Dr. John McDougall Medical Message: Vitamin B12

[asnoethias]

B12 is made in the human body by bacteria as well. It's the absorption that is debated, and may vary by individual.

[Trigsten]

@asnoethias Correct. Most of the gut flora are within the colon but B12 is not very well absorbed, if at all, within the colon.

[benjorgensen1]

yes, well... what is a NATURAL fix for this problem? one shouldn't have to be dependant on any pills. i have constantly hunted for the truth behind b12 and all i ever get is "take a suplement", and now that we know that eating animal porducts is not a sure deal, we have an even bigger problem. i hear that eating enough meat to get b12 will be unhealthy amounts of animal protein and other things. talk about some acidity! catch 22!

[baljeetd]

@benjorgensen1 - good question. The answer is to eat unwashed (i.e. bacteria-laden) fruits and veggies. But while some bacteria is good for us, other bacteria is bad for us. So supplementation is pragmatic: by reverting to 'advantages' of less purified foods, we then re-introduce the bigger risk of all manner of other diseases. (Which in fact are now elevated by the fact that many factory farmed veggies are further contaminated by animal waste).

[natureasintended]

And remember that 99% of cases of B12 deficiency are seen in meat eaters; also B12 deficiency was first discovered in meat eaters. See Could It Be B12: An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses by Sally Pacholok and Jeffrey Stuart MD

[sabby123456789]

"Bacteria make B12!"

I just love that quote.

[sabby123456789]

The "you must eat animal products to prevent vitamin B12 deficiency" myth has been debunked by John A. McDougall, M.D.

Thank you!

[canadianmuslimnproud]

My husband eats meat fish and poultry heavily and was told he has a B12 deficiency , I am a vegan and my B12 is fine. I think it's just common sense to have your blood checked 1or2 times a year that way you can protect yourself. Each person needs to follow their own body signals. We are all individuals

[oMalachi]

Do not mess around with vitamin B12 -a B12 deficiency can cause serious and permanent neurological damage. Any diet that requires you to take vitamin B12 supplements is a bad diet.

[sabby123456789]

@oMalachi Listen again from 2:45 onward.

[daytonadudenheimer]

A diet that requires supplementation is a flawed diet.

[sabby123456789]

@daytonadudenheimer Listen again from 2:45 onward.

[sabby123456789]

Dr. McDougall, I have two quick questions. What are the names of the types of vitamin B12 that the human body can use efficiently, and which strains of bacteria synthesize it?

[HrapovikPlush]

In "Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation" by Andreas Mortiz, it says that if our bodies are pure (no toxic waste or mucoid plaque in the colon) and there are no problem with nutrient absorption, then its impossible to get B12 deficiency because B12 is made in our lower colon and then effectively recycled in our body (if there are no absorption issues). Therefore, we dont even need B12 supplements.

[DevilChao5]

@HrapovikPlush We create b12 in the lower part of our intestines and it does not get absorbed because it is too low. This is common nutritional knowledge

[TheRawvoice]

Ive never met a bodybuilder or olympic athlete that didnt do b12 injections.

[HrapovikPlush]

@TheRawvoice Thats because most, if not all, of them use it for other purposes (i.e. increased energy).

[101011001]

So why are 31% of Americans B12 deficient when 31% of Americans aren't vegan?

[Nutzername36]

@101011001 history of smoking? go a Anesthesia? living in a B12 deficient world with lots of pollution and shit the body have to care of and need more B12 for that. wash the fruit you eat? didn´t get any amount of living humus into your body?

/user/durianriders recommend the book "could it be b12"

[eatmoreraw]

Check out the ingredients in many animal feed stocks. One of the ingredients that you may well see is vitamin B12! You see, even the animals would be deficient in our sterilized world is we didn't help them along.

If eating a steak gives you that illusive B12, then perhaps the reason is that the farmer added it to the animal's food in the first place!

[huguenot67]

How about nutritional yeast for B12?

[shreddedreams]

Dr. , that's great an all, but surely If you have to supplement, then there's a problem. And surely, people in ancient greece etc.. washed their fruit too and I doubt they where deficient.

[SibelCatana]

@shreddedreams Yes indeed people in ancient Greece washed they fruit... they definitely cared about hygene back then. Do you know any history at all?

[redshiftexperiment]

what are the downsides to taking a cyanocobalamin b12 supplement? also, I have a bottle and the pills come in 100 mcg doses. is this too much? should I not take it everyday? 

[VLADDEIMPALER7]

@redshiftexperiment the cyanocobalimin has cyanide in it if your a smoker it spreads more cyanide through your body make sure you use only the methylcobalamin or the hydro forms hope this helps.

[DevilChao5]

@redshiftexperiment There is no side affect, its water soluble so you pee it out. Its like taking too much vitamin c, doesn't happen. You need 250 mcg per day minimum. Visit nutritionfacts DAWT org and search b12, you will see science based recommendations based on the latest research.