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HOW IMPORTANT IS VITAMIN B12 FOR ELDERS?

I'll be traveling for a month from tomorrow, so won't be commenting much on our 47th PUS (President of the United States) Donald Trump.  Here is NBC News on the the chaos, confusion and reversals of his second term.  The stock market zoomed up internationally, and choppy, but positive, in the U.S.

About the topic of today, should elders take Vitamin B Complex supplements?  The answer is yes.  The World Health Organization says anyone 65 and older is elderly.

Before the COVID-19 Pandemic, pushing my golf bag cart, I regularly walked 18-holes on a golf course once a week, sometime twice.  Stamina was not a problem.

During the past couple of years, I resorted to riding a golf cart, and still felt fatigued.  When I went on a trip, I easily got tired and had to sit a while.  Well I am 84.  

I mentioned this to my doctor, and he recommended I purchase a bottle of Vitamin B12, 500 micrograms (mcg), and take one pill/day.   Medical plans do not pay for this medication.  But 100 pills cost less than $10.  Yes, 10 cents/pill.  I began doing this a month ago, and amazingly enough, I now do not have a stamina problem.  Interestingly enough, a 5000 mcg bottle with 240 capsules costs $16, or 7 cents/pill.

I should have just stopped there, but investigating further:

  • Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause these symptoms.

    • Tingling or numbness in the hands, legs, or feet
    • Difficulty walking
    • Anemia
    • Swollen, inflamed tongue
    • Yellowed skin
    • Paranoia or hallucinations
    • Fatigue
    • Weaker red blood cell formation, lower metabolism, impaired nerve functioning, and weaker bone health.
  • Sometimes it's best not to look into these matters.  I was just lacking stamina.

I have never taken supplements before and was totally ignorant of what they are.  How can a pill with ten times more "medicine" cost less than what I'm taking?  So what is Vitamin B12?  I went to Wikipedia:

Vitamin B complex encompasses a group of water-soluble vitamins vital for various bodily functions. This includes energy metabolism, nerve function, cell production and DNA synthesis. The group consists of eight distinct vitamins, each with its unique role:

  • Vitamin B12, or Cobalamin
  • Vitamin B9, or Folic Acid
  • Vitamin B7, or Biotin
  • Vitamin B6, or Pyridoxine
  • Vitamin B5, or Pantothenic Acid
  • Vitamin B3, or Niacin
  • Vitamin B2, or Riboflavin
  • Vitamin B1, or Thiamine
  • There once were B4, 8, 10, 11 and others, but were found to be not essential for life.
  • From Amazon, Life Extension Bioactive Complete B-Complex, Heart, Brain and Nerve Support, Healthy Energy, Metabolism, Complete B Complex, 60 Vegetarian Capsules, $9, or 15 cents/pill.
  • B vitamins are found in abundance in meat, eggs and dairy products, particular turkey, tuna and liver.  I consume a lot all of them, except I don't very much like turkey, and about liver, only eat foie gras.
  • Sugar and white flour have lower B content, so buy enriched flour.  Minimize sugar.
  • Most vegetables and some fruits have a lot of B vitamins.  I maybe overeat vegetables to minimize weight loss.
  • Interestingly enough B12 is not much found in plant products.  As much salad I was consuming, I still failed to get sufficient Vitamin B12!
  • Yet, B12 is in moderate abundance in fermented vegetable products and certain seaweeds and mushrooms.
  • Those on a vegan diet need supplemental B12.
  • One confusion is that some B12 variants are good for bacteria, but not humans.
  • THE REASON WHY THE ELDERLY NEED A VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT IS THAT THEIR BODY DOES NOT ABSORB B VITAMINS WELL, ESPECIALLY B12.
  • Another confusion is that all sources say that seniors should take at least 2.4 mcg/day of Vitamin B12.  But why is the recommended dosage 500 mcg?  The best I can figure is that the digestive tract only absorbs 0.5% of what you take.  The rest is wasted.

  • Another question is, why do people tell me, don't buy Vitamin B12, get Vitamin B12 MF.
    • Well, this complicates matters.
    • Vitamin B12 is cyanocobalamin, a synthetic form of B12.  In the body, it breaks down into methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin.  Both are necessary.
    • Vitamin B12MF is methylcobalamin, the natural compound  Thus, if you only take the MF version, you should combine that with yet another pill that provides adenosylcobalamin:
Adenosylcobalamin is particularly important to supporting and protecting the mitochondria in your cells
 (which the Methylcobalamin can't do). The mitochondria are like 'powerhouses' in each cell and Adenosylcobalamin helps them burn food efficiently to produce energy and boost metabolism.
  • Doing internet research sometimes worsens the understanding.  Turns out that there are four types of Vitamin B12.
    • This link says VB12
It protects our DNA, nerve and brain cells and supports our energy and immune systems. It stimulates the production of serotonin – the ‘feel-good hormone’ – which, in turn, can help boost our mood.
    • Good, I didn't know that.
    • BUT THERE ARE FOUR TYPES OF VITAMIN B12.
      • The three above, plus hydroxocobalamin.
      • Methylcobalmin and adenoscylcobalamin are natural occurring co-enzymes found in food sources.  They work synergistically in different ways.  Okay, I knew that.
      • Cyanocobalamin is a synthetic form, and converts to the M and A.  Knew that too.
      • Hydroxocobalamin is used to treat people with serious difficulties and is only administered as an injection or drip.  Yikes.  I certainly don't need this one.
For now, my only interest is Vitamin B12, and nothing else.  I can avoid thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, biotin and folic acid.

I never saw a more satisfying victory than the one experienced by Rory McIlroy yesterday, who won the Masters golf tournament.
  • I always thought he was kind of a big guy, for he hits the ball so far.  
    • For the PGA year so far, Aldrich Potgieter drives the longest, 329.9 yards.
    • Niklas Norgaard is #2 at 318.5 yards.
    • Rory McIlroy is #3 at 317.5.
    • Potgeiter is only 6 feet tall, Norgaard is 6'4"....and McIlroy 5'9".
    • #183 is Brian Campbell (5'10") at 275.5 yards.
  • McIlroy is 35 years old, being born in Northern Ireland in 1989, and as a 17 year old in 2007 was the #1 amateur golfer.
  • Has spent over 100 weeks as the #1 world golfer, winning the 2011 U.S. Open, 2012 and 2014 PGA Championship and 2014 Open Championship.  Has waited more than a decade to be the sixth person to win all four majors with the Masters victory.
The way he got this fourth major win was particularly satisfying.
  • On the first day of the Masters, Thursday, he double bogeyed two of his last four holes to fall 7 strokes back.  No one has ever won this tournament being so far back after day one.
  • On Sunday, he double bogeyed the first hole and dropped out of the leadership spot.
    • 12 holes later, he shockingly hit a short pitch shot into the water to get another double bogey.
    • On the 18th, he missed a short par putt, meaning that he had a playoff with Justin Rose
    • On the opening playoff hole, he did make a 4-foot putt for a birdie and won this championship.
    • He tossed his club into the air and collapsed to the green, sobbing and yelling in relief.  Worth a watch.
    • During the past 11 years, he had finished a major 11 times in the top 5, and runner-up 4 times.  Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen completed the grand slam in 3 tries or fewer.  He kept losing the Masters for 11 straight Masters.
    • First player to win a Masters with four double-bogeys.
    • Won $4.2 million for this victory.
One more item.  An all-female crew took off on a short 10-minute flight aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket and capsule today and returned safely.  Joining singer Katy Perry were Gayle King, Lauren Sanchez (Jeff Bezos' fiancee, Aisha owe, Amanda Ngyuen and Kerianne Flynn.
  • Liftoff at 9:30AM from Van Horn, Texas.
  • Reached an altitude of 62 miles, the edge of space.
  • Experienced weightlessness.
  • Booster landed back to Earth vertically a few miles from the launch site, then the the capsule descended via parachute in the Texas desert.
  • Watch everything here.

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