There are several factors that go into the question of how much vitamin B12 should you take a day. Those factors include the size of your stomach, your overall health, and how well you absorb nutrients. It is also important to consider how many other vitamins and minerals you are taking. If you are currently taking a high dose of calcium, you may not want to add vitamin B12 to your diet, for example.
RDI for vitamin B12 is not equal to the right dosage
Many experts believe that the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDI) for vitamin B12 is too low. This is based on the assumption that a person would only absorb 50% of the intake if it were to come from food sources. However, RDI is not a reliable way of determining the correct dosage of the vitamin.
Vitamin B12 deficiency has been associated with a number of detrimental symptoms. These include neurological problems, decreased energy, and gut problems. It may also lead to an increased risk of blood clots, heart attacks, and strokes.
For adults, the RDI is 2.4 micrograms per day. It is recommended that nursing mothers take 2.8 micrograms a day. While the US and German recommendations are similar, there are differences in the recommended dosage.
Although the RDI is not necessarily the right dosage, it is a good place to start. If the RDI is not adequate, then the dosage should be increased. There are several ways to increase the dose.
The first is to increase the total amount of B12 in a person’s diet. This will help them avoid the first signs of a deficiency. Ideally, the total amount of vitamin B12 in the diet should be at least 2.4 micrograms a day.
Another way to determine if you need additional vitamin B12 is to measure the amount of formiminoglutamic acid in your blood. This is the vitamin’s bioactive form and will indicate how much it is absorbed.
Another method is to use the methylation cycle, which is a series of reactions that regulates DNA and hormone synthesis. Vitamin B12 is involved in the methylation cycle.
To figure out what you need, you can measure the amount of vitamin B12 in your body using the methylation cycle. Some tests also measure the rate of absorption of vitamin B12.
To determine the right dosage of the vitamin, consider the age of the person. Older adults generally have more health problems. They can also have decreased gastric acidity, which can affect their ability to absorb vitamins.
Vitamin B12 is available in soft gels, oral tablets, and intramuscular shots. You can purchase these products at your local drug store.
Alternative formulations for absorbing vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that is vital for your health. It is important to your brain, nervous system, and red blood cells. Your body stores some of the vitamin in your liver, but if you don’t have enough, you might experience some serious health problems. To help prevent a deficiency, it is recommended that you take vitamin B12 supplements. These supplements can be found in soft gels, capsules, and intranasal forms.
There are several reasons why you might be having trouble absorbing your daily dose of vitamin B12. You might have a low stomach acid or a weak stomach lining, for instance. Alcoholism, Crohn’s disease, or other diseases might also impair your stomach’s ability to absorb vitamins. In addition, long-term use of antibiotics may decrease the amount of vitamin B12 you have.
The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of five alternative formulations of vitamin B12. Healthy males and females were enrolled in the study. They provided serum samples for B12 assays and made a cumulative contribution of more than four hundred person-hours.
Among the five alternatives, the NanoCelle B12 formulation demonstrated bioequivalence with dissolvable/chewable concentrated tablets. This formulation is composed of methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin.
While the NanoCelle formulation demonstrated better absorption, the liposome and emulsion formulations showed very low levels of B12. Both of these formulations were associated with poor absorption profiles.
The NanoCelle B12 formulation contained nano-sized methylcobalamin B12 particles. These particles have an average particle size of 20 nm.
Cyanocobalamin is a naturally occurring form of the vitamin, but it is not as absorbable as the methylcobalamin. Because of this, a combination of adenosylcobalamin and methylcobalamin is preferred.
Aside from cyanocobalamin, the NanoCelle platform is considered to be the most effective delivery platform for the vitamin. When the nanoparticles are dispersed through the sublingual mucosa, the vitamin is absorbed.
Since the nanoparticles are very small, they bypass the first pass effect in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). This allows the vitamin to be absorbed more efficiently.
As a result, the B12 level remained almost constant over a six-hour period. Comparisons of the levels achieved over this period are presented in Table 2.
Overall, the NanoCelle formulation was the most absorbable form of vitamin B12, and it delivered the vitamin as a methylcobalamin more effectively than other delivery platforms.
Evidence for a role for low vitamin B12 in the development of cognitive impairment or dementia
Research has linked low levels of the B vitamins to the development of cognitive impairment and dementia. In particular, vitamin B12 deficiency has been associated with both cognitive and neurologic deficits. However, there is no evidence that treatment with B12 supplements improves cognitive function.
To assess the effect of vitamin B12 on the development of cognitive impairment or dementia, a systematic review was conducted. The literature was searched using Embase and the Cochrane Library. Several domains were examined, including oral vitamin B12 supplementation, the role of homocysteine (Hcy), and testing for cognitive decline.
The systematic reviews found no correlation between elevated Hcy and the development of dementia or cognitive impairment. This was partly because renal impairment and chronic hypertension confounded the relationship. Moreover, the data supporting this association were limited by the scarcity of good quality studies.
Among the studies, none showed a clear difference between patients taking vitamin B12 and those who took placebo. Most studies were very short-term in duration, and most were performed in populations that were not representative of those with dementia.
One randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of oral B12 supplementation on cognitive function in older adults. The trial included a total of 253 participants, and a one-year follow-up was required to detect any effect. Nevertheless, the study found no statistically significant difference in cognitive function between the group that received vitamin B12 and the group that received placebo.
Another study investigated the rate of brain atrophy in patients with mild cognitive impairment. It found that the rate of brain atrophy was slower in those who took the B vitamins than in those who took placebo. The authors recommended that more studies are needed to confirm these findings.
A meta-analysis was also done to examine the effect of vitamin B12 on cognitive function. Researchers looked at several studies, and found that overall, vitamin B12 did not have an impact on the development of cognitive impairment or dementia.
While there was evidence that a deficiency of B vitamins is related to the development of cognitive impairment or dementia, no study showed a significant effect. Also, the results were skewed because of the different ways in which cognitive tests were administered.
