Celiac disease and Vitamin B12

[Guest guest]

Here is an article relating to a deficiency of Vitamin B12 and Celiac (Crohn's

disease). The article goes into the fact that our bodies need to produce

" intrinsic factor " in order to utilize Vitamin B12.

http://www.revolutionhealth.com/healthy-living/natural-health/vitamin-boutique/v\

itamins/vitaminB12

Some people do not produce Intrinsic Factor for one reason or another, including

an anti-intrinsic component in the blood - Intrinsic Factor Blocking Antibody

I believe it would be worthwhile to try taking a supplement containing Intrinsic

Factor and I found a couple of them at www.Metagenics.com.

Do a search for " intrinsic factor " (don't forget the quotation marks) for

available products and studies.

http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/hminfr_cp.htm

Clinical Pharmacology CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY B12

Patient Information

VITAMIN B12 with Intrinsic Factor

When secretion of intrinsic factor in gastric juice is inadequate or absent

(e.g., in ian pernicious anemia or after gastrectomy), VITAMIN B12 in

physiologic doses is absorbed poorly, if at all. The resulting deficiency of

VITAMIN B12 leads to the clinical manifestations of pernicious anemia.

Strict vegetarianism and malabsorption syndromes may also lead to VITAMIN B12

deficiency. In the latter case, parenteral therapy, or oral therapy with

so-called massive doses of VITAMIN B12, may be necessary for adequate treatment

of the patient.

Potency of intrinsic factor concentrates is determined physiologically i.e., by

their use in patients with pernicious anemia. The liver-stomach concentrate with

intrinsic factor and the vitamin B12 contained in 2 capsules provide 1½ times

the minimum amount of therapeutic agent, which, when given daily in an

uncomplicated case of pernicious anemia, will produce a satisfactory

reticulocyte response and relief of anemia and symptoms.

Concentrates of intrinsic factor derived from hog gastric, pyloric, and duodenal

mucosa have been used successfully in patients who lack intrinsic factor. For

example, Fouts et al. maintained patients with pernicious anemia in clinical

remission with oral therapy (liver extracts or intrinsic factor concentrate with

VITAMIN B12) for as long as 29 years.

After total gastrectomy, Ficarra found multifactor preparations taken orally to

be just as effective in maintaining blood levels as any medication that has to

be administered parenterally. His study was based on 24 patients who had

survived for 5 years after total gastrectomy for cancer and who had been taking

2 capsules daily.

Folic Acid

Folic acid deficiency is the immediate cause of most, if not all, cases of

nutritional megaloblastic anemia and of the megaloblastic anemias of pregnancy

and infancy; usually, it is also at least partially responsible for the

megaloblastic anemias of malabsorption syndromes, e.g., tropical and nontropical

sprue.

It is apparent that in VITAMIN B12 deficiency (e.g., pernicious anemia), lack of

this vitamin results in impaired utilization of folic acid. There are other

evidences of the close folic acid-VITAMIN B12 interrelationship:

VITAMIN B12 influences the storage, absorption, and utilization of folic acid,

and

as a deficiency of VITAMIN B12 progresses, the requirement for folic acid

increases. However, folic acid does not change the requirement for VITAMIN B12.

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2004/jul2004_aas_01.htm

" B12 Absorption Declines with Age

A primary determinant of the body’s ability to absorb B12 is a compound known as

intrinsic factor, which is secreted by the cells lining the stomach. Intrinsic

factor is crucial for absorption of cobalamin from the small intestine. The

compound is produced in lesser amounts as the body ages, which accounts at least

partially for the disproportionately larger incidence of vitamin B12 deficiency

in elderly people—nearly one-third of people over the age of 60 cannot extract

the vitamin B12 they need from the foods they eat.6 Stomach surgery or other

conditions affecting the gastrointestinal tract also may affect production of

intrinsic factor. "

" Another possible contributing factor is pernicious anemia, which severely

reduces gastric secretion of intrinsic factor. In view of its association with a

variety of antibodies, including at least two types of intrinsic factor

antibodies, pernicious anemia is an autoimmune process. Intrinsic factor

blocking antibody, which prevents the binding of vitamin B12 to the intrinsic

factor molecule, is present in more than 50% of patients with pernicious anemia

and only rarely is encountered in other conditions.7 "

Ora

[Guest guest]

Hi Ora,

That was a really interesting email and especially about the intrinsic

factor--new to me. Will look it up for sure.

I was deficient in vitamin B (and others) most of my life--first discovered when

I was a teenager. They told me to eat more cereal which of course was definitely

the wrong thing for me. Of course I don't look forward to taking another pill as

I have trouble getting the ones I take down. Does anybody know for example a

better way to take calcium horse pills than the calcium horse pills on the

market? We are supposed to choke down 1500 milligrams of calcium a day. I really

have a hard time doing that.

My gyn doc has prescribed a pill for ostepenia and osteoporosis made from soy. I

haven't had the nerve to take it yet. It is apparently kind of a new more

natural med since made from soy. If you know anything about it I would like to

hear. (can't remember name and too lazy to go upstairs).

Arline

To: VulvarDisorders

> Date: Saturday, August 23, 2008, 6:21 PM

> Here is an article relating to a deficiency of Vitamin B12

> and Celiac (Crohn's

> disease). The article goes into the fact that our bodies

> need to produce

> " intrinsic factor " in order to utilize Vitamin

> B12.

>

>

http://www.revolutionhealth.com/healthy-living/natural-health/vitamin-boutique/v\

itamins/vitaminB12

>

> Some people do not produce Intrinsic Factor for one reason

> or another, including

> an anti-intrinsic component in the blood - Intrinsic Factor

> Blocking Antibody

>

> I believe it would be worthwhile to try taking a supplement

> containing Intrinsic

> Factor and I found a couple of them at www.Metagenics.com.

>

> Do a search for " intrinsic factor " (don't

> forget the quotation marks) for

> available products and studies.

>> http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

[Guest guest]

I don't take the calcium horse pills mainly because they make me constipated.

However I do take CALCET. It comes in little smooth pillow-shaped yellow pills

and I take two of them three times a day. (When I remember) but I do take them

at least once a day. They don't constipate me and I hope they give me the

calcium they show on the label.

I rarely eat anything made from soy because when I was a child my mother told me

that soybeans were poisonous and I always sort of believed her. We ate lots of

beans and I love them still but not soybeans. I still can't understand any

reason to eat them. When one of my little ones had digestive problems I

substituted soymilk formula for a while but it gave him lots of gas so I stopped

that.

One of my kids wet the bed and I gave him the intrinsic factor in his vitamins

and he quit wetting the bed. But the manufacturer quit making the pills and I

couldn't find anyone who made it. Those were the pre-internet days. He started

wetting again. I couldn't find intrinsic factor until years later but recently

found it again.

I am taking it myself and it doesn't do me any harm so I thought I would mention

it to the group after looking it up.

Ora

On Sat, 23 Aug 2008 18:58:17 -0700 (PDT), BABB pajaritomountain@...>

wrote:

>Hi Ora,

>

>That was a really interesting email and especially about the intrinsic

factor--new to me. Will look it up for sure.

>

>I was deficient in vitamin B (and others) most of my life--first discovered

when I was a teenager. They told me to eat more cereal which of course was

definitely the wrong thing for me. Of course I don't look forward to taking

another pill as I have trouble getting the ones I take down. Does anybody know

for example a better way to take calcium horse pills than the calcium horse

pills on the market? We are supposed to choke down 1500 milligrams of calcium a

day. I really have a hard time doing that.

>

>My gyn doc has prescribed a pill for ostepenia and osteoporosis made from soy.

I haven't had the nerve to take it yet. It is apparently kind of a new more

natural med since made from soy. If you know anything about it I would like to

hear. (can't remember name and too lazy to go upstairs).

>

>Arline

>

>

[Guest guest]

my doc at ut southwestern told me to take a good B supplement. I also use

the liquid B12 from health food store. hugs, ML