Vegan Alert-B-12 deficiency 

Health Flex News!) According to the figures, some 20 million Americans either suffer themselves from Alzheimer's disease or some other form of dementia, or have a family member who does. And as the current generation of "baby boomers" ages into its senior years, this figure is only expected to increase dramatically. But there are a number of dietary interventions you can begin taking right now to help minimize your risk of developing this horrid condition. Here are five powerful foods to help optimize your brain health and stave off dementia:Why are vegans especially vulnerable?Most bioavailable forms B-12 come from red meat, eggs and dairy.

Recognizing a B12 deficiency


  • difficulty walking (staggering, balance problems)
  • anemia
  • a swollen, inflamed tongue
  • yellowed skin (jaundice)
  • paranoia or hallucinations
  • weakness
  • fatigue

While an experienced physician may be able to detect a vitamin B12 deficiency with a good interview and physical exam,a MMA urine test is needed to confirm the condition. Most physicians do not understand the causes and correct treatments, So much so that the CDC has an online course for physicians to take. ACTION ALERT(- out of 10 Vegan sites this author has visited, they encourage fortified foods. Beware that most commercial supplements and fortifications use cyanocobalamin Read this vital report by clicking the previous link ( if you are Vegan and taking algae you will not test accurately with a blood test)Vitamin B12 deficiency is so easily overlooked that the Centers for Disease Control has a course for physicians called “Why Vitamin B12 Deficiency Should Be on Your Radar Screen.”)


Recognizing a B12 deficiency


  • difficulty walking (staggering, balance problems)
  • anemia
  • a swollen, inflamed tongue
  • yellowed skin (jaundice)
  • paranoia or hallucinations
  • weakness
  • fatigue



You can read more about Dr. Newport's amazing story here:



3) Pastured eggs and raw butter. Rich in natural vitamin B12, pastured eggs -- that is, eggs that come from chickens who roam pasture and feed on worms and other bugs -- are a powerful health-promoting food that play a major role in Alzheimer's prevention. Vitamin B12, which is only found naturally in animal-based foods, has been shown in scientific studies to be vitally necessary for preserving brain health. Omega-3 fatty acids, which are also found in high amounts in pastured eggs, are also an important brain food ( and vegetarians need to be mindful of B-12 deficiency and the best way to supplement and guard against deficiency   is methylcobalamin transdermal patches.
Once someone has overcome all of the hurdles to get appropriate testing and is told that they have vitamin B12 deficiency, there is still a problem to overcome- getting the right KIND of vitamin B12. There are several kinds of vitamin B12 that are all CALLED vitamin B12, but only ONEmethylcobalamin, is the form that should be used in the vast majority of cases. Finally more doctors use methylcobalamin, favoring this over using their prescription pads while practicing good science in their decision to supplement this vital vitamin.

When talking about vitamin B12, this is actually a generic term for a class of compounds called the Cobalamins, and indeed when one has vitamin B12 deficiency, it is more scientifically called Cobalamin Deficiency. This makes perfect sense when you understand that the various formulations of Vitamin B12 all end with the suffix Cobalamin. While there are MANY `Cobalamins`, only three are generally used as dietary supplements, namely:


All three types are considered `Vitamin B12`, they are NOT all the same and using the right one can be a critical decision. Cyanocobalamin is probably the most commonly used in the medical world and is often given as `B12 Shots` in a doctor's office for those with certain medical conditions. But cyanocobalamin is actually the WORST choice, despite the fact that doctors in the US are more likely to prescribe it over any other form. Not only does cyanocobalamin require a higher dosage for the same effectiveness of hydroxycobalamin, but it is Entirely Ineffective for several different conditions related to vitamin B12 deficiency. As such, it has been suggested repeatedly by several researchers, starting with Dr. AG Freeman in 1970, that cyanocobalamin should be removed from the market. While Great Britain followed through with researcher recommendations and removed the inferior product, doctors in the the United States have no such restrictions and still use cyanocobalamin  routinely.

"...there [is] no condition in which it has been
claimed that cyanocobalamin was
preferable to 
`Cyanocobalamin- a case for withdrawal: discussion paper`

While hydroxocobalamin is preferred over cyanocobalamin, another formulation called Methylcobalamin
  is actually the BEST choice. Technically a `coenzyme` of vitamin B12, it is almost never used despite being effective, readily available, inexpensive and available in both sublingual preparations and injectable form. This is too bad because there are many people that could very well benefit from the methylcobalamin form of vitamin B12 that would NOT benefit from the other forms. Degenerative neurologic problems are where methylcobalamin shows its greatest benefits over other cobalamin preparations, and it is often one of the ONLY promising treatments for these tragic diseases. While Japan uses methylcobalamin nearly exclusively and it is the form present in prescription vitamin B12 there, the United States has virtually ignored the hundreds of studies that show the benefits this simple vitamin can bring.

"Methylcobalamin is the form found in food and
has much higher bioavailability than the form most
widely available in supplements, cyanocobalamin."

`B12 (Cobalamin)`
As Wikipedia explains: "A common synthetic form of the vitamin, cyanocobalamin, does not occur in nature, but is used in many pharmaceuticals and supplements, and as a food additive, because of its lower cost. In the body it is converted to the physiological forms, methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin, leaving behind the cyanide...
Not only has methylcobalamin been shown to work in neurologic diseases,(diabetic neuropathy) it also helps with the elimination of toxic substances in the body. One of the ways that humans detoxify is through a process called 'Methylation'. Methylation is a CRITICAL function of a healthy body, but all too often we 'use up' the necessary raw materials because of our nearly constant exposure to environmental pollutants. Methylcobalamin is actually able to replenish the 'methyl' portion that is missing in methylation, while the other forms of vitamin B12 REQUIRE a methyl donor in order to be converted into a biologically active form in the blood. Therefore, people who already HAVE methylation detoxification problems, such as children with autism, and Asperger's  can actually be made WORSE if other forms of vitamin B12 are administered!

While getting ENOUGH vitamin B12 is an important factor for maintaining general well being, getting the right KIND, in the form of methylcobalamin is equally important. In fact, choosing correctly could very well mean the difference between good health and disease.

**Removing the cyanide molecule from the vitamin and then flushing it out of your body requires using up so-called "methyl groups" of molecules in your body that are needed to fight things like homocysteine (high levels cause heart disease). By taking low-quality cyanobalamin, you're actually stealing methyl groups from your body and making it do more work at the biochemical level. This uses up substances such as glutathione that are often in short supply anyway, potentially worsening your overall health situation rather than helping it.
“Ultra-high dose methylcobalamine promotes nerve regeneration.” Scientist T Watanabe – 1994
“The active group showed statistical improvement… and no side effects were encountered.” Researchers from King Khalid University





















Dr. Thomas Hiatt,