Pernicious anemia is not the same as "B12 malabsorption illess." As I explained above, pernicious anemia is lack of intrinsic factor.

Many more people have intrinsic factor but have lost the ability to produce sufficient stomach acid----thus a condition some call B12 malabsorption illness.

Both people will not benefit from foods containing B12, unless they eat huge quantities of liver daily or food fortified with B12 supplement. The person who lacks intrinsic factor won't even get any B12 from the fortified food.

We need sufficient stomach acid to break the B12 out of the eggs. Then we need intrinsic factor to accompany the B12 from stomach to ileum. Neither of these people will get any B12 out of the eggs.

It was learned about 40 years ago that people who lack intrinsic factor can absorb enough B12 by default for treatment, if their oral doses are over 1000 mcg per day. This was swallowed B12. The dose is the important thing.

Of course anemia is a condition of the blood. It is important that more doctors become aware that many people being damaged by B12 deficiency will not show any sign of anemia.

Of course it is harmful to say that anemia must be present when a person is deficient in B12. That is why I have been pounding away at this myth for years. People need to know, because most of their doctors don't.

rose