Vitamin B12:
This is my favorite additions, on or off cycle, so I'll go into more detail here than the others. There are several methods of delivering B12 to the bloodstream. I'll list them in the order of effectiveness.
1. Intravenously.
2. Intramuscularly or subcutaneously.
3. Sublingual.
4. Oral.
I only recommend intravenous injection if you're an expert. Otherwise; for the average user I recommend either IM or SubQ injections. Sublingual can be effective in high doses and orals are simply weak.
Theres tons of argument about the effectiveness of oral B12 and there are tons of studies that prove this. However, there is not one single study (I've read most studies on PubMed) that would indicate optimum levels. Orals will work to bring a deficient patient into range. Remember the range for most diagnostics agencies is 200 to 1000. So it's easy to get from 180 (deficient) to 200+.
There are several types of B12 that you can use. I'll list them in the most effective order:
1. Methylcobalamin
2. Adenosylcobalamin
3. Hydroxocobalamin
4. Cyanocobalamin
Methylcobalamin is more bioactive than any other and obviously does not require conversion by the body to methyl; the form that's most beneficial to support red cells and your nervous system. This one is necessary to break down homocysteine (breakdown of non-protein amino acids).
Adenosylcobalamin, the second on the list is really just as effective as Methyl. This is because it's also a form that is useful, as other forms of B12 would have to convert to either Adenosyl or Methyl. This one is a key player in ********* pathways.
Hydroxocobalamin must be converted by your body into methyl in order to be functional as stated above. The conversion process is certainly better than Cyanocobalamin, which is why it's third on the list. Hydroxo typically comes with other B vitamins. Which is important because B6, for example is required for the betterment of B12.
Cyanocobalamin is the one you find in just about every supplement. One of the reasons for that is because it's cheap to produce; making supplements cost effective, but unfortunately, not result effective. It's named Cyano because it's attached to the cyanide molecule. After the conversion process, very little methyl results. Intramuscular is a MUST with Cyano. Orals are not worth it.
If using a sublingual form, you should use no other than Methylcobalamin. Methyl, regardless of the delivery method is superior and most natural to all types. Sublingual doses should be administered at 35 times the dose of an injectable. That was not a typographical error. 35 times the injectable dose, however, dosing frequency would vary. I'll explain in a minute so that I don't end up gallivanting.
Now that we understand the types of B12 and administration methods, let's move onto how B12 actually works and what it does to your body once you introduce it exogenously to your body:
I'll try my best to keep this short. B12 in any form is converted to methyl or adenosyl, where the benefit begins. After conversion they breakdown important amino acids. Once in intestinal absorptive cells, It attaches to specific receptors. This process (depending on administration method) takes about 3 hours. At that stage B12 is circulating in your system and actively binding plasma proteins.
Every member here has probably heard of bodybuilders using B12 as part of their cycle protocols. Even off cycle, it's still being used. Now, you've probably heard that 1000mcg of oral B12 does not equal 1000mcg injected. This is true. And as mentioned earlier in this article, a sublingual dose of Methyl B12 should be 35 times higher. For example, if you dose B12 Methyl with a 1000mcg injection weekly, you would need 35,000 mcg of a sublingual equivalent. But sublingual methods require daily administration. So you would take 5,000mcg daily. While the sublingual yields great results for me, it certainly did not reach satisfactory (to me) serum levels. But still FAR superior to any other sublingual and frankly, even injectable Cyanocobalamin.
Quest Diagnostics range is 200 - 1100 pg/mL. I like to see my levels over 3000 pg/mL.
Here are some more benefits of B12:
1. Increased Energy.
2. Regenerates Red Blood Cells.
3. Healthy Bone Marrow.
4. Healthy Nervous System.
5. Helps Prevent Anemia.
6. Proper cell function.
7. Necessary for macronutrient metabolism (carbs, fats, proteins).
8. Enhances alertness and memory.
