Diet

Vitamin B12 supplements

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is a vitamin, which is necessary for various metabolic processes in the human organism.

Both for the Blood formation as well as the breakdown of various fatty substances is the vitamin that is made up of the food is particularly important.
A defect Vitamin B 12 can have various causes, but is usually made up by one discovered by chance in the blood count Anemia (anemia) noticeable.

People who suffer from chronic fatigue and exhaustion, for example, as well as decreased performance, should always have a vitamin B 12 test in their blood.

The so-called Intrinsic factor is a substance of the small intestine that enables vitamin B 12 to be absorbed from food. There are various illnesses in which this factor is absent or insufficiently developed. First and foremost, heavy alcohol consumption and chronic gastric mucosal inflammation should be mentioned here.

First and foremost, it is important to treat the cause and only then add vitamin B 12. If the intrinsic factor is missing in the stomach and small intestine, a vitamin B 12 preparation supplied as a tablet cannot be sufficiently absorbed.
In this case, the drug would be injected at regular intervals.

Vitamin B12 supplements

If a vitamin B 12 deficiency has been diagnosed, an appropriate preparation for regular intake should be selected.
A large number of preparations are available here.
The manufacturer "Doppelherz" offers over-the-counter vitamin B 12 capsules that should be taken at regular intervals. It should be noted, however, that oral (oral) ingestion may not have any effect, as the transporters of the gastrointestinal tract do not work and this is the reason why the vitamin B 12 deficiency has arisen.

There is a preparation from Tetesept that acts as a vitamin B 12 depot: The vitamin is "stored" and is therefore sufficient for a longer period of time.
Here, too, it should be noted that sufficient intake through one tablet is not 100% guaranteed. Numerous other manufacturers also offer vitamin B 12 in capsule form.

In the case of slight vitamin B 12 deficiencies, an attempt at oral intake can certainly be started. In the case of severe deficiencies, prompt compensation is necessary, which is why injection treatment should be avoided.

It is also important to check the vitamin B 12 level during and after taking medication. It can be assessed whether the deficiency has improved or whether the treatment strategy needs to be changed.

Anchor man

The preparation "B12 Ankermann" from the company Wörwag GmbH & co KG is a drug that is used to cover the vitamin B12 requirement and for vitamin deficiency. It is one of many products on the market. It can be administered in the form of tablets or drops. Alternatively, it is given as an injection under the skin (for example in the case of a recovery disorder after gastric or intestinal surgery). It contains as an active ingredient Cyanocobalamin (artificially produced vitamin B12). It is a very well researched and tested active ingredient that is suitable for healthy people to cover their daily needs. There is an exception for smokers. When the body uses cyanocobalamin, very small amounts of the neurotoxin are produced Cyanide. This amount is so small that it is usually not medically significant. Smoking, however, usually already increases the cyanide levels, so it is better to switch to another vitamin B12 preparation. These are usually more expensive than, for example, "B12 Ankermann", but their effect is often better. When medication is administered as an injection under the skin, only 20-50% of the cyanocobalamin is actually absorbed. With other forms such as hydroxycobalamin, however, around 70%. Therefore, if there is a medically proven vitamin B12 deficiency, a therapy with naturally occurring variants of the vitamin is recommended (this also includes methylcobalamin), as the body can use them immediately. "B12 Ankermann" must be obtained from the pharmacy. Many other vitamin B12 preparations are approved as dietary supplements in Germany and can therefore be purchased over the counter (for example in a drugstore).

Vitasprint

A vitamin B12-containing preparation that is heavily advertised in advertising is Vitasprint.

It is not only recommended for use in the event of a deficiency, but also for strengthening the immune system and, according to the manufacturer, should be taken when there are many infections.

According to the manufacturer, the drug should be effective for tiredness, listlessness and weakness, especially during the winter months. Furthermore, the company gives a recommendation for people suffering from stress, for concentration disorders and as food supplements for vegetarians.

It is made up of vitamin B 12 and the amino acids phosphonoserine and glutamine.
Vitasprint is available as capsules and as a liquid in which a powder can be dissolved.
The capsules are to be swallowed whole; in the case of the liquid, the powder container located above the drinking bottle must first be pierced.
The powder then empties into the liquid and can be drunk.

Read more on the topic: Vitasprint.

Vegan supplements

Vitamin B12 cannot be produced by the human organism and must therefore be supplied through food. It is particularly found in animal products such as meat or dairy products. It cannot be ingested through plant-based food. With a vegan diet in particular, there is therefore the risk of suffering from a vitamin B12 deficiency with the corresponding symptoms (anemia, coordination disorders and states of confusion). Therefore, vegans should make sure they get enough food. The German Nutrition Society recommends 3µg (3 micro = millionths of a gram) daily. Three out of four people living vegan have an acute deficiency. The need can be met by dietary supplements, for example. There are even vitamin supplements that are specially formulated for the needs of vegans. Common vitamin B12 supplements do not contain any additives that contradict a vegan diet. In addition, many soy or rice drinks, for example, now contain vitamin B12 additives. A supply via algae, sauerkraut or brewer's yeast is not suitable, even if this is occasionally recommended. Although these products contain forms of vitamin B12, the human body cannot utilize them. A strictly vegan diet is harmless to health as long as sufficient and, if necessary, supplementary intake of important micronutrients such as vitamin B12 is taken into account.

Vitamin B12 injections

In many cases, a vitamin B 12 deficiency is not only due to an unbalanced diet, but also to a reduced intake from food.

The reason here is a lack of the so-called Intrinsic factormade in the stomach.
If there is a reduced formation of this transporter, vitamin B 12 cannot be absorbed from food: No matter how healthy you eat, the vitamin does not get into the circulation.

Vitamin B 12 added in tablets or drops can then also not be absorbed and is excreted again.
In this case, vitamin B 12 injections are necessary to compensate for the deficiency.

Because of the syringe, a vitamin B 12 injection also carries risks and side effects that an orally administered treatment does not have. These include local irritations in the injection area, such as redness, swelling, local pain and inflammation caused by pathogens that have been introduced, sometimes with areas that spread widely.

The advantage of the injection, however, is that it is a safe application. That means, no matter what the cause of a vitamin B 12 deficiency: You can assume that it will be compensated with the injection.

How often a vitamin B 12 injection must be given depends on the severity of the vitamin B12 deficiency.
As a rule, the syringe is injected once a month. A vitamin B 12 depot is then built up in the muscle, which can then be released piece by piece. The deltoid muscle is usually used as the injection site.

Patients who are on blood-thinning medication (Marcumar) should rather not receive an injection or only after a risk-benefit assessment, as profuse bleeding into the muscles can occur after an injection.

When does it make sense to take vitamin B12?

Vitamin B 12 is a vitamin that is taken in with food. It is immensely important in the body: Among other things, it plays a role in the synthesis of DNA, energy production, lipid metabolism and the construction of hormones.

Read more on the topic: This is how vitamin B12 works.

Furthermore, the vitamin B 12 has a strong detoxifying effect. A deficiency of this vitamin would lead to a pronounced intervention in the human metabolism and trigger the following symptoms: tiredness, exhaustion, concentration disorders, dizziness, headache, torn corners of the mouth, restless legs, canker sores in the mouth.

Older people who are suspected of having dementia should always be examined for vitamin B 12 deficiency, as this can already cause severe mental impairment. On the one hand, deficiencies should be compensated for, but the search for the cause is just as important. As a rule, you get enough vitamin B 12 with your daily diet. If there is still a vitamin B 12 deficiency, it must be examined whether this is possibly an absorption disorder that occurs in the gastrointestinal tract and that needs to be remedied. Heavy alcoholism is one of the most common causes of vitamin B 12 deficiency.

By taking a blood sample and evaluating the sample in the laboratory, the doctor will determine whether there is actually a vitamin B12 deficiency and will carry out further tests to find the cause. If a cause is found, he will prescribe the appropriate vitamin B12 regimen.

Methylcobalamin

Methylcobolamine is next to Adenosylcobolamine a coenzyme (participating enzyme) and part of the vitamin B 12 complex.

It is mainly responsible for its metabolic activity. If you do not take methylcobolamine in its pure form, the body only has to produce it after it has absorbed the vitamin B 12 complex. Methylcobolamine activates folic acid, which is also ingested with food and is immensely important for various metabolic processes and which would otherwise be stored in the body unusable.

Furthermore, heart-protective measures are attributed to methylcobolamine, which are said to come about primarily through the inactivation of homocysteine.

Side effects

Like any drug or preparation, vitamin B 12 and methylcobolamine can also trigger side effects.

Usually these side effects are allergic in nature. This can lead to malaise, stomach pain and diarrhea after ingestion. In the rarest of cases, anaphylactic reaction occurs, which must be treated with cortisone.

Before taking vitamin B 12 supplements, it is important to watch out for lactose intolerance, because many vitamin B 12 supplements also contain lactose.

Overdosing can also occur.

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