B12

Earlier this week, I caught the first 20 minutes of Dr. Oz. (Some of you may be wondering why I am watching TV when I claim to not have enough to live a healthy lifestyle... but it is my stress release... sadly.)

The episode I caught had information about B12 deficiency. Towards the end of last year when I was shopping the book, "Could It Be B12?: An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses" caught my eye. I read the back of the book, but did not buy it.

Both, what I heard and what I read, state that if you have low amounts of b12 in your body, you could experience many symptoms like fatigue, exhaustion, or forgetfulness. These symptoms could possibly be misdiagnosed. Dr. Oz said that nearly 40% of the population (US, world?) may have a b12 deficiency. If it goes untreated can cause serious nerve damage. There was also a demonstration about gastric acid and b12. A lot of how we get our b12 is from protein sources. When we eat protein, the acid separates the b12 from the protein and then allows our body to absorb it. As we get older, the acidity in our stomachs are not as powerful and in turn causes b12 to continue to stick to the protein. This causes our body not to absorb it. The other concern that Dr. Oz had is that proteins are different today than they were 20 or 30 years ago. We should not assume all protein has a good source of b12.

I want to get myself tested because things do not normally catch my eye like that. I do not take vitamins and I do not eat a lot of protein. I have some of the symptoms so it may be a good idea. When (and if... I am too much like my dad) I get tested, I will let you all know what is going on.

You can watch Dr. Oz's video here for more information.