What Vitamin B12 actually is/does (PODCAST E68)

[@JorenVaes]

Adam, as much as I appreciate the need for you to have sponsors, there are a number of finance/investment youtubers that have gone into Masterworks and pointed out that a lot of their claims are dubious at best and downright wrong at worst.

Those electrolyte supplements don’t do any good and can’t replace a well-balanced diet: low in sodium and high in potassium, magnesium, calcium, etc.

[@gregorymichael9031]

​​@as someone who used to be a frequent buyer of LMNT, I would love to see a source or a reference for this claim mainly because I was always curious of the claims myself

[@ask230]

💯 As a general statement, KZbinrs do insufficient or even non-existent due diligence into sponsors. And Masterworks is one of the worst offenders. They sell risky and typically inappropriate investment securities via misleading and sometimes false ads and influencer testimonials. And their sales tactics target everyday retail customers. It's pretty reprehensible stuff. Surprised they haven't been slapped with a suit or regulatory action.

[@MqKosmos]

​@low in sodium? Sounds perfect for a bad diet 😂 imagine someone eating processed foods and super high sodium snacks and then also drinks a high sodium electrolyte supplement 😂

[@nic12344]

@ He's talking about Masterworks, not LMNT !

[@everestjarvik5502]

A couple years ago, I was going through a hard time and not eating well and over the course of a few days, I began to lose feeling in my feet and legs. When I went to the hospital I learned that I was completely out of B12 for a while and starting to experience nerve damage. They gave me injectable B12 but it takes a while to kick in and the symptoms kept getting worse for about a month, spreading to almost my whole body. It took me 8 months to fully recover but I did, thankfully Please remember to get enough B12 y’all, it’s not even funny what happens if you don’t

[@noone-re3zp]

what does not eating well mean?

[@everestjarvik5502]

@@noone-re3zpin that case, just not eating very much at all. I also may have an enzyme that makes it harder for me to efficiently absorb B12 but I haven’t gotten tested- it’s just my doctor’s hypothesis

[@noone-re3zp]

@@everestjarvik5502 right. sorry that happened. glad you've recovered!

[@oliver6287]

Also don’t over do it it’s easy to get vitamin poisoning

[@chezmoi42]

@@oliver6287 If you listened to the video, you'd have heard him say that he found no research indicating that B12 had any upper limit for safe consumption. It's one of the rare ones in that case.

[@eliseleonard3477]

Doc here: the banana bag is a life saver for some chronic alcoholics with what is called Wernicke’s encephalopathy. It’s mainly the thiamine that reverses some acute neurological problems like balance problems, hypothermia, and delirium. It has to be given over about 3 days, but the effect is dramatic when thiamine deficiency is the problem. We saw this first hand in our dad, and the episode led to him cutting down to a beer a day which, yes, is bizarre, but it worked for him.

[@red-oy3mu]

Yeyeye agreed, in biochemistry they did tell us that Thiamine is known to evade psychosis and global confusion in chronic alcoholics, that's genuinely so cool, especially because I once saw about it in House MD 😂

[@rdbeef5645]

Dietitian here. It's important to note that B12 is the ONLY vitamin with no upper limit. Even the other water soluble vitamin have acute toxicities (what happens when you take a megadose all at once vs taking too much over years), and B6 does have chronic toxicity with potential nerve damage. Also, this is pedantic, but I wanted to point out that acid blockers don't reduce how much B12 is extracted from your food or how well your food is digested, but rather interrupt your body's ability to absorb B12. Your stomach produces Intrinsic Factor which binds to B12 in the acidic environment in the stomach, which helps the B12 become absorbed in the intestines. The acid blocker raise the pH and reduces how well B12 binds to IF. This is also why bariatric surgery patients might be instructed to take B12 shots for the rest of their lives, since their stomach might be reduced/bypassed and therefore the B12 they eat does not bind to IF. (edit for correction)

[@CobaltContrast]

Please tell the doctors that tell several people every year you can overdose.

[@eugenetswong]

Are you opposed to answering nutrients questions in this comment section?

[@rdbeef5645]

@@eugenetswong for legal/ethical/insurance reasons I would only be able to answer very general questions and not anything specific to one person's health.

[@eugenetswong]

@@rdbeef5645 That's understandable. 1) I could be wrong, but I might have not gotten enough vitamin C for a short while. What is the first sign of this deficiency? I thought that maybe a skin condition related to scurvy might show up. 2) Is water soluable vitamin toxicity completely avoided and prevented by simply drinking enough water, and not taking large amounts all at once? 3) Are dieticians on average the most trained and educated on nutrition?

[@rdbeef5645]

@@eugenetswong 1. Likely weakness, dry skin/hair, bleeding gums, bruising easily. Vit C helps build collegen in the body and is responsible for wound healing and the synthesis of many fast growing cells like gums and skin. So a deficiency would like show there first. It takes a couple months though. 2. You just need to avoid going over the daily recommendations, the excess water won't help unless you aren't getting enough water already. Also, you can't overdose on vitamins through food alone. 3. Dietitian is a legally protected term unlike nutritionist, so going to see a registered Dietitian is the safest way to ensure that person has a formal education and passed national standards for certification. (Edit: grammer)

[@malemd]

Internist here. B12 is quite large by molecular standards and requires Intrinsic Factor (IF) a glycoprotein secreted in the upper part of the stomach by gastric parietal cells. Without IF the absorption is minimal by diffusion maybe around 1 to 2 percent because of its large size. The extraction of B12 from its carrier molecules in our diet is facilitated by an optimal amount of acidity, namely a pH level of around 2. This b12-IF complex is then washed down all the way to the last part of the small intestine (normally a length of around 15 feet) called the terminal ileum. Here the b12 is finally absorbed by an ACTIVE process. Hence, when it comes to b12 absorption there's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip causing a deficiency state namely: 1. Imbibing a vegan diet extremely low in available b12 2. Taking a medication suppressing acid production like famotidine or omeprazole which RAISES (not lowers) stomach pH 3. Certain autoimmune diseases where the body destroys its own gastric parietal cells or by aging 4. Having part of one's stomach stapled or removed hence removing the source of IF 5. Rarely, having bacterial overgrowth in one's gut from older phased out surgeries leaving behind 'blind loops' where gut bacteria over-proliferate and consume all available b12 before it can be absorbed Dissolvable sublingual tablet and spray b12 is directly absorbed by diffusion and can prove effective. I use the dissolvable tablets myself. I like to keep my blood b12 level above 500. It's a critically important vitamin for blood cells and neurobiological proper function.

[@LPMutagen]

Ever heard of someone becoming depressed and having constant paranoid thoughts from b vitamins? I have had 3 very spooky episodes of this over the course of about 5 years. Legit lost my compass in life. All 3 were a week or two after getting on a vitamin \ supplement regimen (my elderly mother pleads with me to do these things and I appease her to shut her up. I'm in good shape and eat well. There is no reason for her to be doing this. She also wants me to put stickers on my phone that block 5g) All 3 suppliment regimens had really high doses of b vitamins. Like really high. From 250% to 50,000% (that is not a typo) the RDA of some kind of B vitamin don't remember which one. Never had this happen before or since. The b vitamins are the only common thread I could find.

[@Fx_-]

​@LPMutagen hey this reaction i have myself with vit bs, overmethylation causes this. You get pumped with much more norepinephrine, adrenaline, dopamine than you are used to and may not have enough MAOA enzyme production to eliminate it. So that build up causes pretty bad anxiety, irritability, reactivity and can be extreme psychological disturbances.

[@LPMutagen]

@@Fx_- ahhh, thank you for that! I had no idea what was going on and didn't have enough context to get anywhere trying to research it. My bargain basement healthcare provider and all of the tangential medical people in my circle all told me "you just pee it out" and acted like I was a crazy person. During one of my bouts with this, I was supposed to meet my girlfriend at the pumpkin patch \ corn maze. I arrived 10 min before her, paid my admission fee, then got this overwhelming feeling like someone was gonna call the cops on me for being a random guy at the corn maze without a woman and or child with me. I actually turned around and left, drove around in my car until she texted me that she was there, and paid a second entry fee. Like... I was legit afraid. It was soooo weird. Stopped taking the supplements and in 2 or 3 days I was normal again.

[@LPMutagen]

@@Fx_- reading about MAOA now. Fascinating stuff!

[@Fx_-]

@@LPMutagen yea it also has a lot to do with your gut microbiome taking all that vitamin B and converting it to precursors of neurotransmitters and actually neurotransmitters. Like too much norepinephrine.

[@StinkFinger2023]

In 1980, I had taken way way too much real windowpane LSD, and for the first time in several hundred LSD trips, I actually began to have REAL hallucinations... instead of the peak building over the course of an hour or two, my 'peak' continued escalating for FOUR DAYS... The visual hallucinations continued, as the upward echelon into LSD overdose meandered forward. For the first time in my life, I was actually scared of the amount of LSD I had ingested. I had my brother drive me to St Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta, I told the emergency room physician I had overdosed on LSD... I thought I was going to be in trouble, because I was just 17 years old... The doctor was very cool... Very calmly and casually, he told the nurse to give me so many cc's of B12... THE LSD TRIP LITERALLY VANISHED!!! I had been awake for days, on an ever-escalating LSD "Peak", but literally within milliseconds of getting the B12 injections, I could feel the LSD trip vanish like a deflating balloon

[@TheKilerbg]

Placebos administered by IV are much more effective than pills or other kinds of placebo. I know about a cop that shaved shortly before going into a huge LSD lab's stockpile and he recieved several miligrams of LSD through his skin, what saved him was a nurse giving him IV Benzodiazepines, and usually for a tripkiller you would use a benzodiazepine or an antipsychotic, even then the moment you take a tripkiller the trip diminishes because of placebo, it takes at least 5-20 minutes for the Valium to take effect (depending on administration method) Source: I'm a pharmacist

[@JustOneAsbesto]

Placebos are a hell of a drug.

[@Yoodledoodle]

@@JustOneAsbestohuh

[@JustOneAsbesto]

@@Yoodledoodle PLACEBOS ARE A HELL OF A DRUG!

[@Tazallax]

​@@SimuLordLSD is orders of magnitudes less risky than other recreational drugs. If you have to opportunity to do it on a controlled, safe environment with a trip sitter you trust, go for it. The burn outs and brain fry comes from cut LSD or research chemicals, or other similarly consumed drugs like MDMA.

[@purplegill10]

This is absolutely mindblowing to me. I've had severe dietary issues due to my chronic condition and one medication I'm on, one of the many medications I'm on, is an acid blocker. I'm actually gonna ask my doctor about b12 now because this could be huge in explaining how bad my lethargy has been.

[@AdeptL]

any updates?

[@purplegill10]

@@AdeptL It's not really long enough to know for sure. My doctor said that I would only realistically start seeing results in 6-12 weeks but, anecdotally and absolutely could be placebo, my balance has significantly improved and I've overall have had better mental clarity. It's nothing groundbreaking but I have felt at least some difference in those two aspects compared to when I started. Note that I've only really noticed this a few days ago so it could be due to other reasons as well.

[@stellaz2595]

My grandfather - and his sister - both died of pernicious anemia in the 1920's when they didn't know what caused it. He was 55 years old. His sister was 40! B12 has a purpose!

[@Tazallax]

When you're deficient! 😉

[@WatcherintheRye]

@@Tazallax Pernicious anemia is a condition which means you cannot metabolise B12 from diet. You have to have injections instead. You can appear to be eating perfectly adequately, even taking supplements out the wazoo, if you have PA you'll still be chronically and dangerously B12 deficient. And yes, it is eventually fatal.

[@chettlar212]

​@@WatcherintheRyeyou can also help with sublingual

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

Wishing to escape the system? First know the story of your enslavement! 👉The Connections (2021) [short documentary]💖

[@Im_Ryan]

The greenhouse set it fantastic. Makes me want to get myself some more plants. Maybe I should try getting some hyrdponics or something so I can grow fresh herbs in my student apartment...

[@GhostyOcean]

Stores like Lowe's carry hydroponics kits if you want convenience, but it's also not that difficult to build a decent hydroponic system. I did hydroponic basil from cuttings and it worked like a charm. I used a plastic container that I spray painted and drilled holes into the top. Filled it up with some basic nutrient solution and it was ready to set outside.

[@metagoat]

I can recommend terra cotta watering stakes as an easy/travel friendly way to grow herbs in dirt. I use 'Blumat Jr' which are somewhat pricy but are very good quality and have a self siphoning tube that you place in a water reservoir - I have about 20 varieties of plant right now drinking from the same 100 liter reservoir. Make sure to read the instructions - the spikes must be soaked before use and you should set the desired dirt wetness with regular watering prior to placing the stakes. Some experimentation is required - some plants need multiple stakes and some need less than one - I have a few plants where I switch one spike back and forth between them every week or so.

[@metagoat]

I also recommend purging the siphoning spikes of as much air as possible prior to installation - this will make sure water flows nicely. I like to assemble them under the surface of water in a bucket.

[@NickleJ]

I'd recommend growing in soil unless you're certain you need/want hydroponics.

[@weisland2807]

I find hydroponics way easier than soil. Easier pest control...

[@daniele4568]

I (53m) was diagnosed with acid reflux and lactose intolerance a couple years ago. The meds kind of helped. One day I decided to stop eating after 6pm to lose weight. All my stomach aches stopped. I still get bloated from dairy, but there's no pain anymore. It's worth a try, it's free.

[@MoarCowbell69]

I had really low B12 last year. Medically, dangerously low. I slept ten to twelve hours a day and was still tired. Didn't have strength and stamina to do workouts at the gym. And caused severe depression...where went from beautiful twelve inches of hair to cutting, buzzing, then shaving it all off. And had feeling of my legs falling asleep often. I'm in a much better place since I got my B12 shots and take B12 vitamins daily now. I'm NOT vegan and have a healthy diet. No fast food, above average protein consumption, some months I don't even drink a single beer. And when I drink, it's like one or two cans at most. I'm glad my doctor tested for B12 when I had my yearly check up.

[@CreeperKiller666]

My mom (who is not vegan, pregnant, etc.) recently found out that she's B-12 deficient and has been for probably about half a decade. It was a real wakeup call to me and my wife (who are vegan!) to start supplementing before we deplete our liver stores!

[@mrgrumpycat9049]

or maybe get out of vegan and eat from natural sources like beef heart?

[@notfunny3397]

​@@mrgrumpycat9049dude just let them be vegan. More meat and milk for us. As long as they don't try and ban farms or burn cows or whatever.

[@Treyast]

​@mrgrumpycat9049 Are you implying that fungi and protists are not "natural sources" of b12? Rhetorical question.

[@someguy2135]

Getting your B12 from animal products is getting its second hand. As Adam said in the podcast the original source of B12 is microbes not animals. You should be careful to avoid the naturalistic fallacy. We could get B12 from drinking untreated water since microbes that make B12 can be found in soil but it is easier and healthier to take a supplement or ensure adequate fortified Foods. The benefits of a pure plant-based diet outweigh the need to take a cheap and easy supplement like B12.

[@someguy2135]

You don't need to worry about vegans Banning Farms that produce animal products. We are a tiny percentage of the population and do not have any political clout. However the drawbacks of animal agriculture on the environment specifically climate change may eventually Force our elected leaders to scale back some animal agriculture especially raising cows.

[@ataready8810]

I think B vitamins are really important, because at a time when I wasn't eating that well, and felt pretty bad, I started eating nutritional yeast and felt like I had a lot more energy. It has vitamin b3, b6, b1, b2, b12, and b9. So I resolved to eating that every day.

[@wrw1870]

Adam, I too have had terrible gastritis. It was 100% eliminated by taking a Zinc, Zinc-L-Carnosine complex. I won't mention the brand but the supplement is called PepZincGI. 2 very small capsules on an empty stomach. I also take Bromelain as a digestive aid. I tried taking the bile salt Tudca but it actually caused gastritis, so everybody's different. Maybe you could do a show on Ox bile and other bile salts. As you know, there are problems with those acid blockers and they do not get at the cause of the inflammation of the lining of the stomach that is gastritis. Love the show!

[@drband8181]

I actually watched to the end. I have been diagnosed with slight anemia (again) and have been on acid blockers for several years. This is good info to discuss with my Dr. He’s suspicious of the connection I think, and has already ordered a B12 screening blood test. Thanks for the discussion-helpful.

[@ajuicejemas]

Adam, I'm a biochemist with a sub-specialty in organic synthesis, and the statement you made at 4:30-ish about how it gets boring to study organic structures belies a fundamental misunderstanding of the immense beauty and complexity that can be found within the 6 listed elements. The fact that you refer to their lewis structures is a dead giveaway that you're not looking at them the right way, we all use the skeletal formulas! There's a whole beautiful world to be found in organic chemistry, with those 6 elements making up everything from heavy explosives to sugars to proteins to photovoltaic cells! Using your analogy of "only using the white keys on the piano", it's kind of like saying "yeah there's only so much you can do on a guitar. I mean, it's only 6 strings!" I think you'd be very well served to moonlight an organic chemistry course, it's really not as hard as everyone says it is and would give you tremendous insight into the fundamental backbone of life itself

[@herminenamakalu4171]

The lewis structures comment was also a give away for me because i was like, what simple molecules is he looking at.. ? Methane and Methanol ?

[@briandavis6843]

In 1982 my colon had to be removed due to Crohn's Disease. Shortly after, my GP had me tested for B-12 deficiency since I was developing peripheral neuropathy and pernicious anemia. He started me on monthly B-12 shots, which made a great improvement. Now I take a sublingual B-12 supplement every day. By the way, I also take Metformin for my Type 2 diabetes. Here's hoping I keep breaking even on all this. By the way, I love your sponsorship segues; they always make me laugh.

[@thecomputersurgeon]

Interesting podcast. I think you would enjoy looking into "refeeding syndrome" perhaps as part of a larger topic. That's another indication for the banana bag you mentioned. We use a similar (also yellow) IV preparation of B vitamins and glucose called Pabrinex over here. It's very useful because people withdrawing from alcohol may not have eaten for days/are vomiting, making the IV route convenient. Once they're eating again they can have oral thiamine and "vitamin B co strong". The thiamine content in pabrinex is high which can help in those at risk of Wernicke/Korsakoff (alcoholic brain damage due to thiamine deficiency) We don't get a lot of nutrition teaching in med school which is frankly trash. We all know how important it is but no one cares. There's no money in promoting healthy eating and exercise. And nutritional research is very hard to prove causations. Another great listen. Thanks Adam!

[@shesh2265]

My Doctor told me to stop taking B12 preparations because i was in the upper range in my blood test, but offered no reason why and now I regret not asking if it really was an issue

[@eaton55r]

You are a complete goof for detail, connections and the amazing things that just seemed to happen. You did a great video thank you so much.

[@goodgracious2392]

My doctor gave me the same talk about all the medical info i devour on KZbin. He never told me about acid blockers and B12. I’ve been on them for several years now. I also take b12 before bed to help me sleep. I don’t know where i stand, but i can’t say I’m feeling groovy.

[@KenJackson_US]

*Goody:* _"I also take b12 before bed to help me sleep."_ Thanks. I'll try that.

[@StartCodonUST]

What a fantastic topic for a podcast! I feel like I could listen to an entire series on all the different vitamins. I was a chemistry major and spent a lot of time in the biochemical side, so a lot of this is perfectly intelligible information but which is still remarkably unfamiliar to me. Also, what a startlingly comprehensive explanation for why a healthy diet is so important for lifelong health!

[@LordHog]

A very timely episode. I was recently at my Dr office. I was asking why my hemoglobin and red blood cell count is always on the low side. My iron test showed normal. Being a recent diabetic my doctor told me that metformin will cause low red blood cell count. I was told to take B12.

[@colinwiseman]

Yup! I was on Omeprazole for years. And then a new doctor told me to come off them immediately. Took me months after the bounce back. I then lost 20kg of weight so I didn't need to go back on them - my acid issue was due to the esophagus being kept open to the belly due to weight...

[@metalplates18in]

Wasn't expecting this episode to make me crave Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but I was glad I had some on hand!

[@TheJorjewilson]

Cookie Crisp? Lol

[@michellee1190]

I've had gastric bypass and B12 was really stressed in my nutritional training prior to my surgery. Some of us don't absorb enough B12 so they MUST get injections. I do okay with sublingual suppliments according to my bloodwork. But there's the consern about "Bariatric beriberi" (my nutritionist HATED that term for it, but he admitted that it's memorable.)

[@vincentharrison49]

Watching this on KZbin, I would have LOVED to have seen the chemical compound images overlayed as you were naming them.

[@AquibMohammedAyman]

Adam, amino acid IS called an amino acid because it contains an amine group, -NH2 with a lone pair of electrons on top of N atom, which you mentioned; but it also contains -COOH, carboxylic acid group, which may release H+ like other acids. You explained why its called "amino" but skipped why its called "acid". I know you were simplifying for the mass audience. I apologize if this comes across as nit picking. I enjoyed this podcast.

[@morristgh]

I wish you wouldn't have to write that last paragraph. I think it's completely fine to add or correct information if you aren't insulting anyone.

[@kindlin]

I read that sentence incorrectly at first (due to writing on the internet). I think some kind of emphasis on the first is ( IS _is_ *is* ) would have helped me read it as intended the first time through.

[@Visitkarte]

Alcohol (over)consumption is connected to vitamin B1 deficiency and coming off alcohol can give you a Korsakov Syndrome which can be prevented with- you guessed right- vitamin B1. Alcoholic also tend to be deficient on other B vitamins and, because many of them get chronic gastritis, they are more likely to get B12 deficiency (lack of intrinsic factor because that type of cells in the stomach got damaged). So when we do Alcohol detox, we always offer the patients high doses of B1, a multivitamin B complex and check their B12 levels.

[@DigitalAndInnovation]

23:45 it do be like that- The rant is so spot on- self aware yet fed up with not being given direct answers.

[@wisquatuk]

Had gastric bypass surgery a few years back (“roux-en-y” type), which both reduces vitamin absorption and messes with stomach acid production as well. They prescribed me a very specific vitamin supplement to take for the rest of my life, which contains (among other things) 1200% the normal daily value of vitamin B12. I’ve been a bit half-assed about taking it recently - I’ll prepare a weekly course of vitamins, take most or all of them, but then forget to prep another week, going off the vitamins for weeks at a time. I didn’t think it was a huge deal, since my blood tests come back normal whether I’m taking them regularly or not. After watching this, I guess I understand how I could be a deficiency waiting to happen, once my liver stores are exhausted. Figure I should probably go prep another course of vitamins and try to stay on top of them from now on. Thanks!

[@sebastianhelgeson3559]

I’m surprised you didn’t talk about Nutritional Yeast. I’m not vegan, but it’s one of my favorite ingredients to give me a cheesy umami flavor on things like popcorn. It’s SUPER HIGH in B12 and is used in a lot of vegan cheeses.

[@someguy2135]

Vegan here. I love nutritional yeast. We vegans call it nooch. When buying it, make sure it is fortified if you are a vegan and don't take a supplement. He mentioned yeast, but not nutritional yeast.

[@lyn1896]

​@@someguy2135I thorough he was talking about the nutritional yeast. What's the difference?

[@Moewenfels]

28:29 i think its mentioned here.

[@imsotiredofthis]

I think it's fortified with b12 though, and isn't a natural source

[@someguy2135]

@@lyn1896 I may have been mistaken. I watched the video just before bed, and I could have heard him wrong.

[@ninetyone9191]

I started taking a B vitamin complex during college because I was having a tough time having the energy to get through to lunch. I took a 5 hour energy type B vitamin drink and noticed massive increase in energy, beyond what an energy drink typically does and much longer, so I started taking a supplement every morning

[@CobaltContrast]

There's been some research on taurine which might also play a unique role in what you are experiencing.

[@ligius3]

These podcasts must take a tremendous amount of time. Research alone is days, writing up the script hours, filming 1h, editing 1-2h perhaps, captions.Really underrated. But I kind of understand why less people see it, it takes away 1h of the day and not many people can spare that.

[@edwinportier4763]

Thank you for turning me on to LMNT !! I am 72 years old and still work hard, outside on my farm 6 days a week, even in the hot Texas summer. LMNT has made me feel so much better during the day. I quit the name brand sports drink years ago due to the high sugar content and it never made the difference LMNT has. During my normal routine LMNT has made a world of difference.

[@davidpetersen6694]

Tackling the B-12 topic. Bravo, Adam! I’m on minute 3 and getting revved up to enjoy your entertaining romp into the Vitamin World. I’m crossing all my fingers and toes in hopes that you will cover pills vs shots and the enigma of Vitamin B-12 absorption. As a side note, long ago I had to give my elderly mother-in-law a monthly B-12 shot and we always had that emotional moment when I held up the needle and asked, “You do love me, right? I’d sure like you to bake one your famous pies sometime soon.” She’d say “Only if it doesn’t hurt!” Ha ha. We had quite a time. Oh my, that B-12 shot gave her such an energy boost that she would mow and edge her lawn the next day at the age of 80. It also made her quite cantankerous for the first half of the month. After that first month, We went down on the dosage per doctor’s orders. Now back to your podcast. Thank you Adam for doing these.

[@ural0304]

I love these podcasts! I can put them on and do something productive with my hands while my mind wanders along with you.

[@xLunday]

Interesting topic. I knew some of this since I am B12 deficient myself but you really expanded on a few things that I only had shallow knowledge of. I had trouble absorbing B12 and my level was dangerously low so I was given a prescription of B12 vials and syringes and the weekly injections raised my B12 level back to normal. My doctor suggested I might have pernicious anemia but I wasn’t tested for it so I don’t know for sure. I lost my insurance a year later and so I stopped the injections. I gradually began getting fatigued and eventually to the point that it mimicked chronic fatigue syndrome. Your description of B12 half life in the liver makes a lot of sense when I apply it to my experience. I’ve been taking B12 quick dissolve tablets recently, along with a few other vitamins necessary for cell repair and function but I still feel really fatigued. It may be time to get another blood panel and if my B12 levels aren’t going back up I’ll have to buy injectable B12 again. For those fortunate enough to never have had the experience of giving yourself a shot, you get used to it pretty quickly. An injection in the thigh isn’t too uncomfortable, even when you’re having to do it yourself.

[@russb24]

Make sure you're letting those tablets dissolve under the tongue, that's where they're meant to be absorbed.

[@xLunday]

@@russb24 I do. I love the sweet, cherry taste so no issue there. I also eat foods that should be giving me my B12 without having to resort to taking a vitamin in the first place. Pernicious anemia is the likely culprit as my doctor at the time stated, since weekly self-injections raised my levels quickly.

[@annettegenis2781]

Thank you so much! The information is really very helpful and I have learned a lot!

[@nilcarborundum7001]

Excellent! Great info and so well presented. - I used to have problems with acid reflux, and discovered by myself that vegetables with a bitter component - such as endives, chicory, radicchio, arugula, etc. - are the one sure and fast way to get relief from this. I always find that I don't get any reflux at all if I eat lots of vegetables, period. And both as a preventative measure and as a "quick fix", I'll get a packet of Belgian endive, radicchio or similar. Problem solved, without medication. Adam, you might want to see if this works for you, too. I have recently lost a lot of weight (40 kg), still want to lose another 15 kg to get to ideal / normal weight, and now don't have any stomach acid problems at all. I'm just turning 60, female, and have pre-diabetes and thyroid problems, just in case this info is relevant.

[@erzsebetkovacs2527]

Interesting, thank you for the recommendation. How did you find out that bitter veggies help?

[@nilcarborundum7001]

@@erzsebetkovacs2527 Trial and error, I think - I just felt better all round when eating them. I always feel bad when I eat a lot of meat and / or heavy, fatty food, but find I can cope with it if I have the "bitter stuff". Maybe to do with the bile or the liver, I'm not sure… I'd be interested to know if it works for you, too!

[@JustinMcNeil]

I find brassica family of vegetables help mine. Chocolate unfortunately makes it a million times worse. I was on acid blockers for 20 years so this video was enlightening. Since discovering chocolate as the main antagonist, I haven't needed the acid blockers

[@NatiDeNut]

Acid blockers don't work long term or even short term. The problem is not that the stomach is acidic - it needs to be. The problem is muscle tension in the diaphragm, which press the stomach valve and don't allow it to close freely after eating. For this season, opera singers experience it, and people under emotional stress and other types of stress. A solution I have found is relaxing my breathing, and on KZbin I have found also a German Institute for pain management, instructing on a pressure point - exactly the soft spot between the ribs, under the chest, where you can access the diaphragm. You can press it, and take deep breaths, to start relaxing it.😊 That video is on the 'Liebscher & Bracht - The Pain Specialists' channel. ❤

[@saidchammas]

The AR pod is one of the best sources of infotainment on youtube

[@heylookitsnana]

Chubby Emu has a video where chugging energy drinks cured his intense insomnia. He's actually a doctor and goes into the medicine of it all. Turns he had lost his Vit B12 energy stores that was "cured" by the high B12 monster drinks. He's now on supplements. The reasoning for drinking 5 energy drinks was a bit twisted psychology that makes his story all the more interesting

[@rm3141593]

👍 Dr Bernard is awesome! It's just a little sad when some of them don't make a recovery.

[@Blitterbug]

Most brits don't tend to suffer from B12 deficiency into old age due to our national love of Marmite. We put it in and on pretty much any bread / cheese combo, whether sandwiches, toast or in jacket potatoes. Many brands of cheese have delicious Marmite veins too. My wife works in a nursing home and literally uses catering-size tubs of the stuff. I think you get about 80% of the RDA per 'serving', which is probably about half a teaspoon full.

[@nixi-bixi]

As a 30-something brit with pernicious anaemia (cant convert to b12) my hatred of marmite has nothing to do with my b12 issues. However i take issue with your use of "most brits" especially due to marmites own love it or hate it. I was born and raised in Burton on Trent, could deal with the smell of brewing but the weekly trip to Morrison's past the marmite factory was AWFUL, even with the windows up the smell was disgusting!

[@grantbeerling4396]

The funny thing is when I went Vegan, a craving for Marmite (I live in the UK) started and has remained for the past 5 years.

[@Blitterbug]

@@grantbeerling4396 As is tradition...

[@Blitterbug]

@@nixi-bixi Smells like shite, tastes like sunlight!

[@daverei1211]

I’m 57 male and my “happiness” mix is B12, Magnesium, and Zinc. Makes me slightly giggley rather than frustrated that I have too much to do.

[@MadamoftheCatHouse]

I recently had vit. D deficiency and was SO exhausted all the time! And my hair was falling out in handfuls too. Turns out you need D for mithochondria to synthesise ATP which is the aminoacid that gives you energy. And I was low in iron too. The underlying issue was a uterine fibroid that caused very heavy periods. It was operated on a week ago and my energy is returning.

[@lefroste6370]

ATP isnt an amino acid, amino acids are the building blocks of protein

[@MadamoftheCatHouse]

@@lefroste6370 Oh, right, it isn't.

[@Nabee_H]

Ive had a Vitamin D and B12 deficiency (knowingly) for the past 2 years, depression and simply not caring for yourself takes a toll. I was given supplements during 2021 and the following 5 months were probably the happiest I had been in the past 6 years. I never followed my doctor's advice and just didnt take vitamin pills as I was supposed to after the supplements though, so after the supplements wore off and the Vitamin D was gone I was much more exhausted and tired; though surprisingly not (as) depressed because during the time I was on the Vitamin D supplements I had some next level determination to achieve my goals. I just turned 18 and went for a blood test (I already knew what the issue was going to be) and I had almost no Vitamin D just like last time, they never said anything about the B12 though. Last Friday I took my first supplement and I intend on taking care of my health this time. I was issued 50,000 IU spread out on 8 weeks this time, I believe last time it was the same as well. If you want to be happy in life, take your vitamins.

[@PaulTheadra]

my second job is an Infusion Nurse or "Wellness Nurse" it's like 95% selling stuff people probably don't need, and 5% people that are super deficient because they have poor diet, a medical condition (Crohn's for example), muscle/cardio athletes, or acute alcoholism. I have had a few patients come back and say their doctor told them to stop because a severely high lab value (B12 example), but it was asymptomatic. I have a had a patient take way too much Vitamin D, which caused their severe fatigue. We have protocols for safety, but we can't stop what patients do once they leave our clinic. Not sure about ERs carrying B-Complexes for infusions, we did have NAC for ODs though. IMO, it's mostly BS, but it's what the people want. Still better than that all meat diet. lol Great podcast btw, I'm that vegan person, but I don't tell anyone, until I get invited out to a meal and pass on the offer (it's usually somewhere involving meat only). #TeamMushroom

[@alexduong4728]

as someone studying b12 dependent enzymes in my phd, seeing this pop up in my youtube feed feels a little surreal

[@kevinclass2010]

Good analogy with the major scale in music

[@skival]

To be fair, almost no regular doctors know anything about nutrition or the importance of gut health. You do have to do your own research and not blindly trust. It's your health, not your doctor's.

[@ili626]

Adam, I really enjoy listening to you. Your topics are always things I’m interested in too, and I like you flow and tangental yet related twists and turns. Very fun and educational listen

[@susanfarley1332]

Ive been on acid reducers for years. Ive weaned myself off of them and im taking B12 now. I had noticed my memory was getting bad. Now it is not as bad and i hope it gets even better.

[@milesdufourny4813]

I've been taking the Methylcobalamin form of B12 for the last five years. It's the natural form of B12 and is more easily absorbed (bioavailability).

[@Ceznex]

Very informative episode, thank you for your work 🙏 My grandmother is taking metformin and lately she's been feeling weak and I started giving her vitamin b supplements and now she's feeling much better

[@greenricee]

When I originally went vegan 7 years ago I was unaware of anything nutrition wise and didn’t supplement with b12for the first 2 months. I felt terrible for a while until I started supplementing

[@someguy2135]

You must not have had much B12 stored in your liver at that point. Always nice to encounter a fellow vegan.

So you decided to drastically change your diet without first knowing or learning anything about nutrition. I also like to live dangerously.

[@someguy2135]

@ Living dangerously works out better if you know what you are doing and take measures to do it safely. I used to jump out of airplanes and hang glide off of mountain tops, but I did it the right way, which is why I am here to type this.

[@kitefan1]

Thanks for explaining the acid blocker vs B12 problem. In the elderly, they are also often cold because they lose a lot of their subcutaneous fat. Also, B12 deficiency in elderly can cause confusion, memory issues, and problems with balance and movement. B12 deficiency was the first thing they tested my parent for when dementia symptoms started showing. Since you are intermittently GERD, I'd be interested in your take on the cider vinegar or acid to diminish GERD symptoms. (You may have done this already.)

[@forbiddengender]

I cut out a lot of animal products during a very slow (2-3 yrs) transition to veganism, but didn't add in B12 from plant sources. B12 deficiency hit me like a truck. It was like having a panic attacks every day for 3 weeks. Couldnt lift a 2 liter of coke some days. Humiliating lol. It's been 7 months and I'm still slightly deficient. Get your vitamins in, people!!

[@alexandernordstrom1617]

7:58 Georg in Swedish is prounounced /ˈjeːɔrj/. /eː/ doesn't occur in standard American English, but it's similar to how Aussies pronounce the vowel in hair, and /j/ doesn't really appear at the end of words in English, but it's the consonant sound at the beginning of the word "yes". A crude transcription would be yeehoryeh.

[@hnknerdcore]

This has to be your best, and one of the absolute best pods I have heard!

[@hnknerdcore]

Adam more importantly I had heard potassium effect on lowering b12? seems pretty silly but when I know im getting both I feel pretty solid hahah.

[@hilliard665]

My sister switched between vegetarian, vegan and pescatarian (mostly vegetarian) since the age of 8, she is now 33 and just had her first baby at the end of last year. Only problem she has had is iron deficiency so thats the only supplement she takes.

[@thepyrotechnician]

6:27 Goblin Metal? So you're saying that Nekrogoblikon wasn't the first?

[@s1gne]

B12 deficiancy doesn't feel terrible.. you're just tired all the time. Because of Crohns disease and surgery i miss the part of the colon where 99% of the B12 is absorbed (1% is absorbed by the body, of that 1% 1% is absorbed by the stomach, 99% by the colon (the part where the appendix is found)) So i have to have regular shots. When my B12 is low i'm low on energy but when i get a shot it's not like my battery is recharged, i'm just not as low on anergy anymore. For that gastritis you could use some Maalox to block the acid, Magnesium-Aluminium Oxide (or aluminum-oxide for the Americans). Turns the acid into water and most people are magnesium deficient because of chemical fertilizers anyway (there is less magnesium in vegetables) , so it helps to fill that up too (also works great when you have a runny nose) And eat a banana for the potassium, really helps when your muscles feel weak and you hardly have any strength or when you have cramps.. better than that electrolite drink

[@Hal.Overcaffeinated]

That pronunciation of Georg was pretty spot on.. for Norwegian! Close enough haha

[@russb24]

B12 is available in drops, sprays, or tablets you dissolve under your tongue and are absorbed there. I would imagine that would bypass the stomach absorption issues as well as a shot does.

[@Riley-fb9px]

These videos are AMAZING your my new vfavourite channel keep it up bro 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@jjjames6894]

Incredibly informative and deep dive episode, love it thanks!

[@JustSomePerson8]

It's insane how in depth you go on these videos

[@five-toedslothbear4051]

Thank you for a great episode! I like your topics and style. And this one...I feel quite justified in doing some B12 supplementation. You see, I'm a 60-year-old male with type 2 diabetes and osteoarthritis..."only" in places I have joints. Ok, everywhere. Consequently, not only am I on metformin, but I've also been on prescribed NSAIDs for years, which earned me some endoscopy, and now I'm on huge amounts of doctor-prescribed acid blockers. So yes, I'm the poster child for B12 supplementation. The other nutrient problem I think I've had is magnesium deficiency...esomeprazole interferes with magnesium absorption, and my diabetes drugs also make me urinate a lot. I was getting heart palpitations that we never figured out. I'd feel them, I sent my doctor an ECG from my Apple Watch, but they refused to show on a 12-lead ECG or on a two week monitor. Eventually, based on anecdotes from other PVC sufferers, I decided to supplement magnesium an the amount of no more the RDA on the bottle...and my heart is happy now. (I'm going to point out that for safety reasons, I do not recommend megadosing any supplement. B12 might be very safe, but not all supplements are. Stick to the suggested dose for everything else.) On the other hand, I've been on metformin for around 18 years, and though it sucks to have diabetes, it seems like metformin has at least a mild beneficial effect against some conditions I really don't want to have. Kind of a silver lining.

[@Tinil0]

Oh man, I could talk about this a lot. I have Crohn's disease and in addition to my hemoglobin, hematocrit, serum iron etc being low, I am pretty critically low on B12 and prescribed injections at home. Last panel shows a 82pg/mL, which is...not ideal. The reference range my doctor uses says 200-1100 is normal. As you can imagine, it has some pretty awful side effects and I basically have 0 energy at any time.

[@kavorkaa]

Adam, George in Swedish is Göran Pronounced roughly Yoran

[@tottiamus]

I've read a good deal of animal and human studies on this, and out of the B vitamins only B6 is considered to be "overdosable". It may be neurotoxic at about 200 times the RDA, so you have to go pretty far :)

[@Dude8718]

It has a decently long half life tho for elimination. And consider some products will put 6000% DV on some shit which would already be 60 times the RDA, taking that for a week could accumulate toxicity. That 6000% number I'm just pulling from my ass but be careful with B6. You can overdose by just taking a little too much for a few weeks or months and it can accumulate.

[@fondrees]

Studies show that taking p5p( the active form of b6) does not cause neuropathy.

[@denniskirschbaum9109]

A 44 min. video on B12. I don't have time to watch that! But Adam is always interesting, I'll just watch for a few minutes. 44 min later.... Wow, that was fascinating!

[@HerpDerply]

Hey Adam! Long time listener. Are you going to be doing a full on science-style vid on this topic with interviews from *such and such from such and such says* and hit all of the important notes but in your traditional editing style? The podcasts are nice and all but I greatly enjoy your traditional video format. Your instructional videos where you bash traditional methods of cooking that exist for the sake of existing are hilarious as well. Podcasts are just a tad winded for me. It's like I'm participating in a 1 sided discussion lol. Have a great weekend btw!

[@notreallydavid]

Great post, Adam. Thanks for emitting it. Fun-use of nitrous oxide can deplete B12, resulting in neurological problems arising from myelopathy. The UK government recently put it in the same category of illegality as cannabis. Until they did, the streets of our towns were heavily scattered with those little shiny metal canisters. The B12 molecule looks a bit like a square of cardboard being gripped in the middle by a G-clamp. Its 3D structure was elucidated at Oxford by Dorothy Hodgkin, who won a Nobel for this and - unrelatedly - was Margaret Thatcher's tutor during her chemistry degree.

[@noahway13]

I used to work security at a hospital and the nurses would give each other IV's after a hard night on the town.

[@nunya___]

I noticed that drinking two glasses of water after drinking (alcohol) and adding a multivitamin after molly/acid/etc, made the next day SO much better.

[@alospm]

Thanks for this! I recently started taking a b12 supplement because I eat a “plant predominant” diet.

[@ShovelChef]

This might go without saying, but I'll at least put it up for the algo. ;) You've given me a lot to think about, on a topic that I did not know would become relevant to me until very recently. Keep up the good work.

[@sahiriothstill]

8:02 it's Yé-ory (like "yeah" but with a sound similar to French é, as in "passé" - and the y at the end is pronounced as in English "yes". Name stressed on the first syllable.)

[@gavincstewart]

Adam I love your sense of humor, you had me cackling in this episode. The taco story in particular really had me laughing. "Woke me up, that did" 😂😂😂

[@evarlast]

Classic Fraiser episode, "Food?!? In the bathroom?!?!?!"

[@allanjmcpherson]

All the shenanigans with the numbering of B vitamins sort of reminds me of Dvorak's symphonies, except they're more confusing. In his lifetime, Antonin Dvorak published four symphonies. But he wrote eight. The other four subsequently came to light, and we order symphonies in the order they're written. So old sources talk about a piece called Symphony no. 4. We now call that Symphony no. 8, and there's another piece that is now his Symphony no. 4.

[@yivelihumekaa9523]

Vitamin b12 deficiency is very painful. I had it when 14, due to gastrointestinal problems. I can't absorb vit b12. So I have pernicious anemia because vitamin b12 deficiency. So I had to take vit. B12 injections for life. Once every two weeks. 🤒🤕🤧

[@jeffbruno847]

Is it not effective to take a B12 lozenge under the tongue? Sublingual administration is supposed to get into the bloodstream better, bypassing the gut.

[@gjermundification]

We are made of star stuff! Cobolamin, it's a porphyrin, it's mostly the same as heme, chlorophyll, and cobolamin, Fe, Mg, and Co, respectively. Not sure if the body can swop out Mg for Co, however what is special about porphyrines is that the body will be able to swop between Fe, Mg, and Co, between eachothers as long as the item that is being swopped in is available.

[@joshuaadams181]

Wow I’m preparing a dungeons & dragons adventure currently involving some viciously tactical Kobolds. This is right on time. Flammable air particles that cause asthma like symptoms?? Let’s go

[@slimypebble9892]

Subscribed simply for the Penn State shirt. How can the channel be bad with that kind of swag?!?

[@vedritmathias9193]

I think it's his alma mater

[@Erik_Swiger]

If I want good, free, helpful medical advice, I go to a pharmacy I trust, and ask my question. They've been far more helpful than a trip to the doctor.

[@themostselfishman]

Stellar episode and ending allusion.

[@falconJB]

With B3 there might not be an upper limit where you will die, but there is an upper limit to what you can comfortably take and if you go beyond that you will feel like someone lit your skin on fire, so definitely be careful about how much you take if you haven't taken high doses before.

[@erzsebetkovacs2527]

Very interesting pod. I suspect that using B12 for such purposes might simply be a piece of antiquated medicine, meaning there might have been a physician or researcher somewhere in the 20th century, thinking that B12 would be a nice treatment for hangover, and people just kept repeating his recommendation, just to be sure, without actually conducting a clinical study.

[@Erik_Swiger]

Of course, I'm not encouraging over-drinking or anything like that, but if your goal is to reduce the effects of drinking, take milk thistle before/after. It helps the liver do its thing, processing alcohol or anything else. At least, it demonstrably helps me. The stuff I get is vaguely similar to malted milk powder, minus the sweetness. I routinely add some to chocolate desserts, it goes well in there.

[@diablominero]

Some of the vitamers of niacin seem to reverse aging in lab mice, but might increase cancer risk (if you keep cells from wearing out, sometimes they live long enough to become cancer). Also, one of the vitamers of cobalamin is an antidote for cyanide poisoning.

[@TheSpecialJ11]

As someone who got a mild vitamin deficiency just by not eating a whole lot of meat for a few months and leaving the rest of their diet unchanged, I highly recommend people focus on eating nutrient dense foods. If you do nothing else to change your diet, focus on foods that provide good micronutrients. All these people are out here tracking macros, but they're often eating empty macros that leave their cellular processes starved. The hard part is micronutrients are so much harder to measure, not only because they degrade with time and heat, but because a carrot grown in one part of the garden might have more vitamins than one grown in another part, and a cow raised on fertile pasture will have a different micronutrient profile than one raised on GMO corn. (Which, not the GMO causing the problem here, more that it being GMO allows producers to use so much artificial fertilizer and pesticide that, while growing the crop faster, doesn't give the nutrients time to develop or even disrupts the process).

[@jgehman]

Loved how you snuck in a Shakespeare reference right at the end.

[@kyssedbyfyre915]

I suffered a medical trauma induced ED. My B-12 among other vitamins & minerals were deficient. I was so sick, my Drs were suspecting heart failure. I was at 40bpm at my worst, and I TRULY went to sleep many nights fearing it may be my last. I did my injections & take liquid B-12 now as ED recovery isnt linear

[@TaberIV]

Since you brought up the origins from Kobold, Adam I need to know if you play Dungeons & Dragons lol

[@Tiny594]

Can't wait for the next episode. It'll be a very nice one.

[@MadamoftheCatHouse]

I have episodes of gastritis occasionally myself. Isn't the cause of it that your stomach lining loses it's prostaglandin producing function so there is no protection between the lining and the acid. So instead of acid reducing meds shouldn't they give you the ones that stimulate the production of prostaglandins.

[@TheSpecialJ11]

A really good way to get tons of vitamins (that you touched on in your buttermilk episode) is naturally fermented dairy drinks, such as buttermilk, kefir, and lassi. Not only is the milk itself high in nutrients, but then the bacteria create even more as they ferment out the milk sugars and break down some of the amino acids. Like having a healthy gut microbiome outside your gut, digesting the nutrition for you. If you can stomach it, I highly recommend people try drinking these beverages. I feel subtly better when I'm drinking kefir consistently.

[@partyfists]

Adam, on this topic of concierge medicine, I have seen a ton of different supplements for sale at a weightloss clinic. They offer all kinds of shots you can take from 80,000 units of Vitamin D to the ones I'm interested in knowing if they could be effective. There are 3 shots in particular I am most interested in knowing their efficacy. 1 a MIC(Methionine Inositol Choline), 2 NAD+, 3. Amino acid shots. All of them seem to have some studies that back their potential efficacy, but I am struggling to piece them all together. Would love a Deep Dive on these. Are they also expensive pee?

[@Kadillac_Kim]

I would also love to hear Adam's take on this! I have gotten some injections from one of these clinics, because my blood work found I was B12 deficient (going to the clinic was cheaper than getting it at my docs office.) I was curious about their "skinny shot" which is B12 + MIC + one other thing I can't remember. I don't know that it's helped me get skinny (😅) but I noticed a huge difference in energy level for several days after each shot. Trouble is it doesn't last very long at all. :/

[@kindlin]

It's all expensive pee eventually, the question posed is is it ONLY expensive pee.

[@sheilam4964]

Once again, thx for doing this and sharing. 👍👍👍👍👍