As you know vitamin B12 is vital for energy, for healthy RBC’s in the blood, good memory, endurance sports like marathons and even for gut health. But these are only a few benefits of the vast role that this vitamin plays in the human body.
Lack of Vitamin B12 has been associated with chronic fatigue, alcoholic liver disease, anemia, cancer, adenocarcinomas, stomach ulcers, increased H. Pylori activity in the gut, dementia in senior citizens, neural tube defects in unborn baies, depression and memory loss.
New mothers are candidates for Vitamin B12 supplementation. Research has found postpartum depression in 60% of new mothers. After all, childbirth is a major event in the life of a woman and may be distressful in some cases.
On a related note, higher levels of Vitamin B12 are used by athletes for improved balance, energy and endurance in athletics.
So what are the different types of B12 supplements available and which is the best one for you?
How to Choose Best Vitamin B12 Supplements to Recover from Deficiency
As you know, vitamin B12 is a water soluble vitamin. This means that it doesn’t stay in the body for a long period of time and that more frequent dosing with B12 may be needed to maintain healthy B12 levels in the body. What it also means is that to ensure ready availability of Vitamin B12 in the body, one must consumer good quality Vitamin B12.
Several of our customer ask us, How to Choose Best Vitamin B12 Supplements to Recover from Deficiency. Vitamin B12 also called cobalamins is available in the market, commonly in four forms:
- HydroxylCobalamin
- MethylCobalamin
- CyanoCobalamin
- AdenosylCobalamin
Many vitamins, including Vitamin B12, when absorbed from food, in the gut are not active in the form. To convert this absorbed Vitamin B12 into active form a number of different enzymes and cofactors are required.
All types of Vitamin B12 cannot be easily changed to the required form by all individuals. In such cases the Vitamin B12 remains unabsorbed and is eliminated via urine without being used!
Readily Available forms of Vitamin B12: HydroxyCobalamin, MethylCobalamin and AdenosylCobalamin
Not all types of Vitamin B12 can be easily changed to what is needed for critical reactions in the body. HydroxyCobalamin, MethylCobalamin and AdenosylCobalamin are all forms of Vitamin B12 that are used directly by the various reactions in the body.
Commercially Available, Cheap form of Vitamin B12, you must avoid: Cynocobalamin
However, CyanoCobalamin must be converted for use in the body. In India cyanocobalamin is the form usually recommended by medical practitioners.
At Vitsupp, we feel that if an individual is indeed suffering from Vitamin B12 deficiency, it is highly probable that he is not just deficient in Vitamin B12, but must also be facing other essential mineral and vitamin deficiencies, mostly due to restricted/poor diet.
(As you know Vitamin B12 deficiency is most rampant in individuals with poor/vegetarian diet and in senior citizens.)
And yes, a vegetarian diet is a restricted diet.
In such a case it may be wrong to assume that his body is making all the cofactors required for the conversion. So cyanocobalamin is not the best form of vitamin B12 for such individuals.
Also as the name suggests, cyanocobalamin contains a cyanide molecule.
So when you take cyanocobalamin your body must first turn it into HydroxylCobalamin in order to use it, and then must also find a way to get rid of the toxic cyanide molecule.
We all know cyanide is a poison even if the rest of the Vitamin B12 molecule is good for you. HydroxyCobalamin IS actually the treatment for cyanide poisoning, so the body uses the converted HydroxyCobalamin in order to detoxify cyanide.
As you can now understand, that not only is cyanocobalamin not the form your body ultimately needs, but taking higher doses of cyanocobalamin may actually deplete your HydroxyCobalamin.
So why is cyanocobalamin the primary vitamin b12 supplement in the Indian market and worldwide?
Well, cyanocobalamin is used because it is much less expensive, and a form of Vitamin B12 that is easier to keep in a stable. Other forms of Vitamin B12 require refrigeration, have a short shelf life and decomposes in light and heat.
Methyl B12 can be used in the body, though it may not be tolerated by everyone as it can trigger detox. Adenosyl B12 is a special form of Vitamin B12 that is important in the energy cycle in the cells of your body, but it is not as versatile as other forms of Vitamin B12 so it can be used in lower doses.
Hydroxycobalamin or hydroxy B12 is a unique form of vitamin B12, which is more easily converted to the form that is actually used for reactions in the body. However it is not easily available nor economical to use as it is more difficult to work with, harder to keep in an active form and more expensive than other forms of Vitamin B12.
So MethylB12 which is not too expensive as well as easily used by the body seems to be the best available choice here in India, as of now. Below are two Methylcobalamin Supplements available in India from VitSupp.
