[h=2]Vitamin B12 Vials – the Different Active Ingredients[/h]There are two types of active ingredient available for B12 shots, which the table below will compare. Cyanocobalamin is an artificial form of vitamin B12 which hardly ever occurs naturally. Hydroxocobalamin, on the other hand, is a naturally occurring form which is commonly found in many foods. Both are well researched and have proven to be very effective, but they do display clear differences:
[TABLE="class: tabelle-inhaltsstoffe table table-bordered table-striped, width: 728"]
<tbody style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">[TR="bgcolor: #E2F3D0"]
[TD]Active ingredient[/TD]
[TD]Description[/TD]
[TD]Pros and Cons[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Cyanocobalamin[/TD]
[TD]Synthetic drug, which almost never occurs naturally in nature or in the body. Broken down in the body to methylcobalamin and the poison cyanide. The amount of cyanide is considered to be clinically irrelevant.[/TD]
[TD]Very affordable and very well researched. Good tolerance and effectiveness for otherwise healthy people. Not suitable for smokers. Not suitable for detoxification.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Hydroxocobalamin (also: Hydroxycobalamin)[/TD]
[TD]Natural form of vitamin B12, produced by microorganisms and found in foods. Must be broken down by the body for use. However, this is easier and produces no byproducts. Better intake and storage, and can also be used as an antidote to cyanide.[/TD]
[TD]Somewhat more expensive. Well researched. Good tolerance and effectiveness, better sustained release effect than cyanocobalamin, good for replenishing body store. Good for detoxification. Larger time period between injections required.
[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]
[h=2]Vitamin B12 Shots: Hydroxocoblamin vs Cyanocobalamin[/h]In our eyes, hydroxocobalamin clearly has advantages. In numerous studies it has been shown that hydroxocobalamin remains active in the body for much longer and is absorbed by the cells much more efficiently – meaning it rarely has to be administered. The absorption of intramuscularly administered hydroxocobalamin is around three times as high as that of cobalamin and the effect lasts considerably longer too.[SUP]1,2,3,4[/SUP]
When you factor in the cyanide exposure through cyanocobalamin, (although the amount of cyanide released during vitamin B12 injections is clinically speaking completely irrelevant) it begs the question as to why cyanocobalamin would be chosen at all if there are such better alternatives available. Cyanocobalamin shows no positive effect when used by smokers or those suffering from disease – both of which are connected to cyanide.[SUP]5 [/SUP]Hydroxocobalamin, on the other hand, has a detoxifying effect and binds to not only cyanide, but also nitric oxide.
It has also been shown that the long-term use of higher doses of cyanocobalamin leaves eight times as much biologically useless cyanocobalamin inside the body’s cells, though the consequences of that are at present unclear.[SUP]6[/SUP]
[h=2]When are Vitamin B12 Shots Necessary?[/h]New research has clearly shown that the same therapeutic results provided by vitamin B12 injections can also be achieved through long-term oral intake of vitamin B12 in tablet or capsule form.[SUP]7 [/SUP]In fact, even with a disorder of the intrinsic factor – the transport molecule which is essential for the absorption of B12 , the body can obtain enough vitamin B12 from oral doses, through passive diffusion in the small intestine.
So the question is, when is a course of vitamin B12 injections really necessary? We recommend it in the following instances:
[TABLE="class: tabelle-inhaltsstoffe table table-bordered table-striped, width: 728"]
<tbody style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">[TR="bgcolor: #E2F3D0"]
[TD]Active ingredient[/TD]
[TD]Description[/TD]
[TD]Pros and Cons[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Cyanocobalamin[/TD]
[TD]Synthetic drug, which almost never occurs naturally in nature or in the body. Broken down in the body to methylcobalamin and the poison cyanide. The amount of cyanide is considered to be clinically irrelevant.[/TD]
[TD]Very affordable and very well researched. Good tolerance and effectiveness for otherwise healthy people. Not suitable for smokers. Not suitable for detoxification.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Hydroxocobalamin (also: Hydroxycobalamin)[/TD]
[TD]Natural form of vitamin B12, produced by microorganisms and found in foods. Must be broken down by the body for use. However, this is easier and produces no byproducts. Better intake and storage, and can also be used as an antidote to cyanide.[/TD]
[TD]Somewhat more expensive. Well researched. Good tolerance and effectiveness, better sustained release effect than cyanocobalamin, good for replenishing body store. Good for detoxification. Larger time period between injections required.
[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]
[h=2]Vitamin B12 Shots: Hydroxocoblamin vs Cyanocobalamin[/h]In our eyes, hydroxocobalamin clearly has advantages. In numerous studies it has been shown that hydroxocobalamin remains active in the body for much longer and is absorbed by the cells much more efficiently – meaning it rarely has to be administered. The absorption of intramuscularly administered hydroxocobalamin is around three times as high as that of cobalamin and the effect lasts considerably longer too.[SUP]1,2,3,4[/SUP]
Vitamin B12 injection
It has also been shown that the long-term use of higher doses of cyanocobalamin leaves eight times as much biologically useless cyanocobalamin inside the body’s cells, though the consequences of that are at present unclear.[SUP]6[/SUP]
[h=2]When are Vitamin B12 Shots Necessary?[/h]New research has clearly shown that the same therapeutic results provided by vitamin B12 injections can also be achieved through long-term oral intake of vitamin B12 in tablet or capsule form.[SUP]7 [/SUP]In fact, even with a disorder of the intrinsic factor – the transport molecule which is essential for the absorption of B12 , the body can obtain enough vitamin B12 from oral doses, through passive diffusion in the small intestine.
So the question is, when is a course of vitamin B12 injections really necessary? We recommend it in the following instances:
- If the body’s B12 storage needs to be refilled quickly
- If shots at fixed intervals are preferred to daily pills
- If a part of the small intestine has been removed
- If there is a sharp parasite infection in the intestine