Vitamin B12 and its most absorbed form in the human body.

Natural Factors' methylcobalamin is a bioactive form of vitamin B12. This essential nutrient helps prevent vitamin B12 deficiencies and form red blood cells and contributes to the proper functioning of the immune system as well as to the body's energy metabolism. Each convenient sublingual tablet, taken once daily, provides 10,000 mcg of methylcobalamin.

The preformed forms of B-vitamin coenzymes, including methylcobalamin (vitamin B12), provide direct and immediate nutritional support, even to people who display genetic variation that interferes with the metabolism of ordinary B vitamins. A coenzyme is a naturally occurring compound, like a vitamin or mineral, that combines with specific enzymes to help the body maintain its ability to metabolize nutrients.

Natural Factors Methylcobalamin B12 is free of gluten and genetically modified ingredients;
It is suitable for vegetarians and vegans and comes in the form of sublingual tablets with cherry aromas: no need to swallow pills! This advanced preparation is perfect for people looking for the most bioactive and high-quality forms of this key nutrient to avoid B12 deficiency and maintain good health.

His action

Vitamin B12 stores can be depleted by a variety of factors: stress, poor diet, certain prescription drugs, alcohol consumption and smoking. A small amount of vitamin B12 is stored in the liver, but since it is water-soluble, it is quickly eliminated. Adequate daily intake is therefore essential for health, especially when you know that vitamin B12 deficiency often goes unnoticed until you see irreversible damage to the nervous system.
Vitamin B12 helps prevent anemia by helping the body use iron and working with folic acid to regulate the production of red blood cells. It is also important for the production of energy and genetic material (DNA and RNA). In addition, it is necessary for the production of neurotransmitters that help memory and learning and also help protect the brain during the aging process.
Vitamin B12 is often missing from the vegan diet because it is only found in fortified or animal foods. Cyanocobalamin is the most common form of B12, but it must be converted to active B12 before it can be used by the body. Common genetic variations in the metabolism of B vitamins can interfere with conversion and cause deficiency. Methylcobalamin is the metabolically active coenzyme form of B12 that the body can use immediately, upon absorption, to support a range of essential physiological processes.

Research

Methylcobalamin is one of two biologically active forms of vitamin B12; it is also an essential cofactor for methionine synthase, an enzyme essential for cell metabolism, including the synthesis of nucleic acid which governs cell growth and division. Vitamin B12 helps form red blood cells and myelin, a lipid substance that forms a protective sheath around the nerves. Deficiency eventually leads to pernicious anemia and neuropathy related to cobalamin deficiency (Jeffery, 1999; Weir and Scott, 1999).

Vitamin B12 also supports the metabolism of homocysteine ​​and cardiovascular function; it is essential for energy production because it contributes to the body's ability to metabolize nutrients. It can take years before complications from vitamin B12 deficiency start to appear and are usually irreversible. Signs and symptoms include pernicious and megaloblastic anemia, high levels of homocysteine ​​(a risk factor for heart disease), progressive damage to the nervous system, pain in the tongue, irritability, weakness , insensitivity, glossitis, nausea, vomiting, skin disorders, fatigue, headache, palpitations and altered mental status, including behavioral and personality changes (Mahajan and Gupta, 2010). Several commonly prescribed medications and other over-the-counter remedies interfere with the absorption of vitamin B12. Metformin (often prescribed for long-term management of diabetes) significantly reduces the absorption of vitamin B12 (up to 70% in some cases) (Niafar et al., 2015). Proton pump inhibitors also have a negative effect on the absorption of vitamin B12, with a slight B12 deficiency having been observed in at least 25% of people who take these drugs long term (Hirschowitz et al., 2008 ).

Cyanocobalamin is the most common form of vitamin B12, but methylcobalamin is one of only two active forms in the body. Absorption of sublingual methylcobalamin does not require stomach acid or intrinsic factor, which makes it ideal for correcting and preventing vitamin B12 deficiency in the elderly, vegans and vegetarians, and anyone whose dietary intake of vitamin B12 is limited or has a malabsorption problem. Methylcobalamin dissolves quickly in its sublingual form and is absorbed passively directly into the blood in sufficient quantities to help correct a deficiency (Lederly, 1991; Hoey et al., 2009).
Methylcobalamin is active upon absorption, while cyano-cobalamin must be converted before the body can use it.

Cyanocobalamin is also excreted in the urine in about three times the amount of methylcobalamin, which shows that methylcobalamin is better stored by the body (Alt Med Review, 1998). Clinical studies consistently show the relative inactivity of cyanocobalamin compared to methylcobalamin, the latter being the preferred form for correcting and preventing vitamin B12 deficiency. The Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP), a cross-sectional study of 121 seniors, found that people with low vitamin B12 also had total brain volume lower and poorer cognitive performance, including poor episodic memory and speed of perception, as well as high homocysteine ​​levels (Tangney et al., 2011). A 2012 observational study also indicated that some older adults with a low vitamin B12 deficiency may be at higher risk for accelerated cognitive decline (Morris et al., 2012).

Ingredients

Each tablet contains:
Vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin) ................................... 10,000 mcg

Dosage
Recommended dosage (adults): Allow 1 tablet to melt per day under the tongue or follow the recommendations of a health care practitioner. Consult a health care practitioner for use beyond 2 weeks.

Warning
Consult a health care practitioner prior to use if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking prescription medication. Some people may experience gastrointestinal upset, fever, chills, hot flashes, dizziness, malaise, or acne.
Keep out of the reach of children.

References

Methylcobalamin monograph. (1998). Alternative Medicine Review, 3 (6), 461-463.
Hirschowitz, B. I., Worthington, J., & Mohnen, J. (2008). Vitamin B12 deficiency in hypersecretors during long-term acid suppression with proton pump inhibitors. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 27 (11), 1110-1121.
Hoey, L., Strain, J. J., & McNulty, H. (2009). Studies of biomarker responses to intervention with vitamin B-12: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. American Journal of Clinical.
Nutrition, 89 (6), 1981S-1996S. Jeffery, D. R. (1999). Nutrition and diseases of the nervous system. In M. E. Shills, J. A. Olson, M. Shike, & A. C. Ross (Eds). Modern nutrition in health and disease, ninth edition. New York, NY: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Lederly, A. (1991). Oral cobalamin for pernicious anemia: Medicine’s best kept secret. Journal of the American Medical Association, 265, 94-95.
Mahajan, R., & Gupta, K. (2010). Revisiting Metformin: Annual vitamin B12 supplementation may become mandatory with long-term metformin use. Journal of Young Pharmacists, 2 (4), 428-429.
Morris, M. S., Fava, M., Jacques, P. F., et al. (2003). Depression and folate status in the US population. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 72 (2), 80-87.
Niafar, M., Hai, F., Porhomayon, J., et al. (2015). The role of metformin on vitamin B12 deficiency: A meta-analysis review. Internal and Emergency Medicine, 10 (1), 93-102. Tangney, C. C., Aggarwal, N. T., Li, H., et al. (2011). Vitamin B12, cognition, and brain MRI measures: A cross-sectional examination. Neurology, 77 (13), 1276-1282.
Weir, D. G. & Scott, J. M. (1999). Vitamin B12 “Cobalamin”. In M. E. Shills, J. A. Olson, M. Shike, & A. C. Ross (Eds). Modern nutrition in health and disease, ninth edition. New York, NY: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.