Active B12 in liquid form

[Giftbagz]

I have just been advised by a dietician friend that Biocare have developed an active B12 in liquid form which means that you would not need an intrinsic factor to absorb. I telephoned Biocare on 0121 433 3727 and had a great chat with a product advisor who agreed it is beneficial for Pernicious Anaemia sufferers and is obviously safer than an injection. She could not say why a GP doesn't know about this and I am now quite sceptical about it but thought I would order anyway. Cost me £24.95 with postage so it might be a miracle cure? When I get to the last 6 weeks before my last injection, I feel myself "losing it" and I wonder if this would help.

I have tried to B12 spray which was of course ineffective however could this be the answer instead of self injecting? I would be very interested in your opinions or did I just waste my money?

[Lisahelen]

Do keep posting with regard to how you get on with this product. There are so many varients for treating b12d, what seems to work for one doesnt for someone else. The patches help enorously for me at the moment but others say they dont do a thing, so the more options we have to treat ourselves the better as far as im concerned.

[Galixie]

I'm a little skeptical about how the liquid version would be absorbed without the need for intrinsic factor as, by my understanding, any active B12 swallowed would still need to be bound to intrinsic factor in order to get absorbed. I came across this description of how B12 is absorbed yesterday that might be helpful. You may need to compare what the sales rep said to you in relation to this:

"Absorption

The absorption of vitamin B12 in humans is complex (1, 2). Vitamin B12 in food is bound to proteins and is released from the proteins by the action of a high concentration of hydrochloric acid present in the stomach. This process results in the free form of the vitamin, which is immediately bound to a mixture of glycoproteins secreted by the stomach and salivary glands. These glycoproteins, called R-binders (or haptocorrins), protect vitamin B12 from chemical denaturation in the stomach. The stomach’s parietal cells, which secrete hydrochloric acid, also secrete a glycoprotein called intrinsic factor. Intrinsic factor binds vitamin B12 and ultimately enables its active absorption. Although the formation of the vitamin B12 - intrinsic factor complex was initially thought to happen in the stomach, it is now clear that this is not the case. At an acidic pH the affinity of the intrinsic factor for vitamin B12 is low whereas its affinity for the R-binders is high. When the contents of the stomach enter the duodenum, the R-binders become partly digested by the pancreatic proteases, which causes them to release their vitamin B12. Because the pH in the duodenum is more neutral than that in the stomach, the intrinsic factor has a high binding affinity to vitamin B12, and it quickly binds the vitamin as it is released from the R-binders. The vitamin B12-intrinsic factor complex then proceeds to the lower end of the small intestine, where it is absorbed by phagocytosis by specific ileal receptors (1, 2)."

The website I found that description is: fao.org/docrep/004/y2809e/y...

It's unfortunate that the nasal spray didn't help you, but I would think you had a better chance of that helping than of drinking B12 helping if you don't have intrinsic factor to bind to it.

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to Galixie]

Think I've seen something similar before and actually it's about flooding the gut with B12 so you get enough being absorbed outside the ileum.

Like you I'd be very sceptical of this product.

[Hidden]

Hope it works for you and please post again and let us all know how you've got on. Hope it does as it gives us all more options! X

[Frodo]

Is the liquid something you swallow like a drink or medicine, or something you take sublingually? There's already a B12 supplement available in liquid form which you take sublingually, which you can buy at the health food shop.