Not sure.. For the most part, B12 is hampered by fiber that is with the food, and the volume of liquid that comes with eating.
The studies on drugs that are given in microgram doses show food keeps the drug like a sponge away from the lining of the intestine. But probiotics, are alive, and one would wonder if they would consume some of the B12. B12 is excreted, you know in the bile, and may then provide itself to organisms living there. I do know for a fact that parasites (tape worms in particular will cause low B12 in humans, as they soak up the small amounts we eat from animal food sources.) and that is not a pretty picture to imagine! Other organisms may also like to have it I'd assume. The cycle of life is quite complex.

As far as probiotics go, you might investigate Kefir. US Kefir has 12 different strains in it, and is far more helpful than yogurt in fact as a natural food source.

Just wondering if coffee, juice and water interfere with B12 absorption.

I don't think so unless huge amounts are taken with it.

I took my B12 with my thyroid first thing in the morning and had a cup of tea with it. I got a test reading of 1999 after about 3 months on 5mg a day, that way. It is fiber...food...that seems to affect it. Think of a big full stomach... how are micrograms going to be dispersed in all that?

As it is, most supplement makers and doctors haven't made this connection at all. The study on this thread however does state the absorption of B12 orally during empty stomach situations.
No one is calling that from the rooftops or commonly on the net!
It is only because of my training and experience that I know about it.

B12 and folic absorption
 

My serum levels af B12 and Folic are always very high....VERY high. 10X the upper limit.

I do take a multi-vitamin. Could it be that I am not absorbing it?

I don't understand your question, I'm sorry.

If you don't absorb your vitamins how can you be high?

The actual upper limit of the old outdated B12 levels is 850- to 900 pg/ml (US units).

If you are 10 times that you would be at 9000? The machines used in US only are calibrated to 2000 maximum. We've had posters here in the past who work in the labs explain that.

People CAN have elevated B12, with no exposure to any vitamin. That usually reflects some serious medical issue:
kidney malfunctions, liver disease, and various blood disorders and cancers.

Folate tests can be high because foods in US are fortified with it. But not 10x normal, from food alone.

Can you post your lab results here? You can get them from your doctor?

I just posted in the other thread about glutathione, but said i was using this new liposomal B12 from MaxHealth Labs... 5000mcg and it is'nt destroyed in the digestive system. its liposomal encapsulated. it works so well i couldnt even believe it. i order new supplies way before im done because i dont want to miss a day. it is that good. try it... you really wont believe it.

B12 is not destroyed in the gastrointestinal system.

If you are happy with the product which BTW costs $40 for 30 days supply, then that is great.

If this system is for real, there has NEVER been an ultra highly absorbable B12 orally before on the market. Therefore I don't see why such a high dose is in this product. Even a 1000mcg size is huge. Why would we need 5000mcg when RDA is 2-4mcg a day on a regular basis?

I'd also like to see blood levels published for this product.

going to revisit my neuro ... thinking of asking about B12
 

Hi MrsD and all others who read the vitamin B12 thread! :)

I have been having some strange, very painful burning sensations on the tops of my lower legs, where they connect to the feet. I've also been having other strange, hard-to-explain sensations there, too. I've lost a lot of padding on the top of my feet, so the bones and veins stick out. I have not lost weight, either! Sometimes there are very vague, achy pains in the feet, muscle, and bone, too. Kind of like a malaise... almost like a belly ache sensation in my lower legs and feet. There is also a lot of joint cracking in the joints of the feet. So, off to the neuro again I go! See what he says or suggests. I get concerned because sometimes it feels like my feet and legs are heavy and the muscles don't obey... like they don't want to work. I haven't had foot drop (I know what this feels like as I had this when I was first diagnosed with B12 deficiency last year). It's just... like a neurochemical misfiring or something. But I can't help but think this is somehow related to this vitamin.

I am thinking of having the neuro pull my serum B12 level. I still supplement daily with sublinguals, @ 5,000 mcg daily (I use different brands: Puritan's Pride sometimes - a bottle is there for me at work if I forget to take some at home; Natural Factors - this I use at home when I remember before going to work!; and sometimes Jarrow's, but Jarrow's really irritates my tongue and teeth so bad that I can't use it often, if at all).

I was wondering if I should get shots each month? I don't do this currently but, maybe I need them? And I was thinking about hydroxocobalamin. Does anyone know much about this form? Does it have to be converted in the body, or is it similar to methylcobalamin and is ready to be used by the body?

Thanks all! I will let you know what I find out. I am hoping this is nothing serious and, actually... I am thinking this is related to the adverse reaction I had to Prozac over a year ago, and all this SSRI withdrawal nonsense, that, after one year, I am still going through believe it or not.

Jason :)

You can get injections of methylcobalamin--they have to be
compounded from a special compounding pharmacy.

You don't have to dissolve the Jarrows in the mouth. You can
swallow it with some water on an empty stomach.

There is no advantage to injections. They are typically cyano form, but doctors can special order hydroxcobalamin and it
is a bit easier to convert, and will cost more.

You might have CMT (Charcot Marie Tooth-hereditary) which causes wasting of muscles in the feet (and eventually hands, etc).
Genetic testing is from Athena labs, and quite expensive.

I had weekly injections for over a year. These were hydroxocobalamin 1000mcg injections. They did what they had to do, in that they kept the serum level > 1000.

I then stopped them to get a complete baseline reading, and it had dropped to 375 ng/L. Given the hassle of the injections, I now switched to the methyl 5000mcg B12/empty stomach routine. I will get a reading in a couple of weeks, but I have a hunch it works as well as - if not better than - the injections.

Best way to know for you personally is to have the B12 serum levels checked (and get a copy of the results). If the result is > 1000 after a longer period of taking the oral version, I see no benefit to switching to the injections. (especially not the cyano ones)