H. Pylori and
Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Medical scientists are still left baffled on the many quirks and norms of
diabetes. No one has been able to fully map just exactly what kind of effect
it has on person's body. Of course the basics are there, but because of the
different ways it creeps up on every individual who has it there are still a
lot of gray areas surrounding the current diabetes knowledge. H.
Pylori and Vitamin B12 Deficiency are just a few of the factors that affect
diabetes diagnoses and treatment, so let's take a closer look at them.
Researchers have discovered a connection between
anemia, B12 deficiency, and infection with H. Pylori,
the organism that causes stomach ulcers. The study
enrolled 138 people with B12 deficiency and anemia.
Fifty-six percent of them tested positive for H. Pylori.
Many had no symptoms; others had heartburn or other
stomach problems.
When the bacteria were eradicated with antibiotics,
vitamin B12 levels returned to normal without supplementation.
It took a month for this to occur, and three to six
months more for full improvement. In people where
the antibiotic treatment didn't work, anemia and B12
levels didn't improve. The difference in B12 levels
before and after treatment is striking: after treatment,
levels were approximately four times higher. H. Pylori
may partly explain mysterious studies showing that
elderly people are taking in enough B12, but turning
up deficient anyway. Older people are prone to atrophic
gastritis, a condition where there is not enough acid
and pepsin in the stomach to properly digest food.
This creates a friendly climate for unfriendly bacteria
such as H. Pylori. It also impairs the stomach's ability
to acquire vitamin B12 from food.
People with stomach pain or heartburn often take
antacids, including drugs such as Prolisec or Prevacid.
While these types of drugs temporarily ease the pain,
they further suppress acid necessary to maintain B12
levels and proper stomach bacteria. If the stomach
is infected with H. Pylori or other pathogenic bacteria
(overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine can
cause similar symptoms), the answer is to kill the
bug, allow the ulcers to heal, then augment (not suppress)
stomach acid with supplements designed to maintain
acidity and discourage bacterial growth.
Oral B12 works
Despite what it says on the package insert of injectable
B12, oral B12 works. For example, gastrointestinal
surgery usually causes B12 depletion and anemia. Japanese
researchers used 500-1500 mcg/day of oral B12 to treat
B12 deficiency after total gastrectomy. This amount
reversed the deficiency quickly and efficiently. B12
blood levels of patients receiving 750+mcg were comparable
to patients receiving 500 mcg by injection every two
months. Japan has long recognized the benefits of
using the methylated form of B12, methylcobalamin.
Despite strong evidence that oral B12 is effective,
physicians are slow to recommend this form to their
patients. A study published in 1998 reports that 71%
of the internists surveyed don't believe that oral
B12 works as well as injections.
Widespread deficiency
A new study from Tufts University reports that B12
supplements are the most important source of vitamin
B12 for Americans. Those taking supplements or eating
cereal supplemented with B12, are half as likely to
be B12 deficient than those who don't. Meat, the primary
source of B12 for Americans, is not as good a source.
This is probably due to problems in digestion and
prescription drugs that interfere with the absorption
of B12 when it's attached to proteins such as meat.
Cooking may also affect the vitamin B12 content of
meat.
B12 deficiency has gotten so bad in America that
the RDA has been increased from 2.0 micrograms a day
to 2.4. It's not only older people who are deficient
these days. The Tufts study looked at the children
of people who took part in the original Framingham
heart study. They were stunned to see that in one
generation, B12 deficiency in kids had caught up to
the generation before. Pizza, one of the foods evaluated,
is apparently not a good source of vitamin B12.
Vegetarians continue to be at risk. The only non-animal
sources of B12 presently known are some types of seaweed
and fermented foods such as tempeh. Forty percent
of participants in one study and almost 50% in another
(vegan) study were B12 (and iron) deficient. This
may have consequences for immunity. In a study from
Japan, B12 deficiency caused serious changes in immunity,
including lower natural killer cell activity and skewed
T-cell balance. Natural killer cells are important
for destroying viruses and cancer. Abnormal T-cell
balances show up in autoimmune diseases and HIV infection.
Symptoms of deficiency
Other than anemia, the symptoms of B12 deficiency
are rarely documented. Researchers involved in the
gastrectomy study above took the uncommon step of
doing an in-depth analysis of the symptoms of B12
deficiency. They found that lassitude (exhaustion),
fatigability (tiring easily), chills (cold hands and
feet), numbness in the extremeties (no feeling in
arm, leg, foot), dizziness, glossitis (painful tongue),
leukoplakia (white spots on the tongue) and erectile
dysfunction were symptoms of B12 deficiency.
Although the body needs minute amounts of vitamin
B12, Americans are not getting enough for general
health, let alone optimal DNA and heart protection.
H. Pylori infection, drugs, over-cooking meat, increased
demand and other factors may be robbing us of this
highly crucial vitamin. The mistaken belief that B12
has to be given by injection may be keeping people
from getting the extra B12 they need. High amounts
of the vitamin are not toxic; and may in fact be more
beneficial than we currently know. Evidence is stacking
up that amounts of vitamin B12 above and beyond the
current recommended daily allowance may help protect
nerves and protect us from cancer, infections and
a host of other adverse conditions.
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