B12

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THE VITAMIN B12 ISSUE

 

by Dr Gina Shaw, D.S., M.A., AIYS (Dip. Irid.)

 

The subject of Vitamin B12 is not new to most vegans, vegetarians or raw

fooders. The supplement companies have many people running to their local

health (drug) stores in an effort to make themselves deficiency-free, but is

this a good idea? A number of issues will be raised in this article and I will

attempt to piece together some information from many different and reliable

(non-financially- oriented) sources.

 

A vitamin B12 deficiency is a serious disorder, but it is never just a B12

deficiency because vitamin and mineral deficiencies never happen in isolation.

Indications of a deficiency of vitamin B12, when they do reach a stage where

they have shown up, can be quite severe. Fatigue, paleness, anorexia, mental

confusion, delusions, paranoia, weight loss, etc. are just some indications that

a person may have a B12-deficiency. In my opinion, ME is a B12-deficiency

disorder. If you do think you may have a B12-deficiency, it would be wise for

you to seek the advice of a health practitioner (such as myself) who is

knowledgeable about B12-deficiencies, for immediate advice. This disorder can

eventually lead to death if left unchecked.

 

UK official recommendations have decreased in recent years, the body's needs

having been previously over-estimated. Indeed, the Department of Health

recognises that some people have lower than average requirements of B12. A whole

lifetime's requirement of B12 add up to a 40 milligram speck of red crystals,

about one-seventh the size of an average tablet of aspirin! Taking large doses

of the vitamin by mouth is pointless because 3ug is the most that can be

absorbed at any one time.

 

Vitamin B12 is excreted in the bile and is effectively reabsorbed. This is known

as enterohepatic circulation. The amount of B12 excreted in the bile can vary

from 1 to 10ug (micrograms) a day. People on diets low in B12, including vegans

and some vegetarians, may be obtaining more B12 from reabsorption than from

dietary sources. Reabsorption is the reason it can take over 20 years for a

deficiency disease to develop. In comparison, if B12 deficiency is due to a

failure in absorption, it can take only three years for a deficiency disease to

occur. Since vitamin B12 is recycled in a healthy body, in principle, internal

B12 synthesis could fulfil our needs without any B12 provided in the diet, but

if cobalt in our diet is lacking, the problem is not so much a lack of B12

synthesising intestinal flora, as a lack of cobalt (which again will need other

factors for efficient absorption).

 

Among the many controversies surrounding vitamin B12, there is the argument

that, although intrinsic factor is produced in our stomachs and that our

intestines are known to produce vitamin B12, the bacteria is produced too low

down in the intestines and cannot be absorbed by our bodies. This argument is

sadly still hanging around, however, according to Dr Vetrano, it was disproved

by research over 20 years ago and is nothing more than an obsolete scientific

theory. Indeed, in a 1999 version of `Human Anatomy and Physiology' by Marieb,

it states quite clearly that we do indeed absorb vitamin B12 through our

intestines.

 

Many people say that the only foods which contain vitamin B12 are animal-derived

foods. This also is untrue. No foods naturally contain vitamin B12 - neither

animal or plant foods. Vitamin B12 is a microbe - a bacteria - it is produced

by microorganisms. Vitamin B12 is the only vitamin that contains a trace element

- cobalt - which gives this vitamin its chemical name - cobalamin - which is at

the centre of its molecular structure. Humans and all vertebrates require

cobalt, although it is assimilated only in the form of vitamin B12.

 

B12 synthesis is known to occur naturally in the human small intestine (in the

ileum), which is the primary site of B12 absorption. As long as gut bacteria

have cobalt and certain other nutrients, they produce vitamin B12. According to

Dr Michael Klaper, vitamin B12 is present in the mouth and intestines. B12 must

be combined with a mucoprotein enzyme named Intrinsic Factor, which is normally

present in gastric secretions, to be properly assimilated. If the intrinsic

factor is impaired or absent, B12 synthesis will not take place, no matter how

much is present in the diet. B12 deficiency may be brought upon by

antibiotics (also contained in milk), alcohol, smoking and stress (alcohol

damages the liver, so drinkers need more B12, smoking (and all high temp cooked

food is smoky) also raises B12 needs).

 

Many nutritional analyses of foodstuffs were carried out such a long time ago,

and, as such, have not taken account of more up-to-date technology in

scientific procedures. For instance, Tesco's raspberries now state quite

clearly that 100g of raspberries contain 30% of the recommended daily allowance

of vitamin B12. This cannot be an isolated example of a plant food which

contains B12! More likely, it is just one plant food of many which contain this

vitamin. Indeed, according to Dr Vetrano, current books on nutrition in the U.S.

have now stated that there is B12 in any food that contains quantities of the B

vitamin complex, but previously they were just not able to assay the amounts.

Nowadays, more modern technology has allowed them to discover that there is B12

in those foods rich in the B complex.

 

The author does not believe that a vitamin B12 deficiency is more widespread in

vegans or vegetarians - this is probably just another marketing lie! In fact,

many so-called studies `showing vegans deficient' have to be carefully studies

themselves - many of them do not prove vegans to be deficient at all! In fact,

contrary to meat and dairy industry propaganda, meat-eaters are known to be more

likely to have a vitamin B12 deficiency - this has been known since 1959!!(1)

 

Having said this, we must bear in mind that many vegetarians and vegans still

take antibiotics or consume antibiotic-containing foods such as onions, garlic,

strong radishes and other foods rich in mustard oil, which are lethal to

intestinal flora. The trouble is that once we have damaged our intestinal

flora, it is difficult to correct without proper and knowledgeable healthcare

and dietary advice. It is of far greater importance to correct intestinal

flora problems than to rely on so-called supplements. People who have a physical

problem because they think they are not getting enough vitamin B12, are in fact

often not assimilating their foods properly because of poor digestion. When

digestion is straightened out, B12 can be utilized and produced once again

 

According to Marieb's `Human Anatomy and Physiology', vitamin B12 can be

destroyed by highly alkaline and highly acid conditions. This assumes that the

B12 in meat would be easily destroyed because the hydrochloric acid in our

stomaches during the digestion of meat is highly acidic. This may explain why

meat-eaters are just as likely to have a B12 deficiency as vegans - even though

their diet contains vitamin B12. Also, for meat-eaters, there is antiobiotics

contained in meat! Of course, many meat-eaters destroy their friendly bacteria

in their intestines by constant putrefaction and the putrefactive bacteria

naturally present in meat will give the body a hard time.

 

Another side to the equation is that low serum B12 levels do not equate to a B12

deficiency necessarily. Just because there is a low level of B12 in the

bloodstream, this does not mean that there is a deficiency in the body as a

whole, it may well be being utilised by the living cells (such as the central

nervous system). In any case, a person who takes supplements may well have

`vitamin B12' floating in their bloodstream, but this does not mean it is usable

to the human body as synthetic, inorganic vitamins are not.

 

The illusionary benefits of supplement-taking result in the person's increased

metabolism in order to expel these harmful substances as quickly as possible.

This results in a stimulation of the body and the illusion of an improvement in

health. The truth is that there is a very delicate balance among hormone

secretions, vitamins, enzymes, minerals, etc. This is something that

scientists know very little about. These substances do not work alone, but in

fact require other factors for them to be effective, like fats, etc. We know

very little about life within a cell. The use of supplements can disturb this

delicate balance and diminish the efficiency of body functions. Health is

reduced commensurate to the imbalance that occurs.

 

Commercially, vitamin B12 tablets are made from bacteria and the bacteria is

deeply fermented. A healthy body will usually expel fermented substances. The

main problem with pill supplements is that they: 1) Do not contain the hundreds

of other nutrients we may need to be healthy that raw foods provide, and 2) they

contain artificial substances/contaminants that are detrimental to health.

 

Synthetic vitamins and minerals are inorganic and are therefore unusable by the

human body. In the manufacture of `food supplements', chemically pure

substances must be used for the most part. If the scientists used naturally

derived nutrients, their pills would be too large for us to swallow.

Additionally, a chemical `carrier' is added to make the products acceptable to

the palate of the consumer and to bring their product up to an acceptable

standard. These chemical carriers, as with all chemicals, are toxic to the

human organism. They result in stimulation of the body and an illusionary cure.

 

According to Dr. John Potter PhD, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle,

" Food's magic is based on thousands of complex interactions of dozens of

different phytochemicals which are difficult to recreate in pills. While 190

solid studies prove that fruit and vegetables benefit, supplements have only a

smattering of evidence " . Vitamins, minerals, hormones, etc. do not work in

isolation, they work symbiotically. They work with other nutrients in order for

their work to be carried out. When these highly complex substances are

disturbed, their overall effectiveness can be reduced. However, too much of a

nutrient is draining on our vital energy as the human (or non-human) organism

may have to expel a nutrient overload. Also, it is doubtful whether, even if

you do have a B12 deficiency, you have only a B12 deficiency. A healthier diet

and living conditions, as well as a fast may be in order.

 

According to Dr Douglas Graham, in his book `Nutrition and Athletic

Performance', supplementation has proven to be an inadequate and incomplete

method of supplying nutrients as scientists cannot match nature's refined

balances. He says that since an estimated ninety per cent of all nutrients are

as yet undiscovered, why would we want to start adding nutrients into our diet

one at a time rather than eating whole foods? Most nutrients are known to

interact symbiotically with at least eight other nutrients and considering this,

the odds of healthfully supplying any nutrients in its necessary component

package becomes `infinitesimally minute'. More to the point he adds, `there has

never been a successful attempt to keep an animal or human healthy, or even

alive, on a diet composed strictly of nutritional supplements'.

 

Dan Reeter, at Bio-Systems Laboratories in Colorado is creating one of the

world's most comprehensive computer facilities for soil biology testing. He

says that, from his extensive tests, plants grown in organically-managed soil

make significantly higher levels of usable vitamin B12. It has also been

reported that vitamin B12 is present in wild fruits and wild and home-grown

plant foods.

 

The author contends that animal and dairy produce is a poor source of Vitamin

B12 since the vitamin is contained in nutrient-deranged foodstuffs which will

inevitably destroy the usability of the vitamin. Studies show that those

following a typical animal-based diet require more vitamin B12 than those who do

not. This is because the typical diet leads to digestive atrophy. Because B12

is peptide- bound in animal products and must be enzymatically cleaved from the

peptide bonds to be absorbed, a weakened gastric acid and gastric enzyme

secretions (due to a cooked food diet) causes an inability to efficiently

extract vitamin B12 from external food. Nevertheless, raw food vegans who have

a more powerful digestion actually get more B12 by reabsorption from the bile

than they do from external food. Wolfe argues that the natural soil microbes and

bacteria found on wild plant foods and unwashed garden plants are typically

adequate to supply our B12 requirements. The natural microbes in the soil need

to be duplicated and to colonise in our digestive tract, without fermentation or

putrefaction.

 

Another point worth considering is that vitamin B12 Recommended Daily Allowances

(RDA's) are based upon the average cooked food (meat and two veg), smoking,

drinking person. Commercial interests have indeed grossly exaggerated our needs

for many nutrients. These studies tell us nothing of the requirements for a

healthy vegetarian. It is very difficult to determine precise individual needs

of any vitamin or nutrient, and an overload of any vitamin or other nutrient

creates an unnecessary burden on our vital domain. Factors such as rate of

metabolism, stress, etc. can determine our differing and often changing needs.

Dr Victor Herbert reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1998,

Volume 48) that only 0.00000035 ounces (1 microgram) of vitamin B12 is required

per day. These minimum vitamin requirements may be inadequate to explain the

needs of a healthy raw food vegan, for example, who may require less B12 due to

an improved gastric ability and a high ability to recycle vitamin B12. (Cooking

destroys microbes and a highly sterilised, cooked vegan diet may not provide the

intestines with enough good quality flora). Absorption rates of B12 are higher

in healthy individuals than in unhealthy individuals. Studies, based on healthy

Indian vegetarian villagers, showed that none of them exhibited symptoms of B12

deficiency, despite levels of .3-.5 micrograms of B12.

 

Dr Gabriel Cousens argues that vitamin B12 deficiency is typically caused by

lack of absorption in the intestinal tract rather than a lack of this vitamin in

the diet. Annie and Dr David Jubb argue that people have lived in such a

sterile, antiseptic environment for so long that these necessary symbiotic

organisms have been less than present in our diet. They argue that by ingesting

soil-born organisms you can maintain an enormous reservoir of uncoded antibodies

ready to transform specific pathogens, the way nature intended - by eating a

little dirt!

 

If a person is healthy and on a healthy vegan, high-percentage raw food diet and

does not habitually over-eat, wrongly combine their foods and abuse their bodies

generally, and utilises fasting on occasion, it is unlikely that they will

develop B12 deficiency symptoms providing their intestinal flora was not

previously deranged. Vitamin B12 deficiency is usually symptomatic of a larger

problem i.e. poor intestinal flora, poor absorption and also lack of sunlight.

 

Harvey Diamond argues that the entire nutrient issue has been made so confusing

with contradictory information that it is no wonder that people are bewildered

about where to obtain sufficient nutrients. Unfortunately, some people have been

so totally misguided and scared that no amount of common-sense reasoning of even

factual data can rescue them from the meat, dairy and petrochemical (synthetic

food `supplement' suppliers) multi-million pound industries. The truth is that

whatever nutrients the body needs will be contained in its natural foods (for

human beings, raw plant foods). Mother Nature knows how to provide for her own.

Why would it be that we are created in such a way as to make us a natural

plant-eater and hey presto, there is no vitamin B12 provided for us by plants?

If you can't get it from raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds or sprouts then WE

DON'T NEED IT! Just because a wild fruit or organic foodstuff contains only a

small amount, this does not mean it is deficient. It means that we only need a

small amount!

 

The pill pushers are quick to say that our soil is deficient, but according to

Diamond and others, if a seed does not receive the elements it needs IT WILL NOT

GROW (OR WILL GROW POORLY - author). Also, plants obtain nutrients from other

sources in greater amounts: the sun, water and the air. Plants actually obtain

only about 1% of nutrients from the soil.

 

If you do develop a B12 deficiency, certain urgent dietary adjustments may need

to be made, and there is a possibility that fasting is in order. In any case,

on switching to a healthier diet, be it vegetarian, vegan or raw food (for

optimum health), we should go back to nature as much as possible and pay little

attention to germ phobics who advise us to scrub our vegetables and fruits. Buy

organic and eat home-grown or wild foods and do not clean them too scrupulously!

Just as nature intended!.

 

Please note that it is not recommended for anyone to go on a fast of longer

duration than 1½ days wihtout competent supervision, as prolonged fasts must be

monitored by a qualified fasting supervisor.

 

Dr Shaw is available for health and nutritional consultations, fasting

supervision, courses in natural health, emotional healing and iris analysis

(iridology). Her address is: True Health, c/o 8 Marston Rd, Clayhall, Essex IG5

OLZ, telephone 020 8351 0086/8550 0374. Email GinaShw Visit her web site

at http://vibrancy.homestead.com/pageone.html

 

1. `Fit for Life', Diamond, H. and M., 1987

 

2. `The Life Science Institute Course in Natural Health' - 1986

 

3. `Nutrition and Athletic Performance', Dr D. Graham, 1999

 

4. `Female Balance' article 2001 -K Perrero www.living-foods.com

 

5. Human Anatomy and Phyisology - Marieb - 1999

 

6. Correspondence with Dr Vetrano and family 2001

 

7. `The Sunfood Diet Success Story' by David Wolfe

 

8. B12 article by the Vegan Society

 

9 . B12 article by the Vegetarian Society

 

10. 1990 `Solstice Magazine' article