eugenez@azure.UUCP (Eugene Zinter) (02/22/84)
******************************** * * * Subject: B-12 Deficiency * * * ******************************** Just to save some people a few missing heartbeats due to the possibility of a B-12 Deficiency---it's not what it's made out to be. I suspect mostly to sell more B-12 supplements. Those experts who are worried because some people choose to eat a vegetarian diet don't seem to know (or choose to ignore) the full facts. "They" assume that one must obtain vitamin B-12 from food or drink. That is totally false because of one often overlooked fact: The bacteria that live within your digestive tract (intestine) produce vitamin B-12 that you use. The people who risk actually having a vitamin B-12 deficiency are, of course, those who use antibiotics regularly (those who get sick often). Because the symbiotic bacteria (the friendly ones) are killed also, you cut yourself off from the best source of B-12 of all---produced by bacteria within your own body. There may also be other ways of killing these bacteria. Garlic, for instance, is known to be powerful enough to kill bacteria---so those who are eating it regularly to fend off colds, may be harming themselves in other ways. Most likely, your total life style affects these bacteria, whether it be in a positive or negative fashion. Since the B-12 requirement is incredibly low (from 1 to a few micrograms per day), it is easily met by said bacteria. I will get back to this with more specific information in the near future. Along with some interesting health "bombshells". ECZ