I'm sure you are sick of this question. I want some more ampoules and I have seen Havert on versandapo but I wondered if there was more elsewhere?
I bought cyanocobalamin by mistake and I'm paranoid they are not working as well and I don't quite like the fact they are synthetic. They have a use by date 2026 so always good for a back up I guess.
Am I correct in saying Pascoe is also cyanocobalamin? I looked a their details and it did say cyanocobalamin but I thought they where the other kind.
Thanks in advance
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Sunshine1932
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Hydroxocobalamin is just as 'synthetic' as cyanocobalamin. All injectable B12 comes from a process that grows micro-organisms that produce the B12 in VATs then extracted from there. Hydroxocobalamin is more expensive which may be because it is less stable but may also reflect that the process to produce it may involve slightly more refinement. Methyl is produced the same way but is an analogue (match) for one of the two forms (methyl and adenosyl) that are used in processes that go on in your cells. The process that gets them into your cells however, involves removing the cyano, hydroxo, methyl or adenosyl portion and combining with another protein that allows it to cross the cell wall. Once in the cell the protein is removed and replaced with an adeno or methyl portion depending on what the B12 is needed for.
It suggests in theory that all forms should be equal but people do find they respond differently and there is a rare genetic variant that makes it difficult for a very very small number of people (something like 2 reported cases) to convert methyl into adenosyl.
I guess I got a bit paranoid that I wasn't taking the right form.
I liked that hydro was made from a fungus and then processed but cyanocobalamin was made strictly froma synthetic and then processed more. I think because cyanocobalamin also has cyanide in it I was left bereft thinking it was slowly killing me 😂😂
Out of curiosity did b12 originally come from a bacteria in the soil and we ate the vegetables which in turn gave us b12. However today the soils are depleted of such goodness.
I ask as I don't understand why an animal would have b12 unless they are grain fed which is the synthetic kind.
Many animals have bacteria in their guts which enable them to create the B12 they need ... and then humans got the B12 they needed by eating products from those animals, ie meat/dairy/eggs/fish.
There are trace amounts in soil so you will find recommendations to not wash veg in some vegan diets. Wouldn't recommend that route - not that this forum is about dietary deficiency - as not clear that it would always result in enough B12.
One thing to be aware of is that there are other forms of B12 that aren't bio-accessible to humans - one is found in sea weed, but human's can't convert it to transcobolamin to enable it to get into cells so it isn't useful for humans.
The cyanide in cyanocobolamin isn't generally an issue for human's - hydroxocobolamin is used as a treatment for cyanide poisoning because it converts the cyanide to cyanocobolamin which is basically inert so the fatal reactions that cyanide causes won't take place. There are trace amounts of cyanide in a number of foods (and in cigarettes) at levels that aren't harmful and don't build up. There was a case - probably about 10 years ago - of someone that gave themselves cyanide poisoning from cherry pips - because they cracked them open and tasted them, liked the taste (almondy?) and ate a significant number. The exception to using cyanocobalamin is a very rare genetic condition called Leber's which means a particular sensitivity to cyanide and use can lead to blindness.
So informative. Thank you very much. I think I destroyed my stomach lining due to too much alcohol, smoking, bulimia and drugs. Never tested positive for PA but I was told to treat it as if I did have PA.
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