Fwd: [Sprout] THE VITAMIN B12 ISSUE

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Greetings: This is quite lengthy but good info. Looks like this B12 issue is never going to go away which is why I continue to research and watch what's happening to my body. ElaineGideon Graff <gideongraff wrote: "sproutrawfood" <sproutrawfood >"Gideon Graff" <gideongraffWed, 16 Mar 2005 06:42:15 -0800[sprout] THE VITAMIN B12 ISSUETHE VITAMIN B12 ISSUEby Dr Gina Shaw, D.S., M.A., AIYSThe subject of Vitamin B12 is not new to most vegans, vegetarians or rawfooders. The supplement companies have many people running to their localhealth (drug) stores in an effort to make themselves deficiency-free, but isthis a good idea? A number of

issues will be raised in this article and Iwill attempt to piece together some information from many different andreliable (non-financially-oriented) sources.A vitamin B12 deficiency is a serious disorder, but it is never just a B12deficiency because vitamin and mineral deficiencies never happen inisolation. Indications of a deficiency of vitamin B12, when they do reach astage where they have shown up, can be quite severe. Fatigue, paleness,anorexia, mental confusion, delusions, paranoia, weight loss, etc. are justsome indications that a person may have a B12-deficiency. In my opinion, MEis 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 (suchas myself) who is knowledgeable about B12-deficiencies, for immediateadvice. This disorder can eventually lead to death if left unchecked.UK official recommendations have decreased in recent

years, the body's needshaving been previously over-estimated. Indeed, the Department of Healthrecognises that some people have lower than average requirements of B12. Awhole lifetime's requirement of B12 add up to a 40 milligram speck of redcrystals, about one-seventh the size of an average tablet of aspirin! Takinglarge doses of the vitamin by mouth is pointless because 3ug is the mostthat can be absorbed at any one time.Vitamin B12 is excreted in the bile and is effectively reabsorbed. This isknown as enterohepatic circulation. The amount of B12 excreted in the bilecan vary from 1 to 10ug (micrograms) a day. People on diets low in B12,including vegans and some vegetarians, may be obtaining more B12 fromreabsorption than from dietary sources. Reabsorption is the reason it cantake over 20 years for a deficiency disease to develop. In comparison, ifB12 deficiency is due to a failure in absorption, it can take only threeyears

for a deficiency disease to occur. Since vitamin B12 is recycled in ahealthy body, in principle, internal B12 synthesis could fulfil our needswithout 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 alack of cobalt (which again will need other factors for efficientabsorption).Among the many controversies surrounding vitamin B12, there is the argumentthat, although intrinsic factor is produced in our stomachs and that ourintestines are known to produce vitamin B12, the bacteria is produced toolow down in the intestines and cannot be absorbed by our bodies. Thisargument is sadly still hanging around, however, according to Dr Vetrano, itwas disproved by research over 20 years ago and is nothing more than anobsolete scientific theory. Indeed, in a 1999 version of 'Human Anatomy andPhysiology' by Marieb, it states quite clearly that we do

indeed absorbvitamin B12 through our intestines.Many people say that the only foods which contain vitamin B12 areanimal-derived foods. This also is untrue. No foods naturally containvitamin B12 - neither animal or plant foods. Vitamin B12 is a microbe - abacteria - it is produced by microorganisms. Vitamin B12 is the only vitaminthat contains a trace element - cobalt - which gives this vitamin itschemical name - cobalamin - which is at the centre of its molecularstructure. Humans and all vertebrates require cobalt, although it isassimilated only in the form of vitamin B12.B12 synthesis is known to occur naturally in the human small intestine (inthe ileum), which is the primary site of B12 absorption. As long as gutbacteria have cobalt and certain other nutrients, they produce vitamin B12.According to Dr Michael Klaper, vitamin B12 is present in the mouth andintestines. B12 must be combined with a mucoprotein enzyme

named IntrinsicFactor, which is normally present in gastric secretions, to be properlyassimilated. If the intrinsic factor is impaired or absent, B12 synthesiswill not take place, no matter how much is present in the diet. B12deficiency may be brought upon by antibiotics (also contained in milk),alcohol, smoking and stress (alcohol damages the liver, so drinkers needmore B12, smoking (and all high temp cooked food is smoky) also raises B12needs).Many nutritional analyses of foodstuffs were carried out such a long timeago, and, as such, have not taken account of more up-to-date technology inscientific procedures. For instance, Tesco's raspberries now state quiteclearly that 100g of raspberries contain 30% of the recommended dailyallowance of vitamin B12. This cannot be an isolated example of a plant foodwhich contains B12! More likely, it is just one plant food of many whichcontain this vitamin. Indeed, according to Dr

Vetrano, current books onnutrition in the U.S. have now stated that there is B12 in any food thatcontains quantities of the B vitamin complex, but previously they were justnot able to assay the amounts. Nowadays, more modern technology has allowedthem 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 widespreadin vegans or vegetarians - this is probably just another marketing lie! Infact, many so-called studies 'showing vegans deficient' have to be carefullystudies themselves - many of them do not prove vegans to be deficient atall! In fact, contrary to meat and dairy industry propaganda, meat-eatersare known to be more likely to have a vitamin B12 deficiency - this has beenknown since 1959!!(1)Having said this, we must bear in mind that many vegetarians and vegansstill take antibiotics or consume antibiotic-containing foods such

asonions, garlic, strong radishes and other foods rich in mustard oil, whichare lethal to intestinal flora. The trouble is that once we have damaged ourintestinal flora, it is difficult to correct without proper andknowledgeable healthcare and dietary advice. It is of far greater importanceto correct intestinal flora problems than to rely on so-called supplements.People who have a physical problem because they think they are not gettingenough vitamin B12, are in fact often not assimilating their foods properlybecause of poor digestion. When digestion is straightened out, B12 can beutilized and produced once againAccording to Marieb's 'Human Anatomy and Physiology', vitamin B12 can bedestroyed by highly alkaline and highly acid conditions. This assumes thatthe B12 in meat would be easily destroyed because the hydrochloric acid inour stomaches during the digestion of meat is highly acidic. This mayexplain why meat-eaters are

just as likely to have a B12 deficiency asvegans - even though their diet contains vitamin B12. Also, for meat-eaters,there is antiobiotics contained in meat! Of course, many meat-eaters destroytheir friendly bacteria in their intestines by constant putrefaction and theputrefactive bacteria naturally present in meat will give the body a hardtime.Another side to the equation is that low serum B12 levels do not equate to aB12 deficiency necessarily. Just because there is a low level of B12 in thebloodstream, this does not mean that there is a deficiency in the body as awhole, it may well be being utilized by the living cells (such as thecentral nervous system). In any case, a person who takes supplements maywell have 'vitamin B12' floating in their bloodstream, but this does notmean it is usable to the human body as synthetic, inorganic vitamins arenot.The illusionary benefits of supplement-taking result in the

person'sincreased metabolism in order to expel these harmful substances as quicklyas possible. This results in a stimulation of the body and the illusion ofan improvement in health. The truth is that there is a very delicate balanceamong hormone secretions, vitamins, enzymes, minerals, etc. This issomething that scientists know very little about. These substances do notwork alone, but in fact require other factors for them to be effective, likefats, etc. We know very little about life within a cell. The use ofsupplements can disturb this delicate balance and diminish the efficiency ofbody functions. Health is reduced commensurate to the imbalance that occurs.Commercially, vitamin B12 tablets are made from bacteria and the bacteria isdeeply fermented. A healthy body will usually expel fermented substances.The main problem with pill supplements is that they: 1) Do not contain thehundreds of other nutrients we may need to be

healthy that raw foodsprovide, and 2) they contain artificial substances/contaminants that aredetrimental to health.Synthetic vitamins and minerals are inorganic and are therefore unusable bythe human body. In the manufacture of 'food supplements', chemically puresubstances must be used for the most part. If the scientists used naturallyderived nutrients, their pills would be too large for us to swallow.Additionally, a chemical 'carrier' is added to make the products acceptableto the palate of the consumer and to bring their product up to an acceptablestandard. These chemical carriers, as with all chemicals, are toxic to thehuman organism. They result in stimulation of the body and an illusionarycure.According to Dr. John Potter PhD, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle,"Food's magic is based on thousands of complex interactions of dozens ofdifferent phytochemicals which are difficult to recreate in pills. While

190solid studies prove that fruit and vegetables benefit, supplements have onlya smattering of evidence". Vitamins, minerals, hormones, etc. do not work inisolation, they work symbiotically. They work with other nutrients in orderfor their work to be carried out. When these highly complex substances aredisturbed, their overall effectiveness can be reduced. However, too much ofa nutrient is draining on our vital energy as the human (or non-human)organism may have to expel a nutrient overload. Also, it is doubtfulwhether, even if you do have a B12 deficiency, you have only a B12deficiency. A healthier diet and living conditions, as well as a fast may bein order.According to Dr Douglas Graham, in his book 'Nutrition and AthleticPerformance', supplementation has proven to be an inadequate and incompletemethod of supplying nutrients as scientists cannot match nature's refinedbalances. He says that since an estimated ninety per

cent of all nutrientsare as yet undiscovered, why would we want to start adding nutrients intoour diet one at a time rather than eating whole foods? Most nutrients areknown to interact symbiotically with at least eight other nutrients andconsidering this, the odds of healthfully supplying any nutrients in itsnecessary component package becomes 'infinitesimally minute'. More to thepoint he adds, 'there has never been a successful attempt to keep an animalor human healthy, or even alive, on a diet composed strictly of nutritionalsupplements'.Dan Reeter, at Bio-Systems Laboratories in Colorado is creating one of theworld's most comprehensive computer facilities for soil biology testing. Hesays that, from his extensive tests, plants grown in organically-managedsoil make significantly higher levels of usable vitamin B12. It has alsobeen reported that vitamin B12 is present in wild fruits and wild andhome-grown plant

foods.The author contends that animal and dairy produce is a poor source ofVitamin B12 since the vitamin is contained in nutrient-deranged foodstuffswhich will inevitably destroy the usability of the vitamin. Studies showthat those following a typical animal-based diet require more vitamin B12than those who do not. This is because the typical diet leads to digestiveatrophy. Because B12 is peptide-bound in animal products and must beenzymatically cleaved from the peptide bonds to be absorbed, a weakenedgastric 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 actuallyget 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 plantfoods and unwashed garden plants are typically adequate to supply

our B12requirements. The natural microbes in the soil need to be duplicated and tocolonise in our digestive tract, without fermentation or putrefaction.Another point worth considering is that vitamin B12 Recommended DailyAllowances (RDA's) are based upon the average cooked food (meat and twoveg), smoking, drinking person. Commercial interests have indeed grosslyexaggerated our needs for many nutrients. These studies tell us nothing ofthe requirements for a healthy vegetarian. It is very difficult to determineprecise individual needs of any vitamin or nutrient, and an overload of anyvitamin or other nutrient creates an unnecessary burden on our vital domain.Factors such as rate of metabolism, stress, etc. can determine our differingand often changing needs. Dr Victor Herbert reported in the American Journalof Clinical Nutrition (1998, Volume 48) that only 0.00000035 ounces (1microgram) of vitamin B12 is required per day. These

minimum vitaminrequirements may be inadequate to explain the needs of a healthy raw foodvegan, for example, who may require less B12 due to an improved gastricability and a high ability to recycle vitamin B12. (Cooking destroysmicrobes and a highly sterilised, cooked vegan diet may not provide theintestines with enough good quality flora). Absorption rates of B12 arehigher in healthy individuals than in unhealthy individuals. Studies, basedon healthy Indian vegetarian villagers, showed that none of them exhibitedsymptoms of B12 deficiency, despite levels of .3-.5 micrograms of B12.Dr Gabriel Cousens argues that vitamin B12 deficiency is typically caused bylack of absorption in the intestinal tract rather than a lack of thisvitamin in the diet. Annie and Dr David Jubb argue that people have lived insuch a sterile, antiseptic environment for so long that these necessarysymbiotic organisms have been less than present in our diet.

They argue thatby ingesting soil-born organisms you can maintain an enormous reservoir ofuncoded antibodies ready to transform specific pathogens, the way natureintended - by eating a little dirt!If a person is healthy and on a healthy vegan, high-percentage raw food dietand does not habitually over-eat, wrongly combine their foods and abusetheir bodies generally, and utilises fasting on occasion, it is unlikelythat they will develop B12 deficiency symptoms providing their intestinalflora was not previously deranged. Vitamin B12 deficiency is usuallysymptomatic of a larger problem i.e. poor intestinal flora, poor absorptionand also lack of sunlight.Harvey Diamond argues that the entire nutrient issue has been made soconfusing with contradictory information that it is no wonder that peopleare bewildered about where to obtain sufficient nutrients. Unfortunately,some people have been so totally misguided and scared that no

amount ofcommon-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 thebody needs will be contained in its natural foods (for human beings, rawplant foods). Mother Nature knows how to provide for her own. Why would itbe that we are created in such a way as to make us a natural plant-eater andhey presto, there is no vitamin B12 provided for us by plants? If you can'tget it from raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds or sprouts then WE DON'TNEED IT! Just because a wild fruit or organic foodstuff contains only asmall amount, this does not mean it is deficient. It means that we only needa small amount!The pill pushers are quick to say that our soil is deficient, but accordingto Diamond and others, if a seed does not receive the elements it needs ITWILL NOT GROW (OR WILL GROW POORLY -

author). Also, plants obtain nutrientsfrom other sources in greater amounts: the sun, water and the air. Plantsactually obtain only about 1% of nutrients from the soil.If you do develop a B12 deficiency, certain urgent dietary adjustments mayneed to be made, and there is a possibility that fasting is in order. In anycase, 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 andpay little attention to germ phobics who advise us to scrub our vegetablesand fruits. Buy organic and eat home-grown or wild foods and do not cleanthem too scrupulously! Just as nature intended!.Please note that it is not recommended for anyone to go on a fast of longerduration than 1-12; days without competent supervision, as prolonged fastsmust be monitored by a qualified fasting supervisor.Dr Shaw is available for health and nutritional consultations,

fastingsupervision, courses in natural health, emotional healing and iris analysis(iridology). Her address is: True Health, c/o 8 Marston Rd, Clayhall, EssexIG5 OLZ, telephone 020 8351 0086/8550 0374. Email >GinaShw Visit herweb site at http://vibrancy.homestead.com/pageone.html1. 'Fit for Life', Diamond, H. and M., 19872. 'The Life Science Institute Course in Natural Health' - 19863. 'Nutrition and Athletic Performance', Dr D. Graham, 19994. 'Female Balance' article 2001 -K Perrero http://www.living-foods.com5. Human Anatomy and Phyisology - Marieb - 19996. Correspondence with Dr Vetrano and family 20017. 'The Sunfood Diet Success Story' by David Wolfe8. B12 article by the Vegan Society9 . B12 article by the Vegetarian Society10. 1990 'Solstice Magazine'

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