Title : Andreas Moritz on Vitamin B12 - Digestion, Absorption, along with Herbivores
This kind of article is usually based on a video by Andreas Moritz, called Debunking Vitamin B12, which I found interesting along with reasonably informative, so I thought, I want to know more. I was particularly interested in vitamin B-12 for my own health reasons, since finding my energy better after cutting back on meat, fish along with high-fat dairy in my diet.
Vitamin B12, also known as cyanocobalamin, is usually required for every function inside Centeng, along with every single cell needs the item to work. A deficiency can cause anaemia, brain along with nervous system disorders, along with severe gastro-intestinal problems.
The main theme of the video is usually which we are deficient in B12, not due to not eating enough B12 foods, yet due to not absorbing enough B12 via our foods.
He is usually in favour of vegetarianism generally, yet not as staunch as some, a bit more balanced than most, which I liked.
What's his own diet like, I wondered? So I looked the item up along with couldn't find anything. along with unfortunately he has died, apparently under mysterious circumstances, as he seemed to be fit, healthy along with strong beforehand, yet he was researching areas sensitive to Big Pharma/Food industry - which's the impression I got.
Anyway, he talks about intrinsic factor inside stomach. In order to digest, absorb, assimilate B12, we need intrinsic factor in larger quantity than we generally hold the item.
What is usually intrinsic factor, I wondered? So I looked the item up.
Intrinsic factor
Intrinsic factor is usually produced by the cells lining the stomach along with combines with vitamin B12, along with so the item is usually necessary for absorption of vitamin B12 later on inside little intestine. the item is usually a glycoprotein. (The "glyco" just means there is usually a carbohydrate group attached to the protein part.)
The stomach acids Discharge vitamin B12 via food during the digestion process, yet vitamin B12 is usually sensitive to acids along with so the item needs to be protected. Therefore the process starts much earlier inside mouth with the salivary glands, where vitamin B12 is usually combined with another glycoprotein called haptocorrin, which safely transports the item through the stomach, protecting the item via the acids, along with on in to the intestines, where there is usually a more alkaline environment, along with the item can be safely released along with absorbed.
The same cells inside stomach which produce the gastric hydrochloric acid also produce the intrinsic factor (IF), which rebinds the B12 after its Discharge via haptocorrin by digestion. So inside duodenum, a vitamin B12-IF complex is usually created, which then travels on through the little intestines. Interesting stuff - amazing Centeng, eh?
Where we find the item along with why we need the item
the item is usually today well-known, especially among the vegan/vegetarian community, which we need to make sure we get adequate vitamin B12 in our diets. As the item's mostly found in fresh animal products, like liver, fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk along with cheese, you can't just eat a healthy plant-based diet along with wish you get enough. the item an essential vitamin, along with can cause irreversible along with quite severe problems if there is usually a deficiency.
the item used to be thought, however, which people could get the item via non-animal sources, like spirulina, along with fermented along with cultured foods like tempeh, or not cleaning the soil completely off food taken via the ground. yet the Vegan Society today states which fortified foods along with supplementation are the only reliable sources of B12, along with which eating only a raw (rather than cooked) plant-based diet offers no special protection.
What the item's not bad for
We need the item for the brain along with nervous system (so think stability of mood, memory, eyesight), energy metabolism (production of ATP, fatty acid along with amino acid metabolism) along with growth (blood formation, protein along with tissue synthesis) - pretty important then I'd say!
The main symptoms of a deficiency, as stated, are anaemia along with neurological problems, so the elderly need the item to protect against brain atrophy along with things like Alzheimer's disease, along which has a lack of B12 can break down the myelin sheath protecting the nerves, causing multiple sclerosis along with fibromyalgia.
A deficiency can also cause thickening of the arteries, due increased circulating homocysteine, a digestion byproduct which can cause damage throughout the entire Centeng, which B12 normally acts to break down.
So a deficiency can start with unclear symptoms, like loss of energy, a sore tongue, tingling inside hands, mild confusion, yet if left untreated can lead to serious problems: nerve damage (even the spinal cord can breakdown), low bone mineral density, along with eyesight deterioration, plus mental health problems, depression.
So being found mostly found in animal products along with dairy, which's why vegans need to make sure they get an alternative source in their diet.
Best sources of B12
Vegans
The only vegan sources are fortified cereals, milks, juices, soy along with some other products, along with yeast-containing products like Marmite (UK name, or Vegemite inside US, along with the item goes under some other names too, basically yeast extract - which black gooey, salty stuff you spread on your toast), yet these are relatively minor amounts.
For example, Marmite contains 0.5 mcg per 100 g, yet we only tend to use a teaspoon or two on our toast because the item's such strong tasting stuff, to ensure only contains 0.025 mcg. Whereas a cup of fortified soy milk will contain 3 mcg, which is usually 50% of the DV (daily value - see below).
along with there is usually another issue here if you're going to add fortified products to your diet, inside UK at least, the soy, almond along with rice milks which contain added vitamins also contain gums (gelan gum along with/or carrageenan usually), which are known to cause digestive issues - more below.
Vegetarians
Obviously the situation is usually better if you are vegetarian because you can have eggs, milk, cheese along with yogurt. Also whey powder, as 100 g of which is usually said to contain 42% DV.
along with with milk along with yogurt, you're more likely to consume a whole cup of which, which contains 0.9 mcg (15% DV) for non-fat yogurt, along with 1.14 mcg (19% DV) for reduced fat milk. So a bit more yet still not brilliant though.
Even with eggs, unfortunately, 1 large boiled egg only contains 0.6 mcg, just 10% of the DV, although some other types of eggs contain more, e.g. duck eggs contain 3.8 mcg (raw, not sure about cooked), which is usually 63% DV, along with goose eggs, which are rather large, contain 7.3 mcg, which is usually 122% DV. yet then I personally find duck eggs too fatty - you just can't win, can you?
Daily allowance
The recommended amount you need varies between countries (according to sources on the Internet): the UK RDA (recommended daily amount) is usually 1.5 mcg/day (via the National Health Service website, so should be accurate along with up-to-date).
Google (no source given, yet which turned out to be the US RDA - recommended dietary amount) says: 2.4 mcg daily for ages 14 years along with older, 2.6 mcg daily for pregnant females, along with 2.8 mcg daily for breastfeeding females. For the over 50s, they should eat foods fortified with B12 or take a vitamin B12 supplement.
So those over 50, along with pregnant along with breast-feeding women, need more due to reduced absorption in older people of naturally occurring B12, along with greater demands for B12 whilst pregnant along with for nursing mothers.
Note which the DVs quoted above are based on 6 mcg daily (rather confusingly), rather than the US RDA of 2.4. (the item's to do with the value inside food apparently, rather than the daily amount you need). to ensure applies to reading the nutrition labels for fortified foods, which is usually why for egg, quoted above, the item's 0.6 mcg, which is usually 10% DV, not 25% (which would certainly be the relative amount for the RDA of 2.4 mcg).
Supplementation
A Dutch study (via 2005) looked at how much oral B12 should be prescribed for patients which has a confirmed deficiency of This kind of vitamin - NB the population studied were elderly (people with what was termed a mild B12 deficiency), with an average age of 80. This kind of was usefully pointed out by Hyla Cass M.D., in "Vitamin B12 - How much is usually enough?" (1)
They were given B12 (cyanocobalamin form) in a range of doses: 2.5, 100, 250, 500 along with 1000 mcg daily (administered for 16 weeks).
No adverse events were reported with any dosage, yet the principal result was which the 500-mcg dose was the lowest dose required for an oral dose, for patients which has a confirmed deficiency of This kind of vitamin (measured by an estimated 80% to 0% reduction in plasma methylmalonic acid).
So This kind of study was for supplements, along with the value found is usually quite high compared with the daily values needed, which is usually the amount recommended which we get via foods.
As further confirmation, a supplement via a trusted source I know of provides 1,000 mcg/capsule, which also contains 400 mcg of folate. along with most supplements contain 500 mcg or 1,000 mcg (which might be the difference between the therapeutic dose along which has a maintenance dose).
Easier to absorb
The not bad thing about supplements is usually which in some people, the B12 is usually easier to absorb than which found in naturally occurring foods, where the item is usually bound to protein. Reduction in stomach acid along with digestive enzymes with increasing age, along with things like inflammation of the stomach lining due to allergies, food intolerances, alcohol intake, conditions like celiac disease along with Crohn's disease, all reduce Centeng's ability to cleave the required nutrient via the food along with to absorb the item.
Full list of B12 containing foods
Here is usually a list of the top food sources of B12 (via Nutritiondata.self.com):
- Shellfish - clams, oysters, whelk, crab (crab: Alaska, King cooked, Dungeness along with Queen, cooked)
- Liver - via lamb, beef, veal, moose, turkey, duck, goose, pork, chicken (pan-fried, then tinned)
- Fish eggs, specifically of whitefish, caviar (black along with red, granular), mixed fish roe (cooked, dry heat)
- Organ meats along with giblets: turkey giblets, beef kidney, pancreas (via various animals), beef brain, veal heart, chicken giblets, lamb heart, beef heart, turkey gizzards (cooked)
- Fish along with sea mammals - octopus, salmon (dried chum), trout (dried, then Rainbow trout, cooked), mackerel (Atlantic cooked, dry heat), kippered herring (Atlantic), dried whitefish, red salmon (smoked sockeye), King mackerel (cooked), herring (cooked dry heat), mackerel (salted), tuna (fresh Bluefin, cooked dry heat), cod (dried, Atlantic, salted), sardine (Pacific, canned in tomato sauce along with canned in oil, with bone), trout (cooked), whale (dried Beluga meat), seal (dried), red salmon (canned), bass (striped, cooked), walleye pollock (cooked), snapper, (cooked), seatrout (cooked)...
- Fortified breakfast cereals - high fibre Bran Flakes, Kellogg's All bran Complete wheat flakes, Multi-Grain Cheerio's
- Complete Oat Bran Flakes, All Bran Buds, Special K, General Mills cereals, All Bran Original, Kellogg's low fat granola
- All Bran yogurt bites, Nature's Path Optimum, Ready to eat muesli (with dried fruit along with nuts)...
- Pates/liver sausage: Braunschweiger (pork liver), liverwurst along with liverwurst spread, foie de gras (goose liver, smoked)
- Wild game: caribou (dried shoulder meat), emu (fan fillet cooked), beaver along with muskrat, rabbit (roasted), deer, moose, ostrich
- Margarine-like (vegetable oil) spreads
- Whole dried egg, dried egg yolk, goose egg (whole, fresh, raw is usually highest)
- Soy protein isolate
- Soup (clam chowder, brand-new England, tinned, condensed)
- Meatless chicken, breaded fried
- Baby foods (some)
- Milk (dry, non-fat, with added vitamin A along with without), Instant Milk (dry, non-fat, with added vitamin A along with without),
- Meat - roasted mutton, some lamb cuts, along with some other meats... (vitamin B12 content goes down via there)...
Not included above, there are also lower amounts in B12 in:
- Mussels along with some other shellfish, haddock
- Beef
- Low fat yogurt
- Fortified tofus
- Swiss cheese, reduce fat mozzarella, parmesan, feta cheese
- Ham
- Duck eggs (being so much higher than chicken eggs), chicken eggs
- Chicken meat
This kind of is usually to give an idea of the top B12-containing foods, partly grouped by type of food, partly by highest to lowest, yet note cooking methods also alter the amount significantly. Raw organ meats, for example, contain much more than cooked. along with even dry heat versus steaming along with braising makes a difference.
along with I was surprised to see roast chicken has half the amount of low fat cottage cheese for example, along with which low fat versions of dairy often contain more B12 than the full fat varieties. to ensure's useful to know.
Fortified foods along with gums
I personally have avoided the fortified milks because, as I say, they tend to contain gums which, I have read, stop your digestion. According to Dr P D'Adamo, they contain a lectin or some other agglutinin (basically causing cells to stick along with clump together, not least your red blood cells - eeek), along with the item is usually a metabolic inhibitor - which was for guar gum along with carrageenan. Also for acacia (gum arabic): the item flocculates serum or precipitates serum proteins, the item contains lectin or some other agglutinin, along with is usually a metabolic inhibitor, along with the item increases lectin activity along with binding - blimey, the whole caboodle! So you simply cannot break them down, along with they can wreak havoc on your whole system by the sound of the item.
Also see Dr Michael Greger's video: "is usually Carrageenan Safe?" (2)
Which is usually a shame, because the item means I miss out on these fortified foods. along with I don't eat any some other type of fortified foods either, like the cereals, because of the sugar along with some other additives they tend to contain, or bread along with some other wheat-based products they make with fortified flour, or use the fortified spreads (I only use olive oil along with ghee generally on rye bread), along with I don't drink regular cow's milk either, or the fortified drinks of any kind because of said gums along with sugar, along with I don't use fake meat soy products, textured vegetable protein/mycoprotein - which along with those smoke flavourings are definitely best avoided - along with finally, I don't eat baby food... hmm, I always liked the look of which stuff, maybe I should try the item.
The reason I wonder if gums might stop the Centeng breaking down some other foods properly is usually because of what I learnt about the effect of, for example, adding milk to a smoothie or your morning tea or coffee. Milk actually stops you absorbing the antioxidants (the not bad stuff like polyphenols along with catechins) inside tea along with the coffee - same goes for chocolate - along with even with fruits along with berries you might have in your morning smoothie or breakfast bowl, adding milk actually stops the absorption of the not bad nutrients inside item, as measured by blood levels of certain beneficial compounds after consuming the item.
The scientific research done on This kind of is usually handily summarised by Dr Michael Greger, an MD (medical doctor) who trawls the scientific literature for such useful information, along with is usually presented in short, info-bitesize videos, producing the item more accessible for us.
along with shockingly, the item's not just cow's milk which does This kind of, the item's soy milk as well - at least in tea - because unfortunately the only study they tested soy milk in was the one with tea. They didn't test soy milk inside some other (separate) studies on the chocolate/coffee along with berries. So how about which then? which truly surprised me, as the item did Michael Greger, along with no doubt the researchers as well. To find which adding even soy milk to healthy drinks/smoothies might be negating the beneficial effects of the antioxidant compounds in them. which was a real eye-opener.
I guess which's part of the reason why dark chocolate is usually so much healthier than milk.
along with so if the milk itself blocks absorption, I obviously wondered what the added gums in milk can do. So I'd rather just avoid them altogether, if I can.
B12 absorption - anatomy along with controversy
Back to the video:
Andreas Moritz says undigested meat along with protein in our guts upsets the probiotic bacteria, along with which these bacteria are the principle source of vitamin B12 - didn't know which - which is usually typically absorbed at the end of the little intestine inside terminal ileum.
(As an aside, I wondered whether the "terminal ileum" was the Appendix, as I had mine out when I was aged about 8 along with I've have always been super-sensitive to foods, although not officially allergic to any). Anyway, the item isn't the appendix, because I looked the item up.
Terminal ileum
The terminal ileum occurs between the large along with little intestines along with connects to the caecum (the first part of the large intestines) via the ileocecal valve. So the item's not quite the appendix yet close, anatomically speaking, as the appendix is usually connected to the caecum.
Here is usually a 3-D picture (http://www.innerbody.com/image_dige03/dige10.html) showing the exact location of the terminal ileum within the abdomen, which has a navigation grid to the left which, if you hover the little hand over the item, highlights in green whatever part of the digestive system you want to look at. There is usually also a short description with each area.
Storage of B12
The terminal ileum is usually where B12 gets absorbed into the bloodstream along with carried to the liver. The liver stores the item there until required, along with the item is usually then recycled in most cases. The recycled B12 is usually used for up to 6 or 7 years.
The amount we need in an entire lifetime is usually as much as you can fit on the end of your little finger - interesting! Very little amount.
So the item's quite difficult to get a B12 deficiency, along with as already stated, the item's not so much the food we eat, as the absorption of the item which is usually the cause of the problem. Our own gut health is usually the problem.
He goes on: Junk food along with medications, particularly antibiotics, destroy the probiotic bacteria in our gut. Plus eating a lot of meat which, although the item contains B12, cannot truly be absorbed properly if the digestion is usually not working very well, particularly when intrinsic factor is usually diminished, which does happen when you eat too much protein foods, he says.
He says the misunderstandings about B12 come via how we produce our own B12. Like cows, for example, don't have to eat meat or drink some other species' milk in order to get B12, along with which the item is usually provided via the plant foods, along with they don't have a deficiency.
along with, Andreas makes the point: Humans eating natural foods will also not develop B12 deficiency.
(This kind of is usually a hotly debated topic, as to whether we can produced our own B12 via the bacteria inside gut, coming down today on the side of we can't, or some of us may do yet the item is usually not absorbable by us, yet read on.)
So how do herbivores get their B12 then? I was curious along with had a look:
Herbivores along with B12
Ruminants, such as cows, buffalo, goats, sheep, these guys get their vitamin B12 via these bacteria which synthesise the item in their voluminous four-chamber guts. Some herbivores (horses, elephants, zebras, rabbits, hares, along with many rodents) have large caecums in their digestive tracts, which is usually between the little along with large intestine, where bacterial fermentation takes place.
Primates eat eggs along with insects inside soil. Gorillas (also hares, rabbits, along with some rodents) eat faeces as well. along with lots of animals regularly ingest soil, so they have many more sources/ways of getting B12 than us.
As an aside, there is usually a suggestion which all animals need supplementation of B12 in their feed, yet one source says which bacteria in a horse's digestive tract are able to produce enough B12 if there is usually enough cobalt inside diet. Leading to the suggestion which often our soil is usually depleted of these essential minerals these days.
There are various some other references about bacteria along with vitamin B12 production, if you are interested, online (3).
Increasing the absorption
some other vitamins are necessary for not bad absorption of vitamin B12 supplements. For example, the item is usually recommended you include foods rich in vitamin B6 in your diet, as vitamin B6 is usually necessary for the proper absorption along with storage of vitamin B12.
Foods such as spinach, poultry, brown rice, avocados, walnuts along with bananas. Poultry includes: chicken, quail, turkey, duck, goose along with pigeon.
Folate is usually also necessary for not bad absorption: via dark leafy greens, parsley, romaine lettuce, broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower along with beets, fruit, along with beans, peas along with lentils.
Along with adequate intake of calcium. One study in 2000 found which patients with diabetes were able to reverse low vitamin B12 levels by increasing their calcium intake(4).
Some calcium rich foods are: collard greens, broccoli along with kale; sardines along with salmon; ricotta, mozzarella along with cheddar cheese; low fat yogurt, Greek yogurt along with skimmed milk; fortified: milks, cereals along with tofu; beans, sesame seeds, dried figs, along with molasses.
Importantly, stomach acid levels along with pepsin (protein digesting enzyme) are key to extracting the B12 via our food. If you have low stomach acid, taking betaine hydrochloride supplements can help to cleave the B12 via the protein foods.
the item is usually noted by Sandi Busch on livestrong.com (5) along with Dr J E Williams (integrative medicine practitioner for 25 years), which use of antacids reduces stomach acid, along with heavy drinking causes the stomach lining to become inflamed, thereby reducing the digestive enzymes. Some integrative medicine practitioners recommend cranberry juice along with using spices in food, which help with the absorption of B vitamins in general, along with some even say consider caffeine, as This kind of increases stomach acid production.
Also eating smaller, regular amounts of B12-containing foods, rather than all at one meal, can increase the amount you absorb overall as well, because there is usually a limit to the amount which can be absorbed at any one time, due to the availability of the intrinsic factor.
some other considerations
Andreas is usually an advocate of vegetarianism yet says B12 deficiency has nothing to do with vegetarianism, along with which meat eaters are just as deficient, if not more so (which has been confirmed by studies inside literature). yet vegetarians can suffer too if they take medication, for example, or have used antibiotics inside past. Apparently the probiotic bacteria population in your gut can be disturbed for many years after.
To improve digestion, he says to clean out the liver along with bile ducts, to get rid of gall along with hepatic stones. They inhibit the Centeng's ability to digest food properly. As already stated, This kind of interferes with not bad bacteria population. along with so putrefying food, whether vegetables or meat, will lead to diminished absorption of B12 because of lack of probiotic bacteria, he says, which is usually the major source of B12.
NB: I imagine which partly explains why undereating is usually better for you than overeating. With undereating, you have no rotting food in your gut.
He says finally, B12 absorption also depends on how much vitamin D you have available to keep your digestive system strong along with vital. So exposing the whole Centeng to the sun on a regular basis will improve the healthy bacteria populations inside gut, along with lead to stronger absorption of nutrients generally. (Maybe he's an advocate of naturism too! He lived in a warm climate no doubt... ah, his Ener-Chi Centre is usually in North Carolina... moderate climate then! )
some other sources of vitamin D - (some overlap with the list for vitamin B12 I notice):
- Fatty fish along with tuna
- Mushrooms (which are grown inside light - although ones which aren't can still have some vitamin D along with can be put inside sun which will increase the levels apparently)
- not bad old fortified milks, orange juice along with cereal
- Egg yolks
- Beef liver
- Cod liver oil
- Vitamin D supplements
Vitamin B12 in nature
Andreas didn't believe we would certainly necessarily absorb B12 which well via a supplement, because in nature, the item never comes alone, always combined with some other B-vitamins, some other vitamins along with minerals, along with even more substances which allow B12 to be absorbed along with utilised, so eating a balanced, healthy diet is usually key to absorbing This kind of vital nutrient.
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Andreas Moritz was very ill when growing up, he says via eating too many dairy products along with animal proteins, along with which when he stopped eating them, he got the colour back in his face, whereas before he was as white as snow. along with because of his own illnesses in childhood, he dedicated his life to studying the root causes of disease.
Described as a medical intuitive along with writer, he spent his adolescence studying nutrition, along with by age 20 had trained as an iridologist. He then studied Ayurveda in India, followed by shiatsu along with various some other forms of energy medicine.
Although I didn't manage to find details of his daily diet, he does have more general diet advice online at his Ener-Chi Centre.
References
1. Vitamin B12-How Much is usually Enough? by Hyla Cass, M.D. Life-enhancement.com.
2. Dr Michael Greger (2013): is usually Carrageenan Safe? Nutritionfacts.org.
3. MIT biologists solve vitamin puzzle. MIT news. http://news.mit.edu/2007/b12
4. Increased intake of calcium reverses vitamin B12 malabsorption induced by metformin. Diabetes Care. 2000 Sep;23(9):1227-31.
5. The Best Way to Absorb B12 by Sandi Busch. Livestrong.com.
Andreas Moritz on Vitamin B12 - Digestion, Absorption, along with Herbivores
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