbivores "

eat insects and faeces. "

from - http://www.howweheal.com/vitaminb12.htm

Bill

--- At 08:44 AM 16 02 2012, Eliot wrote:

>

>I do not eat meat, fish or poultry.

>

>I take 100 mcg of Cyanocobalamin each day.

>

>My vitamin B12 serum level is 1137 pg/mL (reference range 200-1100 pg/mL).

>

>If one is in doubt, then they should get tested.

>

>How in the world has Mercola gotten so many followers?

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the info Bill.

This may be of interest to you as well: Vitamin B12: Are You Getting It? -

http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/vitaminb12

[Guest guest]

I agree that Mercola is very good at what he does.

Somehow, he has become the primary source of health related information for many

people.

I am more interested in learning about his techiniques in " marketing, hype,

communications, etc. " . It is in these areas he is truly an expert.

>

> Marketing, hype, communications, and by being a clever businessman.

>

> Re: Vegans & B12 deficiency

>

> How in the world has Mercola gotten so many followers?

[Guest guest]

He is a not reliable or credible source of information. His material is poorly

referenced, misleading, and entirely designed to sell his product or his brand.

Re: Vegans & B12 deficiency

>

> How in the world has Mercola gotten so many followers?

[Guest guest]

>

> Re: Vegans & B12 deficiency

>

> I do not eat meat, fish or poultry.

>

> I take 100 mcg of Cyanocobalamin each day.

>

> My vitamin B12 serum level is 1137 pg/mL (reference range 200-1100 pg/mL).

>

> If one is in doubt, then they should get tested.

>

> How in the world has Mercola gotten so many followers?

>

> ==============

when Mercola started about 10 years ago, he was unique among the " doctors " .

he wrote his own articles. Now he has a staff of writers, many articles are

being re-published under diff. headlines, plus he keeps repeating the same stuff

again and again. His " writers " are after his money. Unfortunately Mercola

doesn't seem to see it.

[Guest guest]

Thanks Eliot.

Here's their " chapter " on B12 Analogues:

http://www.veganhealth.org/b12/mol

--- At 08:26 AM 17 02 2012, Eliot wrote:

>

>Thanks for the info Bill.

>

>This may be of interest to you as well: Vitamin B12: Are You Getting It? -

>

>http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/vitaminb12

>

>

>