Do you ever suffer from low energy, brain fog, or moodiness, have trouble sleeping or just feel “yucky”, there’s a good chance you have a vitamin B12 deficiency.
A Tufts university study found that B12 deficiency occurred in nearly 25% of people over 26 and about 50% of people over age 50. Symptoms of B12 deficiency include:
• low energy and weakness
• confusion or “brain fog”
• cognitive decline & memory loss
• sleep problems
• hearing and vision loss
• tingling in the fingers and toes
• dizziness
• irritability or depression
• weak immune system
• severe deficiency can lead to dementia.
An important role that B12 plays is to reduce levels of homocysteine which:
• damages arteries increasing risk of heart disease
• weakens bones
• can cause vision and hearing loss.
Factors contributing to B12 deficiency include:
• Over age 45
• Low stomach acid or use of antacids
• Vegetarianism (best food source of B12 is red meat)
• Consumption of alcohol.
The best form of B12 to take is sublingual (dissolves under the tongue) methylcobalamin. Many experts recommend 1,000 mcg daily for maintenance and up to 15,000 to restore optimum levels. B12 is very safe with no drug interactions or adverse effects, even at very high doses. If you want to think more clearly enjoy more energy, and just plain feel better, try supplementing with methylcobalamin.
For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner. See this article on my website for links to sources and further reading.
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
March 3, 2014
March 12, 2011
097 Vegan Diet – Not for Everyone [17 January 2011]
Vegetarianism was and still is being touted as a healthy lifestyle. Are the reported benefits supported by scientific studies? And is vegetarianism good for everyone? The strongest supporter of a diet devoid of animal protein is T. Colin Campbell whose 2006 book “The China Study” is based on a very large epidemiologic study of diet and health in China. Campbell concluded that dietary animal protein is responsible for many health problems including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and particularly cancer.
Other scientists and physicians are not convinced. Reviews by Anthony Colpo, Chris Masterjohn, Michael Eades, and Denise Minger take a critical look at “The China Study”. First, it’s not really a study; it’s a discussion of observations and statistical analyses of correlations between diet and health, not a controlled study testing them. A closer look at the data in the book reveals, for example, that plant protein is more strongly correlated to cancer than is animal protein, and that animal fat is actually linked to reduced cancer mortality. Campbell failed to report that in his rat studies in India, the low protein animals died much earlier (of other causes), while the high protein animals lived longer, eventually developing cancer. These reviews point out many other flaws in the book’s conclusions.
Two nutritional physicians, Dr. Joseph Mercola and Dr. Michael Eades, found that many of their patients’ health suffered, rather than improved, on a vegetarian diet. Dr. Mercola developed a Nutritional Typing system which divides people into three groups according to their need for protein vs. vegetables. He argues that about one third of the population will do well on a vegetarian diet while another third will do poorly. So, if you belong to the “vegetable” group you may thrive on a vegan diet, but don’t impose your diet on others who may belong to the “meat” group!
This article is intended for educational purposes only; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.
Other scientists and physicians are not convinced. Reviews by Anthony Colpo, Chris Masterjohn, Michael Eades, and Denise Minger take a critical look at “The China Study”. First, it’s not really a study; it’s a discussion of observations and statistical analyses of correlations between diet and health, not a controlled study testing them. A closer look at the data in the book reveals, for example, that plant protein is more strongly correlated to cancer than is animal protein, and that animal fat is actually linked to reduced cancer mortality. Campbell failed to report that in his rat studies in India, the low protein animals died much earlier (of other causes), while the high protein animals lived longer, eventually developing cancer. These reviews point out many other flaws in the book’s conclusions.
Two nutritional physicians, Dr. Joseph Mercola and Dr. Michael Eades, found that many of their patients’ health suffered, rather than improved, on a vegetarian diet. Dr. Mercola developed a Nutritional Typing system which divides people into three groups according to their need for protein vs. vegetables. He argues that about one third of the population will do well on a vegetarian diet while another third will do poorly. So, if you belong to the “vegetable” group you may thrive on a vegan diet, but don’t impose your diet on others who may belong to the “meat” group!
This article is intended for educational purposes only; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.
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