Rapid Absorption into the Bloodstream

Ensure Your B12 Status Remains Optimal with Our Fast-Dissolving Sublingual (under the tongue) B12 Strips

Vitamin B12 is a vital nutrient required by the body to make red blood cells (preventing anemia), which enables optimal energy production every minute of our lives. B12 is also necessary for the synthesis of brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) required for normal cognition, focus, mood stabilization, prevention of depression and to prevent the build-up of heart disease promoting “homocysteine” in the bloodstream. Vitamin B12 is also a critical nutrient for normal nerve function, among other essential functions (1).

Why Is Sub-Optimal Vitamin B12 Status So Common?

Aging Process - in the aging process the stomach makes less acid (hydrochloric acid), which hinders the ability to release vitamin B12 from the food we eat. As such, we tend to absorb less vitamin B12 from food as we get older. This is known as age-related food-cobalamin malabsorption and is made worse by any damage or atrophy to stomach cells (including gastritis), which is also common in aging (1). In fact, gastric atrophy is seen in over 40% of patients older than 80 but begins several years prior to that (3).

Once released from food vitamin B12 must then be bound to intrinsic factor (a substance made by certain stomach cells), which then enables vitamin B12 to be absorbed from the intestinal tract into the bloodstream. With age-related atrophy of stomach cells, a decline in intrinsic factor production often results as well. This further reduces vitamin B12 absorption (bioavailability) as we age (1).

As such, many older persons absorb less vitamin B12 from the gut even if they take B12 supplements or consume B12-containing foods frequently. To complicate matters, virtually any stomach or small intestine health problem (atrophic gastritis, previous stomach or intestinal surgery, celiac disease, Crohn’s disease. H. pylori infection, etc.) further reduces vitamin B12 absorption from the gut into the bloodstream (1). Age-related food-cobalamin malabsorption (from decreases stomach acidity) alone accounted for 60-70% of vitamin B12 deficiency in a large study of older subjects (3).

This is why Bodhi Health’s Fast Dissolving Sublingual B12 Strips is so helpful for people over 45-50. The fast-dissolving strip allows vitamin B12 to get absorbed directly into the bloodstream once placed under the tongue, without the need for stomach acids or intrinsic factor. Our proprietary oral film strip allows for the fastest possible absorption of B12 (less than one minute in most cases) right into the bloodstream, helping to ensure optimal Vitamin B12 status in your body each day (4)

Antacid and Metformin Medications Also Increase the Risk of B12 Deficiency

Doctors often prescribe antacids, proton pump inhibitors and/or histamine blockers to help older subjects who have digestive problems or reflux stomach pain following meals. These drugs block the secretion or action of stomach acids, which in turn further reduces the ability of the stomach to release vitamin B12 from food (Food-cobalamin malabsorption). In addition, diabetic patients taking Metformin are also prone to vitamin B12 malabsorption. Thus, patients taking these drugs are known to be at risk for vitamin B12 deficiency or sub-optimal vitamin B12 status (3).

The daily use of Bodhi Health’s Sublingual B12 is the natural solution to prevent a decline in B12 status in these cases, as our Vitamin B12 strip is quickly absorbed (usually less than one minute) under the tongue directly into the bloodstream, bypassing the need for intrinsic factor.

Changes in Food Selection in Older Subjects and Shifts to More Plant-based Diets

It is well known that older subjects tend to eat fewer vitamin B12 containing foods (mostly meat-based foods) or smaller portions of these foods. This often leads to a significant decline in B12 status over time. As well, even though a more plant-based diet is desirable to help reduce risk of heart disease (cardiovascular disease) and certain cancers, there is no or very little vitamin B12 in most plant-derived foods. As such, many vegans and vegetarians put themselves at risk for B12 deficiency or suboptimal B12 nutritional status (5, 6). In these cases, dissolving one Bodhi Health Fast-Dissolving Vitamin B12 strip under your tongue each day can help ensure optimal B12 status over your lifetime.

Other Considerations

Chronic alcoholism, pancreatic conditions and an inherited condition known as Pernicious anemia (where the body does not make intrinsic factor required for vitamin B12 absorption) also lead to vitamin B12 deficiency (1,3).

Many studies show that suboptimal B12 status, which is common in aging, is strongly linked to an increased risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease (7,8,) and depression (9).

References:

• National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements – Vitamin B12 https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/
• Wong C.W. Vitamin B12 deficiency in the elderly: Is it worth screening? Hong Kong Medical Journal. 2015;21(2):155-164. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25756278/
• Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) deficiency in elderly patients. CMAJ. 2004;171(3):251-259. https://www.cmaj.ca/content/171/3/251
• Breakthrough Proprietary Oral Film Technology: (Frontiers of Pharmacology, 2019. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31551785/
• Niklewicz A et al. The importance of Vitamin B12 for individuals choosing plant-based diets. Eur J Nutr. 2022;62(3):1551-1559. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10030528/
• Drewnowski A and Shultz J.M. Impact of aging on eating behaviours, food choices, nutrition and health status. J Nutr Health Aging. 2001;5(1):75-79. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11426286/
• Morris M.C. et al. Thoughts on B-vitamins and dementia. J Alzheimers Dis. 2006;9(4):429-433. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3428233/
• Andy B. Lam, Kirsten Kervin, Jessica E. Tanis. Vitamin B12 impacts amyloid beta-induced proteotoxicity by regulating the methionine/S-adenosylmethionine cycle. Cell Reports, 2021: https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S22111247(21)012079?_returnURL
• Copper A et al. Treatment of depression: Time to consider folic acid and vitamin B12.Journal of Psychopharmacology. 2005;19(1) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0269881105048899