Methyl-B12 helps – here’s why
For years I have been recommending a form of vitamin B12 called methyl-B12 for children with autism and ADHD, and more recently also for people suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFIDS), Fibromyalgia (FM), and other conditions.
Although many of us have observed the positive effects of this vitamin on speech, focus and more, there has been relatively little discussion about why it helps, and particularly why this form of B12 and not others can make such a remarkable difference.
Recently I found an informative summary of the benefits of methyl-B12 on a website dedicated to providing help and resources for people with CFIDS and FM. According to this article, other conditions that benefit from this vitamin include Parkinson’s disease, peripheral neuropathies, Alzheimer’s, MS, and more. Neither autism nor ADHD were listed, although we know only too well the benefits of methyl-B12 for children suffering from these conditions.
According to the article, the methyl form of vitamin B12 helps regenerate neurons as well as the protective covering called myelin sheath that envelops nerves throughout the brain and nervous system. It is a well-established fact that, in the presence of any damage to the myelin sheath, nerves cannot function normally. Such damage can result from exposure to a broad range of environmental toxins including of course mercury.
Methyl B12 has also been shown to protect neurons from glutamate toxicity. Glutamate is a natural neurotransmitter found in food that is also made in the brain and is essential for normal brain function. A healthy brain closely regulates how much glutamate can be present at any time because too much of it causes hyper-excitability and eventually leads to brain cell death.
Researchers have shown that exposure to mercury or other toxins causes the brain to lose its ability to regulate glutamate levels. What happens next is that as glutamate is absorbed from food and made in the brain its levels skyrocket and cause widespread damage, ultimately leading to a broad range of brain disorders.
Vitamin B12 is water-soluble and no toxic dose has ever been identified in spite of significant scrutiny. Although the amount of this vitamin needed on a daily basis to prevent deficiency is minimal and measured in micrograms, the amount that produces optimal benefits for the brain is substantially higher. Recent European studies quoted in the article suggest that optimal doses of methyl-B12 are in the range of 10-20 mg per day for adults. For more detailed information on this read the entire article at http://www.immunesupport.com/message/neurob12.htm.
When recommending a way to deliver the B12, the article suggests sublingual lozenges that are also sold through the same site. However, lozenges are far from optimal since absorption under the tongue has been shown not to exceed 1%, and even less is absorbed when this vitamin is swallowed. This is why many practitioners have found that injections produce the best possible results.
Recently I started to recommend a liposome-based liquid form of B12 that is taken orally as an alternative to the shots. Liposomes are lecithin-derived substances that incorporate both water- and fat-soluble portions. Vitamins like B12 dissolve fully in the water-soluble portion while the fat-soluble part enables this substance to freely diffuse across the intestinal lining while “shuttling” the dissolved vitamin along with it. The end result is a form of B12 that is swallowed but absorbed almost as well as if injected.
If this seems a bit far-fetched, you should know that there are hundreds of studies confirming the efficacy of the liposomal delivery system. In fact, the pharmaceutical industry is now developing liposomal forms of medications that until now could only be injected.
Results also speak for themselves. After I started to recommend a liposome-based product containing methyl-B12 with other synergistic vitamins and minerals, I began to see results that have actually been superior to those I had witnessed with injections.
I then tried to document the effects of this product on brainwave patterns. Since I can do a simple EEG in my office I started by taking a “picture” of the brain without any supplements and again two hours after taking the B12 mix. The changes in some cases have been dramatic. In one case the first “picture” showed a clear pattern associated brain injury, which all but vanished two hours after drinking the vitamin cocktail. Of course this is not a permanent correction, but it nevertheless provides powerful evidence of the positive effects of methyl-B12 on the brain.
