The B Team

[Guest guest]

" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

 

HSI e-Alert - The B Team

Tue, 05 Apr 2005 08:25:18 -0500

HSI e-Alert - The B Team

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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April 05, 2005

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

Many women are aware that a high intake of calcium may help prevent

osteoporosis. But unless those women are HSI members, I'll bet most of

them don't know that adding a magnesium supplement may improve the

body's ability to absorb calcium. And fewer still are probably aware

of the emerging research that shows how a vitamin B-12 supplement may

also play an important role in bone health as we age.

 

In the e-Alert " Skeleton Key " (3/17/04), I took a look at a three-year

study that compared B-12 levels with bone mineral density (BMD) in

more than 80 women over the age of 65. Researchers at the University

of California found that women with the lowest levels of B-12 had a

significantly higher risk of bone loss and fractures compared to women

with the highest levels.

 

At that time I noted that more research would be needed to confirm the

link between B-12 and bone health, and that research has already

started to roll in with two new studies published since the first of

the year.

 

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Following the links

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The first study is similar to the University of California study, but

the cohort was quite a bit larger.

 

Using data collected from the Framingham Offspring Osteoporosis Study,

researchers from Tufts University examined the association between BMD

and B-12 levels in more than 2,500 men and women. The Tufts team found

that subjects of either gender who had B-12 concentrations of less

than 148 pM, had significantly lower BMD on average compared to

subjects with B-12 over 148 pM. ( " pM " is a gram-fraction measurement,

and " 148 pM " designates the cutoff point between an adequate B-12

level and B-12 deficiency.)

 

In their conclusions, the Tuft researchers wrote: " B-12 deficiency may

be an important modifiable risk factor for osteoporosis. "

 

Meanwhile, in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical

Association, a team of Japanese scientists noted an interesting chain

of associations:

 

1) Stroke is linked to an increased risk of hip fracture

2) Stroke and fractures in the elderly are both linked with high

homocysteine levels

3) The combination of B-12 and folate is known to lower homocysteine

 

More than 620 stroke victims over the age of 65 were randomly divided

into two groups. One group received 5 mg of folate and 1,000 mcg of

mecobalamin (a type of B-12) daily. The other group was given a

placebo. During the two-year study period, the number of falls

recorded by both groups was nearly identical. But subjects in the

placebo group experienced more than four times as many hip fractures

as subjects in the intervention group.

 

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Function follows form

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When I asked HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., for his take on these

studies, he started off by noting, " It's wonderful to see that B-12

has been found to help bone health.

 

" B-12 is best known for beneficial effects on nerves, from shingles to

demyelinization problems of all sorts. More recently, its effects on

helping to lower serum homocysteine levels has put it in the limelight

(though it doesn't do the job all that well unless you add folic acid,

vitamin B-6 and sometimes trimethylglycine...and maybe a little

magnesium).

 

" But these new studies show there's even more to the nutrient's range

of activity. What's really amazing is that U.S. nutritionists have

long maintained that a B-12 deficiency is almost impossible to find in

this country! I'm not sure what changed their minds, but it's about time.

 

" Wouldn't you know it would take the Japanese, however, to bother with

the really good form of B-12 in their study! They used methylcobalamin

instead of cyanocobalamin (at least I'm assuming that's what

'mecobalamin' is). Of the three types cyano-, hydroxo-, and methyl-,

the last one is by far the best (and, unfortunately, the most

expensive). I only use the cyano-type when the methyl-type is

unavailable (which is often). "

 

Dr. Spreen tells me that he's also used B-12 to address fatigue. " Even

if patients were confirmed anemic (iron deficiency) and shown NOT to

be B-12 deficient, I found that B-12 helped the iron deficiency

correct far faster (and with less iron, which can be a double-edged

sword nutrient) than with iron alone. Added folate helped even more. "

 

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Support staff

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As for supplement dosage, Dr. Spreen recommends 1.6 mg per day of

folate, although he personally believes that something closer to 5 mg

would probably be better for those who wish to address cardiovascular

problems. For B-12, he recommends 1 mg (1000 mcg) per day in

sublingual form (dissolved under the tongue). And to get the most out

of the B-12/folate combo, 100 mg per day of B-6 is also necessary, as

well as 400-500 mg of magnesium per day (to make the B-6 more effective).

 

For those who are specifically trying to lower high serum homocysteine

levels, Dr. Spreen suggests taking 300-500 mg per day of

trimethylglycine (TMG), depending on the severity of cardiovascular

status. He says, " TMG is a powerful homocysteine-lowering agent, but

it's expensive and not always necessary for use in lowering the

levels. There are some people who just don't get a biologic response

from the 'standard' agents, folate, B-6 and B-12, so then you'd add

the TMG. "

 

 

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....and another thing

 

Wouldn't it be nice?

 

In the e-Alert " Pumping Sunshine " (3/8/05), I told you about an e-mail

I received from an HSI member named Xielolixii who wondered if there

was a way to determine if soy was genetically modified (GM).

 

Yep, that WOULD be nice. But as I told Xielolixii, different forms of

soy show up as ingredients in thousands of products, and it's

estimated that 20 percent or more of the U.S. soy crop is genetically

engineered to survive regular spraying with a powerful chemical used

to kill weeds.

 

As it turns out, that 20 percent estimate may be way off.

 

In a recent Associated Press (AP) article, Stephanie Childs - a

spokesperson for the Grocery Manufacturers of America - stated that

more than 80 percent of the U.S. soy crop has some sort of GM component.

 

But genetic modification isn't exclusive to soy. Ms. Childs adds that

about 40 percent of U.S. corn is GM, and about 75 percent of all

processed foods contain GM ingredients.

 

How do GM foods affect humans? That question will be impossible to

answer until we get the results of the long-range study that's now in

progress. Unfortunately that " study " doesn't involve formal research.

You, your family, me, our neighbors; we're all subjects in a trial

that - fingers crossed! - hopefully won't produce dire side effects.

 

Many Americans have no idea what's going on with GM crops. According

to poll results that accompanied the AP piece, nearly 30 percent said

they believed all GM crops are tested for human safety (they're not).

Almost one quarter said they believed all GM crops are tested for

environmental safety (they're not). And more than one quarter said

they believed that food manufacturers are required to indicate GM

content on packaging (they're not).

 

The percentages of people who answered " unsure " in the three

categories above: 59 percent, 63 percent and 40 percent, respectively.

 

" Unsure " pretty much sums up where we are with GM foods these days.

With no sureness in sight.

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

Health Sciences Institute

 

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Sources:

 

" Low Plasma Vitamin B12 is Associated With Lower BMD: The Framingham

Osteoporosis Study " Journal of Bone & Mineral Research, Vol. 20, No.

1, January 2005, jbmr-online.org

" B12 Deficiency Ups Osteoporosis Risk " Natural Products Industry

Insider, 3/28/05, naturalproductsinsider.com

" Effect of Folate and Mecobalamin on Hip Fractures in Patients With

Stroke " Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 293, No. 9,

3/2/05, jama.ama-assn.org

" B Vitamins Cut Fracture Risk After Stroke " NutraIngredients.com,

3/2/05, nutraingredients.com

" Genetically Modified Foods Eaten Regularly " Linda A. Johnson,

Associated Press, 3/24/05, news.

 

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