LpVitamins Wellness News

My last post discussed how intrinsic factor affects B12 absorption. This was an important discussion because many people believe they are getting enough vitamin B12 from their diet if they have not been diagnosed with pernicious anemia. The truth is that unless they have developed anemia, most people haven’t even thought about B12.

You need to know that problems associated with a B12 deficiency may occur long before a diagnosable case of pernicious anemia occurs. Pernicious anemia does not just affect the blood. The gastrointestinal tract and the peripheral and central nervous systems are affected as well. The first indications of anemia are a sore tongue and numbness and/or tingling or burning sensation in the hands or feet. Sufferers tend to be pale and white-lipped. A variety of abdominal difficulties include: gas, constipation or diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, pain, and poor appetite.

Other signs include ringing in the ears, spots before the eyes, chronic fatigue, drowsiness, and irritability.  Vital organs become starved for oxygen because not enough red blood cells are being formed. The liver and spleen often become enlarged, and neurological damage increases as the disease progresses.  Severe anemia may lead to heart failure.

Next time, we will discuss psychiatric abnormalities associated with B12 deficiency.

Several causes may lead to a B12 deficiency, but the usual reason one develops pernicious anemia is the inability to absorb the vitamin. The natural means of obtaining vitamin B12 is by way of the foods we eat, but B12 is not found in plants. You must eat protein foods such as liver, whole milk, eggs, oysters, pork or chicken, and its complex structure makes it much more difficult to absorb in comparison to other nutrients. In addition, the stomach secretes a substance known as “intrinsic factor” which binds to the B12 allowing it to be absorbed through the intestinal walls.

 An absence of vitamin B12 in the diet is seldom the cause of a vitamin B12 deficiency. It is much more common to find deficiencies in individuals who fail to absorb the vitamin from the intestine. This failure to absorb the vitamin results in pernicious anemia. The gastric parietal cells are responsible for the synthesis of a glycoprotein (a combination of carbohydrate and protein), called the “intrinsic factor”. When these cells are destroyed, the intrinsic factor is no longer produced and absorption of vitamin B12 is no longer possible.  Furthermore, as we reach the age of 50 and beyond, the stomach begins to produce less hydrochloric acid as well as less “intrinsic factor.” This is the condition that causes the elderly to have the inability to completely break down the protein in their diet, thus they are unable to free the protein-bound B12. This in turn creates the B12 deficiency.

 If an individual is missing or under producing “intrinsic factor,” it is not possible to absorb B12 regardless of how much one eats. The availability of “intrinsic factor” can also be affected by any type of stomach surgery, iron deficiency, pregnancy, aging, and intestinal disorders (like Crohn’s disease). Because of all these factors, many more people than generally recognized suffer from some level of B12 deficiency. 

 The “good news” to this is that when taking a sublingual B12 supplement, it does not matter whether or not you have any “intrinsic factor”, or even Crohn’s disease for that matter. The B12 will be absorbed directly into the bloodstream, thus by-passing any dependency on stomach hydrochloric acid or the production of the “intrinsic factor”.

 Next time, we’ll discuss how devastating a B12 deficiency can be.

I’m sometimes asked if vitamin B12 is really that important and if there is any difference between sublingual B12 and a regular B12 supplement. So, in the next few posts, we’ll look into these questions.

Not too long ago in the United States, a diagnosis of pernicious anemia was like a death sentence. Now, picture this, the first therapy for pernicious anemia was the eating of repulsive amounts of raw liver! Patients had to eat a half pound or more per day just to continue living. The thought of that makes me gag!  Fortunately, that is no longer required because in 1947 vitamin B12 was isolated from liver and found to be the factor that alleviated pernicious anemia.

The discovery of vitamin B12 led to the knowledge of both the cause of and the cure for pernicious anemia. This form of anemia develops due to a shortage or lack of B12 in the body. It will cause damage to both the blood-forming process and the nervous system.  As a result of the B12 deficiency, the bone marrow produces abnormally large red blood cells. The life span of these affected blood cells is only one-half that of normal cells.

 The bone marrow turns red and jelly-like. This results in a decrease of both the red and white blood cell count. The normal count for red blood cells is 5,000,000.  One suffering from pernicious anemia may experience a red blood cell count of only 1,000.  The white blood cell count may fall to 3,000 as compared to a normal range of 5,000 to 10,000.  Blood cells suffer from both arrested development and rapid destruction. These two factors prevent many blood cells from ever reaching the bloodstream.  Harm to the nervous system can range from a tingling sensation in the fingers to permanent impairment to the nerves; 40 to 95 percent of pernicious anemia victims suffer some degree of neurological damage.

Next time, we will look into “intrinsic factor”, another significant factor involved with B12 anemia.

Aloe vera juice has been used for a least four thousand years to treat successfully a multiplicity of human ailments. It contains over 200 ingredients that seem to affect thousands of biomedical actions in the body. Many researchers believe that Aloe vera is the single most important treatment one could use to fight disease.

We find in the Aloe vera plant at least six antiseptic agents: lupeol, salicylic acid, urea nitrogen, cinnamic acid, phenol, and sulphur.  These substances are all recognized antiseptics. Their presence explains why Aloe has the ability to eliminate many internal and external infections. Lupeol, salicylic aced and another ingredient, magnesium, are highly effective analgesics.  They make Aloe vera an effective pain killer.

Aloe vera contains at least three anti-inflammatory fatty acids (cholesterol, campesterol and B-sitosterol), making Aloe an effective treatment for burns, cuts, scrapes and abrasions, as well as for rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic fever and ulcers of all kinds, both internal and external. The presence of these fatty acids may explain why some experts feel Aloe is highly effective for many inflammatory conditions of the digestive system and other internal organs, including the stomach, small intestine, colon, liver, kidney and pancreas. The presence of these fatty acids, B-sitosterol in particular, could explain why Aloe vera juice is a treatment effective for allergic reactions and acid indigestion, and why it helps, in association with a low fat diet, to lower harmful cholesterol levels.

It’s this synergistic relationship between the elements found in the plant that explains why Aloe works, and why through the ages lay persons and physicians alike have proclaimed that Aloe vera has the ability to heal, alleviate, eliminate, or even cure, a monumental list of human diseases and disorders, and deserving the name “medicine plant.”

Our bodies make millions of new cells every day: heart cells, brain cells, bone and blood cells. Every time a cell dies it should be replaced. If you do not have the right amount of nutrients to construct a new cell you will either make an incomplete cell or none at all. The outcome is bad in either case, so we really need to keep all nutrients on board at all times. This is why we suggest a multiple vitamin and mineral supplement. This helps ensure we stay on top of our nutrient reserve.

Supplements
The word supplement means to add more – to make up for a deficiency. Vitamin and mineral supplements should be taken in addition to a healthy diet. They make up for the deficiency we face due to the poor nutrient density in our foods. Supplements also help make up the difference when our diet is less than perfect.

The simplest way to help support your nutrition is to take a general multi-vitamin and mineral supplement that provides a broad range of nutrients at standard nutritional levels. However, please remember the following points:

1. Some supplements contain very high doses of certain nutrients. When you take nutrients in extremely high doses, you are no longer in the world of nutritional supplementation and have passed into the riskier world of “megadose” treatment.
2. Calcium and magnesium are very bulky minerals, and few multi-vitamin/mineral supplements provide the daily requirement. These minerals generally must be taken in the form of additional pills. Note: It isn’t possible for your body to absorb a day’s worth of calcium in a single dose. At least two doses are necessary.

Common nutritional deficiencies:

Very few of us are so deficient in these nutrients as to show symptoms of obvious malnutrition. However, subtle deficiencies may increase the risk for a variety of conditions. For example, insufficient intake of calcium and Vitamin D may increase your chances of developing osteoporosis, and inadequate folate and Vitamin B-6 may speed the development of heart disease.

Besides vitamins and minerals, intake of essential omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids is often inadequate.

A plan for everyone
Finally, keep in mind that food contains many substances other than vitamins and minerals that may enhance your health.

Supplements won’t overcome bad dietary choices. We simply must commit ourselves to eating more fruits and vegetables. However, the reality of life is that we don’t always attend to our diet perfectly. So, appropriate nutrient supplementation can help make up for the deficiency we face because of poor nutrient density in our foods and an imperfect diet.

Learn More…

• How to start eating more fruits and vegetables

The winter months bring mood changes for some people. These people may seem sad because they have SAD, seasonal affective disorder. It is also referred to as seasonal depression which is often blamed on less exposure to sunlight during shorter colder days.

You may someone affected by SAD. The Psychiatric Association lists these symptoms:

• Excessive sleeping, overeating and weight gain during the fall/winter months
• Extreme fatigue or inability to keep up a normal schedule
• Feelings of sadness, loss of feelings, apathy and irritability.

The last item is especially interesting to medical professionals who pursue the connections between mood troubles and B vitamins. Many studies indicate that people with a B-12 deficiency can experience symptoms including mood swings, mental confusion, forgetfulness and even psychotic behavior, like seeing and/or hearing things.

For some time it was believed that it was primarily older adults who tended to have Vitamin B-12 deficiencies, but we now have more studies that show this is a larger problem for younger people than previously thought. One study showed that people as young as 26 may be just as lacking in B-12 as some people over 65! This study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, went on to say that regardless of age, those who didn’t supplement with Vitamin B-12 were twice as likely to be deficient as those who did.

At this time of year, I urge you to consider whether or not you’re getting enough Vitamin B-12. Since B-12 has such an impact on mental energy and mood, I often recommend B-12 supplementation with TriVita’s Sublingual Vitamin B-12.

TriVita has launched on their corporate web-site several new product offers and packaging. These new products can be reviewed and purchased at Trivita.com.

NutraFruits™
NutraFruits is the quick and easy way to help you get the right amount of fruits and vegetables each day.

• An ORAC value of 4,954 per serving — it’s like having 8 servings of fruits and vegetables in every scoop
• A low calorie powdered drink, containing the vital
  nutrients from over 30 of the healthiest fruits and vegetables on the planet
• Supercharged with the antioxidant power of some of nature’s most exotic fruits, including Mangosteen, Goji Berries and Acai Berries
• Probiotic blend to support the health of the gastrointestinal system and help boost the immune system

The recommendation of the health community is that we should get 8 or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day. This seems like an interesting alternative to eating a basket full of produce every day; think of all the time and work involved.

I’d rather mix a tall glass of NutraFruits in mere seconds. It costs a lot less, too!

Last year, consumers spent over $5.1 billion for just one popular acid indigestion medicine. This amount was for just this one medicine; it doesn’t even include all the dozens of other prescription and non-prescription medications on the market.

Sadly, many of those who took this medicine saw their symptoms get worse. Let’s look at some natural strategies for relieving the many digestive disorders we face today?

Resolving poor digestive health begins with reducing your response to stress. Deep breathing is an effective approach to stress management. Simply taking three deep breaths can break the cycle of chronic stress. Ten minutes of deep breathing is even better; this can often reduce your stress levels by 50 percent. After 20 minutes of deep breathing your brain begins releasing the hormones that repair your body – including your digestive tract. It’s best to practice deep breathing 10 minutes before each meal and 20 minutes at bedtime.

It’s important to select the right foods. High fiber and high water content fruits and vegetables are the foundation for good digestive health. Chew your foods completely. Don’t swallow until they are completely liquefied. Many nutritionists suggest eating starchy carbohydrates and proteins at different times. For example, steak and potatoes is a poor food combination for the same meal. Most adults cannot digest milk products. If you are unable to tolerate dairy products, avoid them. Also, gluten-containing grains (wheat, rye, oats, etc.) should be avoided if you have gluten sensitivity.

Supplements such as digestive enzymes can be a real “lifesaver.” Many people take as many as three tablets per meal for relief from poor digestion. But remember, you should always address the problem’s root cause. If it’s chronic stress, then stress reduction is the best strategy. You can bolster your defense against stress with Vitamin B-12 (necessary for digesting protein) and adaptogens.