B-12/B-complex
 

Hi Everyone, does anybody know if it is o.k to take B-12 and B complex together long term? I was just wondering if they work better together. Thanks, Dex.

The information here may help you to make an informed choice about this.

B-Complex Vitamins: Benefits, Side Effects and Dosage

Sorry; duplicate post deleted.

Thank you I will check this out.

It should not be a problem taking both especially if you are trying to correct a low B12 level. At some point, you may only need the complex but it really depends on your individual situation.

Hi. Can some one please help me with B12. I just had a blood test come back with a result of 282 (with 170-600) being normal. Should I try and raise this. If so how?

Thank you for the info. My last number war 1712 but I was taking supplements all the way up till the test so I am not sure if the test numbers are correct. I just want to keep my numbers up and stay there.

Hi Anthony, I think your numbers seem low but I am not a pro on this stuff so I will let someone else reply that has more knowledge than I on this as I am just starting out on supplements. Dex.

A number like 282 is too low.
 

We're one of the few nation left that actually uses ranges that allow for normal to be that low; Europe and Japan generally set the low end of the normal range in the 400s or even 500s, and there have certainly been people who have experienced deficiency related symptoms even at those levels.

It would seem some supplementation is in order, along with investigation into why the levels are there. Reduced B12 absorption from food is common with increasing age, most often due to reduced ability to produce stomach acid and/or intrinsic factor, but there can be many reasons for low B12 levels.

Fortunately, it's usually not hard to raise them with an inexpensive regimen of supplementation. We usually recommend anywhere from 1000mcg to 5000mcg daily, which can be taken in sublingual lozenges or tablets, though we also usually recommend the already methylated methylcobalamin form (as opposed to the cyanocobalamin form), just in case part of the problem is reduced ability to methylate the cobalamin molecule. (You can read all about this in the B12 thread among the Useful Websites section here.)

I also personally tell people to make sure that whatever they take they take alone, at least one hour before or two hours after eating, as it's very easy to interfere with cobalamin absorption (it's the largest nutritive molecule our bodies regularly utilize and it can be complexed very easily if you take it with food or drugs).

Thanks glenntaj. I appreciate it. Do you take the B12 by itself or do you have to take other B vitamins with it. On the B12 I was going to buy it has this message. "When taking a single B vitamin it is recommended to supplement with a B complex to ensure a balanced intake".