Nutrition News

Can supplemental B vitamins decrease brain shrinkage and preserve mental function for men and women at risk for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia? Yes, according to a two-year study by researchers at Oxford University.

But, despite these findings, scientists aren’t advocating universal use of supplemental Triple B (folic acid, B12 and vitamin B6). Taking B vitamins can actually increase the blood level of an amino acid called homocysteiene, which can damage blood vessels and is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s, as well as heart attack and stroke.

In short, B vitamins can help or hurt with Alzheimer's, depending on your medical history. If you’re at a high risk of stroke or dementia, B Vitamins can help, but if you have homocysteine levels above 9.5 micromoles/liter, it may not do much good. And if you have diabetes, have suffered a heart attack, or have severe hardened arteries, B Vitamins can put you at greater risk.

In short, consider getting a blood test before stocking up on B-complex. Or even better, consult with a nutritionist or doctor about what vitamin supplements are right for you.

Check out Leo Galland, M.D.'s article at the Huffington Post.

Many people who practice yoga regularly experiment with a vegetarian lifestyle or permanently shift to a diet based on plant-based foods. Even yoga practitioners who regularly eat meat would do well to keep an eye on one essential nutrient, which many people get too little of in modern society: vitamin B12.

Vitamin B12 is one of the most essential nutrients for proper physical function as well as mental and emotional health. According the National Institute of Health, Vitamin B12 is required for a variety of biological processes ranging from proper red blood cell formation, to neurological function, to even DNA synthesis.

Even a slight deficiency in the vitamin can cause anemia, emotional instability, mental and physical fatigue, and insomnia among other disorders. Over a long time, B12 deficiency can lead to permanent brain and central nervous system damage.

The recommended daily allowance for vitamin B12 for adults age 14+ is 2.4 micrograms (for pregnant and lactating women, RDA is slightly higer.) As you get older, your vitamin B12 requirements also increase, as they do for all the B vitamins.

If you regularly eat meat, B12 is naturally and abundantly accessible in a variety of foods. Some of the best sources of B12 include shellfish, liver, caviar, and fish, such as herring and salmon. Clams alone can provide 98.9 micrograms of the vitamin per a 100g serving, a whopping 1648% of the RDA. Lamb liver provides 85.7 micrograms per 100g serving (1428%), and fish eggs offer up 54.6 micrograms per 100g serving (940%). Salmon and herring give 302% and 312% respectively. 

Ovo-lacto vegetarians can obtain B12 from eggs and dairy products, such as yogurt, cheese, and milk. While these animal products offer less of the vitamin than meat sources, regular intake can still provide necessary quantities of the vitamin. A breakfast of one cup of yogurt and two eggs, for example, provides you with over 100% of the RDA. Many ovo-lacto vegetarians can also benefit from B12 fortified foods or supplements.

Unfortunately, for strict vegetarian and vegans, B12 is not so easy to come by. Since the vitamin only forms naturally in animal products, vegetarians and vegans who don’t consume eggs or dairy products should add B12 fortified cereals, soy, or nutritional yeast products to their diet and consider taking a B12 supplement.

Although some claim that soy, spirulina, and other plants naturally contain sufficient levels of the vitamin, the majority of B12 from vegetation is analog, an inactive form that is not only inaccessible to the body, but actually increases your physiology’s requirement for it. 

In short, if you are a vegetarian, and especially if you're a vegan, adding a vitamin B12 supplement to your diet is not just a good idea, it is often a necessity. Boosting your body’s B12 levels will be important to prevent health issues down the road; it will also increase your energy, uplift your mood, and promote overall physical health.

Taking vitamin B12 supplements is not as simple as it may seem, however. Simply swallowing a pill doesn't do the trick, because it doesn't provide the body with a readily absorbable form of the vitamin. The body begins absorbing vitamin B12 in the mouth, where small amounts of unbound crystalline forms when the vitamin interact with the mucosa membrane. Studies have shown that oral B12 supplements are more effectively absorbed when chewed or dissolved in the mouth. Consequently, many people looking for an effective B12 supplement may wish to consider an oral supplement, particularly one designed either to be chewed or sublingually dissolved.

 Below is a review of three different types of B12 supplements. (Disclaimer: we get an affiliate commission on the product links to Amazon).

Oral Supplements:

Sublinqual B12 with MethylCobalamin .  “Methylcobalamin” is the name for the active coenzyme form of vitamin B-12 that is essential for proper cell growth and neurological function. These concentrated tablets dissolve under your tongue to deliver a potent boost of B12 to your body’s system. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans, as the tablets contain no yeast, dairy, egg, or other animal products.

Mercola’s B12 Energy Booster Spray. Dr. Mercola is well-known for his in-depth research on common health issues, and this is his choice for the most effective B12 delivery system. The spray delivery system breaks down the B12 into smaller, more available particles for more thorough and quick absorption. Each pre-metered spray delivers a B12 boost to your energy levels, aids digestion, and supports healthy metabolism and blood cell formation.  

External Supplements:

Vitamin B-12 Patches. If you are looking for non-oral form of B12, patches have been shown to quickly and discretely deliver the vitamin to the bloodstream, raising blood levels up to 90%. Easy to use, these dime-size patches can be placed behind your earlobe for up to 24 hours, during which they will release 1000 mcg of B12 to clear and energize your mind, promote balanced emotions, and encourage healthy cell growth. 

“Slow and steady wins the race,” goes the old adage, and when it comes to natural weightloss that advice applies to the battle against weight as well.

According to a report on Mercola.com, a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, people who savored a serving of ice cream over the course of 30 minutes felt fuller and more satisfied than those who ate the same portion in 5 minutes. The study revealed that participants’ hunger levels weren’t just psychological: those who took longer to eat the dessert actually produced a higher level of hunger-regulating hormones than those who scarfed their serving down.

Other studies report similar findings. In 2008, it was found that when subjects ate slowly, they ended up eating approximately 10% fewer calories than they did when eating quickly. Participants also reported feeling more full after eating slowly. Another study, published in the British Medical Journal, revealed that eating quickly and eating until full were directly correlated with obesity; in fact, these two habits tripled subjects’ risk of excessive weight gain.

In addition to increasing satisfaction and decreasing weight, eating slowly can improve your health in other ways. For example, the vast majority of digestive enzymes are actually found in your mouth, not your stomach. By chewing for longer periods of time, you break down nutrients for more effective absorption once they hit your digestive tract.  Longer chewing time will also allow you to more thoroughly enjoy the taste of what you are eating. 

Want to Learn a Simple Tips to Lose Weight Naturally?

1. To effectively and naturally cut back on how much you eat, experts advise chewing food twice as long as you’re used to and slowing down in general while eating.

2. Cut back on fructose, a prolific sweetener in today’s food market. Fructose diminishes feelings of fullness by reducing proper transfer of leptin, one of the body’s most powerful hunger regulators. In addition, fructose also increases you insulin levels, further interfering with your brain-body hunger response. Reducing fructose can help reset your eating habits and promote an automatic reduction in how much you eat.

Can losing weight really be as simple as that? Yes, and no. Certainly, eating less and eating more healthy foods will make you lose weight over time. Chewing your food longer and giving your body's digestive process more time to absorb the food is a great way to eat less and lose weight naturally over time.

In addition, however, for many people, overeating has an emotional component as well. If you suffer from frequent cravings or even binge eatings, try out things like yoga therapy and other natural therapies that can help you resolve the underlying issues behind the cravings. There are many anecdotal reports that indicate that yoga might help offer natural weightloss by easing emotional cravings for food. Yoga also promotes weightloss by helping you reconnect with your body's natural signals of hunger and satiety.

Our health and weight aren’t just determined by what we put in our stomachs: according to a new Danish study published in peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE, what already exists in our intestinal tract--namely, bacteria--plays an important role as well.

According to Mercola.com, this information corroborates a paper published in Nature, back in 2006, which reported that the microbal populations of healthy people’s guts are significantly different from those of obese people’s.

The new Danish study indicates that type-2 diabetes is linked to compositional changes in intestinal flora, opening up a possibility of improving health by modifying gastrointestinal microflora with probiotics and prebiotics.

According to Mercola:

“The results showed significant differences in intestinal populations of various bacterial groups between diabetics and non-diabetics. In particular, diabetics had fewer Firmicutes and more plentiful amounts of Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria, compared to non-diabetics.

They also found a positive correlation for the ratios of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes and reduced glucose tolerance.”

Mercola explains that one of the main benefits of a healthy diet is the resulting intestinal flora balance. Furthermore, research has revealed that the root of many diseases can be traced to nutritional imbalances caused by unhealthy intestinal bacteria. With today’s overabundance of processed foods, anti-biotic-medicated meats, and nutritionally insufficient snacks, it’s little wonder that many of our internal ecosystems are suffering.

Mercola recommends a diet of “high quality, minimally processed, and preferably organic, foods.”

The doctor states:

“. . . 70 percent of all antibiotics produced are used on healthy livestock, and consuming these antibiotic-laden meats may be a significant factor underlying many people’s health problems. This is why I constantly stress the importance of eating grass-fed and organically-raised meats of all kinds.”

In addition, to consuming antibiotics in our meats, many of us regularly take prescribed antibiotics, which indiscriminately destroy the beneficial bacteria in our guts along with whatever unhealthy bacteria we’re fighting.

To cultivate a healthy internal ecosystem for weight loss and wellbeing, Mercola recommend reducing sugars, grains and processed foods. In addition, he suggests people avoid these other factors as often as possible:

• Antibiotics
• Chlorinated water
• Antibacterial soap
• Agricultural chemicals
• Pollution 

All of these things help to kill off your good bacteria. This is why it’s a wise choice to “reseed” your body with good bacteria from time to time by taking a high-quality probiotic supplement or eating properly fermented foods like natto, healthy sauerkraut, or kim chee.