Question:
Is liquid b-12 as good as the sublingual?

I bought some liquid b-12 yesterday at gnc because it was a better bargain than the sublingual. I'm just wondering if anyone knows if it is as effective. The lady at the counter told me that she heard from a man that the nasal spray is the only kind our bodies will absorb.... just wondering??    — Kristie M. (posted on March 16, 2003)

March 15, 2003
Nasal is not the only way. You will have difficulty getting enough b12 nasally. Sublingual or injectible are the best. Sublinqual is absorbed under the tongue (just like Nitroglycerin pills for heart attack patients). Also, what is left we swallow and it is mixed with lots of saliva, which helps break the b12 down. Saliva is a digestive juice. That's "one" of the reasons we are to eat so slowly and chew food so well, food mixes more throroghly with the saliva and thus the food is broken down and digested. I Learned that on the discovery channel.
   — Darlene P.

March 16, 2003
Sorry dearie, but you just paid for something that will not give you the benifit of the b12 - so you're out your money unless you go exchange it for sub-l. Your pouch can't absorb and break down the b12. The liquid part is only the delivery method, not the breakdown of the vitiman. So pay a bit more and don't skimp on your health!
   — Susan F.

March 16, 2003
Hey, that was really an insulting tone, wasn't it "deary"? Anyway, the previous poster was, in fact, incorrect in her answer. The fact is that Vitamin B12 is absorbed in the ileum, which is part of your small intestine. Gastric bypass patients do have a difficult time with absorption because of the limited production of stomach acids, due the smaller size of our stomach pouches. Here's a quick breakdown of how vitamin b12 is absorbed: First, in the stomach, gastric acid and pepsin release cobalamin (b12) from animal proteins. Second, in the upper small intestine, pancreatic enzymes and an alkaline pH digest the R protein-cobalamin complex. Next, B12 then binds to intrinsic factor (also known as "IF"...this is produced in the stomach, and is limited in gastric bypass patients due to the reduced size of the stomach) to form an IF-cobalamin complex. Finally, The IF-cobalamin complex attaches to membrane receptors in the ileum (part of the small intestine) and is absorbed through endocytosis. It's important to note that about 1% of the B12 dose is absorbed by passive diffusion even in the absence of IF....what this means is that of the 16,000% dose of B12 your liquid GNC vitamin gives, you will absord 1% of that even without the Intrinsic Factor in your stomach....which equals 160% of you daily recommended dose of B12. B12 is NOT absorbed in the mouth. So, in summary, the answer to your question is that your liquid B12 from GNC is as effective as sublingual (because the amount given per dose is at 16,000%....and I am assuming you have the B Complex formula from GNC). A final note, b12 does preferentially bind with the salivary R protein, however this does not significantly effect Intrinsic Factor binding process.
   — Christine In AZ

March 16, 2003
To avoid confusion on my previous answer.....sublingual has the advantage in that the salivary R protein will bind with more B12 than the liquid form. However, the liquid form of B12 offered by GNC (at least the B Complex formula....I'm unfamiliar with the dosage of their product containing only the B12) has a high enough percentage of B12 to be effective. A significantly lower percentage in liquid or pill form would not be as effective as a sublingual form.
   — Christine In AZ