The Magic Potion B12

 By the Taipei News Group, Formosa

 What is Vitamin B12?

 What is Vitamin B12 and how vital is it to human health? Vitamin B12 bears the important task of blood formation. It can be absorbed for normal functioning only in the presence of the intrinsic factor, a mucoprotein found in the stomach and intestines. Vitamin B12 was originally isolated from animal liver early in 1947, and was used to treat pernicious anemia. Later, researchers used fermentation to isolate large quantities of Vitamin B12 in solution with bacteria (streptomyces griseus), which technique is still widely used in the pharmaceutical field. The full chemical name of Vitamin B12 is Cyanocobalamin. Vitamin B12, also known as Cobalamin, can be used to cure pernicious anemia and is often called the "anti-pernicious anemia factor." The structural presence of phosphorous and cobalt in its molecules gives it a reddish hue, making it the only crystalline red vitamin and earning it the nickname, "the Red Vitamin." The only vitamin to contain all the common minerals, Vitamin B12 comes in many forms, such as B12a, B12b, and B12c. It usually consists of a cobalt molecule bound to a CN group and an OH or NO2 group.

 Vitamin B12 and Bodily Health

 Vitamin B12 is one of the most indispensable nutritional factors in the human body. For example, it plays an important role in the differentiation and growth of various cells, including red blood cells. Also, it is necessary for the renewal of epithelial cells and for the maintenance of myelin, the protective coating around the nerves. With respect to bodily function, Vitamin B12 plays seven major roles in the human body, as follows:
* It helps in the metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. This means that the more of these foods you consume, the more Vitamin B12 your body will need to metabolize them. Among these nutrients, proteins consume the most Vitamin B12.

• It provides a substance required by the hemochrome in hemoglobin (through interaction with folic acid), thereby preventing anemia.
• It ensures the normal functioning of the central nervous system.
• It helps children to grow, and increases the appetite.
• It increases physical strength.
• It helps prevent anxiety and restlessness.
• It improves attention, memory, and sense of balance.

 Absorption and Storage of Vitamin B12
 in the Human Body

 According to medical research, when Vitamin B12 enters the body, it forms a compound with an intrinsic factor secreted by the parietal cells (large cells of the peptic glands) on the gastric mucosa (mucous membrane) of the stomach, before being absorbed by receptors in the ileum (lower part) of the small intestine in the presence of calcium ions. Theoretically, if our stomach is functioning normally and we have taken a small quantity of calcium ions, then our bodies will absorb all the Vitamin B12 contained in any food, thus ensuring that a B12 deficiency will not occur. Therefore, it might be incorrect to say that the rich content of Vitamin B12 in seaweed and several kinds of nuts cannot be absorbed directly by the body.

 One encouraging finding that has been reported is that pregnancy leads to an incredible, spontaneous increase in the density of receptors in the ileum, thus ensuring better absorption of Vitamin B12. On the other hand, an absence of the intrinsic factor can lead to a deficiency of Vitamin B12. Gastrectomy (surgical removal of all or part of the stomach) as well as stomach malfunctioning due to low secretion of the intrinsic factor may also hamper the absorption of Vitamin B12 by the body, thus resulting in pernicious anemia (chronic reduction of red blood cells or hemoglobin in the blood). Such cases are mostly due to the failure of the stomach to produce the intrinsic factor required for B12 absorption.

 Once Vitamin B12 is absorbed, it is stored in the liver, and is transported by intrinsic factors like transcobalamin I and II through the blood stream when the body needs it. In addition to blood formation, Vitamin B12 is also involved in the biosynthesis of methyl groups, and thus, has an indirect but strong impact on the synthesis of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides, which are parts of nucleic acids, the building blocks of DNA. Vitamin B12 functions best when absorbed together with folic acid, and can revitalize the body within a very short time. It supplements other members of the Vitamin B group, as well as Vitamins A, C, and E. Vitamin B12 is readily absorbed when the thyroid gland is functioning normally. Symptoms of its deficiency appear only about five years after the body is depleted of Vitamin B12.

 Vitamin B12 can withstand high temperatures and heat, but is vulnerable to acids, alkalis, humidity, coffee, tobacco, alcohol, estrogen, and sleeping pills. If taken together with Vitamin B12, these substances can neutralize its effects or hamper its absorption by the body. Alcohol consumption also prevents the absorption of Vitamins B1, B2, B6, and B12, folic acid, Vitamins C and K, zinc, magnesium, and calcium. Since this inhibition is detrimental to health, it is advisable to quit alcohol.

 Vegetarian Food Contains Vitamin B12

 Western medical researchers and nutritionists have long believed that Vitamin B12 can be found only in meats, such as beef, pork, chicken, and liver, as well as in eggs, and rarely in plant-based foods. Research findings have led them to the conclusion that Vitamin B12 deficiency is the usual cause of anemia among vegetarians. This misconception might be due to inadequate research or an oversight regarding such vegetable-based foods as Chlorella and Sprirulina, which are far richer in vitamin B12, protein, and other nutrients than are beef and liver. Eastern medical communities have also found that many Chinese herbs, such as Chinese Angelica, Angelica keiskei, and comfrey (Symphytum officinale) contain Vitamin B12. Cheese (especial the fermented type), milk and its by products (for example: yogurt), whole wheat, brown rice, seaweed, wheat grass, rice bran, chrysanthemums, mushrooms, beans, pickled vegetables, fermented bean by-products (for example: miso; pickled bean curd and fermented black beans) and yeast (for example: non-alcoholic beer) all contain this vitamin as well. Therefore, there is no need for vegetarians to worry about Vitamin B12 deficiency. God has given us a sufficient supply. We only need to be wise enough to open this inexhaustible treasure.

 Adults, whether vegetarian or non-vegetarian, need only a very small quantity of Vitamin B12 to remain healthy. However, there are people in certain parts of the world who can produce Vitamin B12 within their bodies. Laboratory tests of bacteria taken from the intestines of some vegetarians in India, for example, have found microorganisms that have this ability. Vitamin B12 deficiency can be determined through a blood test. If the vitamin is found to be near or below normal levels, then supplements are necessary.

 The New Function of Vitamin B12
 - Cancer Detection

 It is a medical fact that all living beings need Vitamin B12 as a coenzyme in the normal metabolism and reproduction process (DNA and RNA formation) of their body cells. A prolonged deficiency of this vitamin can cause a number of illnesses. The red blood cells of a normal person, for instance, age and die in 120 days. New blood cells are formed in bone marrow cells to ensure normal functioning of the human body. However, a Vitamin B12 deficiency can make the red blood cells dysfunctional or prevent their successful formation, which in turn causes megaloblastic anemia (anemia in which abnormally sized red blood cells are found in the blood). In some cases, prolonged Vitamin B12 deficiency can deter the formation and functioning of myelin, subsequently leading to neuritis (inflammation of the nerves) or incomplete brain development. In other words, a sufficient intake of Vitamin B12 is very important to human health. Based on the theory that all body cells, especially those that metabolize rapidly, need Vitamin B12, researchers at the Mayo Clinic in the United States have created a new role for the vitamin, that of detecting cancer cells. All cancer cells undergo rapid metabolism, which means that they need large quantities of Vitamin B12 to flourish. The Mayo Clinic researchers have found that if Vitamin B12 is combined with radioactive atoms and then injected into the body, a CAT scan reveals the different radioactive levels of the cells. This helps researchers track the precise location of cancer cells, which absorb and consume far more radioactive Vitamin B12 than do normal cells. Preliminary experiments at the Mayo Clinic have found that this "smart detection" technology successfully locates the position of cancerous growths in 90 percent of patients. It is especially helpful in diagnosing breast cancer, where traditional X-ray examinations are less reliable. A woman patient diagnosed with this new technology at the Mayo Clinic was required to undergo only a partial instead of a complete removal of her breast. Research findings have also shown that this new technique can be used to diagnose cancer of the lungs, thyroid, prostate gland, colon, brain, and bones. This discovery is a major breakthrough in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.