Vitamin B-12 is vital for normal red blood cells, metabolizing food into energy and keeping your nerves working properly. It may also help prevent cardiovascular disease. In short, you need the right amount of vitamin B-12 to stay healthy. While it’s best to get it from the foods you eat, some people can't manage to fill their daily requirement that way. That’s when liquid vitamin B-12 offers a convenient, easy-to-swallow way to boost your intake. The most important benefit of taking any form of supplemental vitamin B-12 is to prevent a deficiency by filling in the gap if your diet doesn’t provide 2.4 micrograms daily. Because animal products are the primary sources of vitamin B-12, you’re at risk for a deficiency if you follow a vegan diet. To digest vitamin B-12, you need sufficient stomach acid and a protein produced in the body -- intrinsic factor -- which allows the vitamin to be absorbed in the small intestine. As people age, their levels of intrinsic factor normally go down.
As a result, adults over the age of 50 are advised to get most of their vitamin B-12 from supplements or fortified foods because supplemental B-12 doesn’t need intrinsic factor, reports the Linus Pauling Institute. It may sound like a simple benefit, but for people who struggle to swallow tablets or capsules, liquid vitamin B-12 has the significant advantage of being easy to ingest. Liquid supplements may have more nutrients per dose, notes the State University of New York at Buffalo. The liquid form also allows you to adjust the dose without having to take multiple or larger-sized tablets. Be sure to talk to your health care provider to see which dose of vitamin B-12 is best for your health needs. Getting the right dose, in the appropriate form, is vital if you’re deficient because lack of vitamin B-12 can lead to anemia and nerve damage. Depending on the severity of the deficiency, you may need injections or prescription supplements. Some brands of liquid vitamin B-12 come with instructions to hold the liquid under your tongue before swallowing, which allows the membranes there to absorb some of the vitamin.
This type of sublingual absorption sends the vitamin directly into the bloodstream rather than through the digestive tract, much like an injection of vitamin B-12. You can take any type of supplement -- tablets, capsules or liquid -- as long as you have intrinsic factor. When intrinsic factor is lacking, sublingual absorption is more beneficial since intrinsic factor is only needed in the intestine. However, supplements designed to be absorbed sublingually are usually tablets that are easy to hold under the tongue long enough to maximize absorption as they dissolve. In liquid form, some of the B-12 will drain into your throat before being absorbed under your tongue. Even if liquid vitamin B-12 is swallowed rather than absorbed in the mouth, liquids are generally absorbed more rapidly than tablets and capsules, especially if taken without food. On the other hand, rapid absorption may not improve total absorption or long-term effectiveness. In one study, people with low blood levels of vitamin B-12 were divided into two groups.
One group received sublingual microtablets, while the other group swallowed tablets. After four weeks, participants in both groups had an equal increase in levels of B-12, reported the British Pharmacological Society in December 2003. What Are the Symptoms of Too Much Vitamin D or C? How to Keep Pubic Area From Itching After Shaving B12 Shots Vs. B12 Liquid How to Stop the Itching After Shaving Are There Advantages of Sublingual Vitamin B12? Are There Weight-Loss Benefits of Vitamin B12? Vitamin B12 Drug Side Effects Does Sublingual B12 Really Work? How to Stop Hair From Itching When Growing How to Stop Ingrown Hairs in Pubic Area What Are the Causes of a Sensitive & Painful Scalp? Daily Dose: The Vitamins You Should or Shouldn't Be Taking Vitamin B Complex and Weight Gain How Fast Will B-12 Work? Are High Doses of Vitamin B6 Really Dangerous? A List of Vitamins & Their Uses Vitamin B5 & B6I often see a vitamin D supplement listed among the current supplements on my patient’s intake forms.
After reviewing their past labs and assessing their dose, I don’t often see an appreciable increase reflected on their labs over time. They may have been taking 2000IU of vitamin D3 daily for the past two years and yet their labs only show a shift from 22ng/ml to 25ng/ml. What I find is that they are usually taking a vitamin D3 supplement in a soft capsule form, often called a ‘gem,’ and they are taking it in the morning and not in the evening. Many of my patients are surprised to learn that even though vitamin D is called a vitamin, vitamin D is really a hormone and not actually a vitamin. In fact, it is a fat soluble hormone. For optimal absorption, the oral supplement “Vitamin” D3 is best taken as a liquid emulsion with dinner. A liquid emulsion is simply a vitamin D3 supplement suspended in a little fat. This is a fat soluble hormone, so taking this as a liquid emulsion improves the absorption and taking this with dinner, which often has the most fat of all the meals, improves the absorption as well.
You’ll only need a tiny drop or two of the liquid emulsion on your tongue, as this usually has 1500IU or 2000IU of vitamin D3 per drop (check the label). Since this is a hormone, it is best taken at night, because hormones are best absorbed at night. "Learn the right dose, timing and form of D3 to take to reach optimal level with Clean and Lean Revolution" WHAT IS THE OPTIMAL VITAMIN D (25 OH) RANGE? If you have had your vitamin D levels tests, your doctor most likely tested your 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D levels. On your lab this will be listed as “Vitamin D (25 OH)” or “25-Hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD),” or “25(OH)D,” but these are the same test. Even though the lab may report an adequate level of vitamin D as 25-30 ng/ml, the optimal vitamin D range is 45-65 ng/ml. WHAT DOSE SHOULD YOU TAKE? In addition to talking a vitamin D3 liquid emulsion at night, taking the right dose to raise your Vitamin D (25 OH) levels up to your goal is also important. A few small studies have shown that 2000IU vitamin D3 taken over three months, will raise Vitamin D (25 OH) levels by 20ng/ml.
This may be the reason that many doctors prescribe this dose. Clinically, this doesn’t play out. Some people will need a lot more vitamin D to raise their levels over time. If your Vitamin D (25 OH) is 25ng/ml and your goal is 45ng/ml, move to a liquid emulsion, taken with dinner and try a 2000-4000IU dose for six months and then retest. Assess how much your vitamin D level moved during that duration and then work with a licensed health care provider to reassess your dose. Once you reach your desired level, you will likely need 1000-2000IU vitamin D3 a day to maintain these levels. You can use the chart, which offers guidelines for dosing, based on where you are starting and where you want to go. I have found these dosages to be more relevant clinically. Vitamin D3 should never be taken alone. Always take a combination Vitamin D3/ Vitamin K2 liquid emulsion. This is because vitamin D3 improves calcium absorption across the GI tract and vitamin K2 is the cofactor needed to transfer calcium into your bones, and not your arteries.