Crucial Information for Vitamin B12 Users

Vitamin B12 deficiency can manifest as a lot of different symptoms such as decreased energy, depression, anxiety, memory loss, constipation, anemia, loss of balance, and a lot more. Vitamin B12 is needed for energy metabolism, brain health, making adequate stomach acid, and a lot of other functions. You may have been told that you should supplement with this. Especially, if you are a vegan or a vegetarian this vitamin is even more important because vitamin B12 is found mainly in animal foods. Your health may benefit greatly from incorporating this extremely important nutrient if you are deficient.

If you are going out and buying a B12 supplement there is something crucial to look out for. If you look on the nutrition label of this supplement most will say "vitamin B12 (as cyanocobalamin)". The problem here is that this form of B12, as cyanocobalamin, is synthetic and not as absorbable in the body as other forms of B12. Most products on the market sell B12 as that synthetic form. The forms that you want to purchase are methylcobalamin and hydroxycobalamin. These are a little tougher to find but will benefit your health a lot more.

While methylcobalamin and hydroxycobalamin are the natural forms of B12 found in the body and animal foods, cyanocobalamin is present only in small amounts due to cyanide exposure from smoking or other sources. All forms of B12 have been shown in studies to improve B12 levels. However, cyanocobalamin needs to be broken down into cobalamin and cyanide before it can be converted to active B12 in the body. This process might not work well for people with certain genetic variations affecting B12 metabolism, which makes sense since cyanocobalamin is not a natural form of B12 in the body.

Taking cyanocobalamin results in lower retention of active vitamin B12 in the body compared to natural forms of B12. This can be especially problematic for people with certain genetic variations affecting B12 metabolism. So, if you have to take B12 because of a pathway genetic defect, it is even more important to purchase the absorbable forms. Researchers are also concerned about the potential buildup of cyanide in the body from long-term use of cyanocobalamin supplements or fortified foods. Therefore, even though cyanocobalamin is cheaper, it appears to be a less effective choice.