Get your nerve back with Methylcobalamin

For many years people have been resorting to injections of B12 because it was thought that oral supplements were not adequately absorbed. Well recent research shows that a new form oral form of the "red vitamin" may be even better than injections.

With a direct line to the brain you can say goodbye to B12 injections

The debate over oral versus intravenous delivery of vitamin B12 has continued for decades because under normal conditions from dietary or supplemental sources the liver only converts about 1% of the dietary vitamin into its active form methylcobalamin. Unlike dietary B12 this activated form can be absorbed under the tongue into the bloodstream and assimilated directly by the brain where it is required. It is well known that Vitamin B12 is required to nourish nervous tissue, protect against anaemia, prevent senility and even heart conditions and so methylcobalamin may be a welcome change from unreliable and poorly absorbed dietary sources in meat and dairy products. Indeed Methylcobalamin is now being used in Europe and Japan to treat a plethora of conditions like Alzheimer's, Chronic fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia cluster, MS and psychiatric symptoms from loss of memory to schizophrenia.1 It restores sleep patterns, mood and even reverses the neurological impairment associated with brain aging, alcohol and tobacco use making it a popular choice for those leading active social lives.

Methylcobalamin reaches the parts other coenzymes cannot reach

The "unique selling point" of methylcobalamin is its ability to skip the series of absorption checkpoints normally slowing B12's passage into the brain and get straight to where it is needed. Normally the absorption of dietary sources of B12 are limited by the stomach's secretion of Intrinsic factor (a protein that transports it into the blood) and stomach acid, poor liver conversion and the fussy blood brain barrier which protects against entry of poisons in the brain. Low intrinsic factor output, acidity or liver conversion usually means uncomfortable intramuscular (injected into the muscles) B12 injections to bypass absorption problems and this unlike methylcobalamin requires regular top ups to keep blood levels constant. But doctors are seeing more and more cases of B12 deficiency exhibiting the same psychiatric, eating and sleep disorders presenting without these defects which together with the failure of ordinary B12 supplements to treat them suggests there is something else causing B12 deficiencies other than diet, age and drugs. It has been suggested that this might be due to a lack of SAMe (which normally activates and recycles B12 in the brain) because the neurologically impaired like Alzheimer's patients often present with low spinal levels of both B12 and SAMe. But it is now clear that mercury from amalgam fillings can interfere with the transport of cobalamin into the brain by rendering the molecule inactive and too large for absorption. Under these conditions it doesn't matter how much vitamin B12 you pump into your body the nervous system will be starved of it. This is why blood tests often fail to reveal anything unusual about B12 levels in mental illness.2 But fortunately methylcobalamin is the only form of B12 the brain can use and its uptake under these conditions is not affected.

Revive the Grey matter with the "red vitamin"

Few drugs have ever been shown to regenerate nerves in human beings but Methylcobalamin a food supplement, not only provokes nerve regeneration but facilitates methylation which is responsible for creating and sustaining nerve cells, brain chemicals and keeping homocysteine (a stroke and heart disease risk factor) in check.

A major contributing cause of brain cell death and aging occurs with glutamate (a stimulatory amino acid transmitter) toxicity commonly seen during stroke where this ordinarily helpful neurotransmitter becomes uncontrollably released and the hyperactivity causes massive cell loss. In a study in the European Journal of Pharmacology methylcobalamin was also shown to protect against this type of damage in rats brains by enhancing methylation.3. Similarly astonishing reversals in nerve degeneration have been seen in animal models of muscular dystrophy which although it didn't cure the disease slowed its progression significantly.1 What's more double blind, controlled studies on nerve regeneration in humans show that methylcobalamin can be used effectively to treat even serious degenerative neurological diseases like ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) where muscle movements deteriorate. Subjects given 25mg a day of methylcobalamin show significantly improved muscle response after just a month of treatment. Furthermore in the Journal of Internal Medicine Multiple Sclerosis patients showed significant improvements in visual and auditory MS related disabilities on as little as 60mg of methylcobalamin.3. All this is welcome news for those suffering with dementias and peripheral neuropathies.

Methylcobalmin also has a powerful effect on mental state as illustrated by studies where Alzheimer's patients experienced strong improvements in memory, emotions and an ability to communicate4. This may come as no surprise because methylcobalamin plays a an important role in the synthesis of the "heavyweight" brain transmitters like serotonin, dopamine and noradrenalin responsible for regulating our emotions and response to stress during the daytime. Even those experiencing problems getting off to sleep may benefit from methylcobalamin as it encourages the pineal gland to release its sleep hormone melatonin earlier in the night and this resets the sleep-wake cycle making us more sensitive to light in the morning.1 With its myriad benefits on the nervous system methylcobalamin offers an affordable widely available alternative to treating neurological impairment.

Impressive! How do I take it?

For clinical improvements the dosage is 1.5 - 6mg sublingually (under the tongue) and to correct a B12 deficiency 2mg has been found to be sufficient. Methylcobalamin is very well tolerated even at high doses and has no known side effects or contraindications

Sources
Methylcobalamin is available through Dr Maizels who is a Life Extension Foundation doctor practising in Greater London on 0207 467 1600.

References

1. Life Extension Magazine August 1999 B12: The vital vitamin
2. Vitamin B12: Metals disturb transport by Monica Kauppi Heavy Metal Bulletin 2(3):8-10 December 1995
3. Methylcobalamin - A potential breakthrough in Neurological Disease. Health watch Newsletter
4. Natural Health Consultants: Methylcobalamin