I recently reported on a shocking study that found a poor diet is the No. 1 cause of death globally. That’s because poor diets—devoid of wholesome, satisfying foods—fail to give you the basic nutritional building blocks for good health.
So, today, let’s talk about one of the first things impacted by a poor diet…
Your vitamin B levels.
All-important family of eight water-soluble vitamins
All eight B vitamins are water-soluble—meaning your body can’t store them. Instead, you must replenish them daily by eating foods rich in B vitamins—such as eggs, dairy, and meat.
Unfortunately, if you follow a low-quality, vegan, or vegetarian diet, or if you’re older than 50, you can become deficient in B vitamins quite rapidly. And deficiencies in vitamin B12—one of the eight vitamins in the family—are particularly serious, as this nutrient helps to maintain healthy nerve and brain cells.
Indeed, long-term insufficiency or deficiency in B12 can cause degeneration of nerve and brain tissues...and even memory problems. And if the deficiency persists for too long, the neurological consequences can be irreversible.
Supplements are just as good, if not better, than injections
For a long time, doctors opted to give B12 injections to patients deficient in this key nutrient—rather than have them rely on oral supplementation, due to concerns that the human body doesn’t do a good job absorbing it orally.
But as I reported earlier this year, a new study found that supplements can actually work far better than injections to correct B12 deficiencies…if you use the right doses and formulations.
To find the best dosage that may work for YOU, always ask your doctor to regularly check your vitamin B12 levels. Especially if you take metformin for blood sugar support. That’s because metformin interferes with B12 absorption in the gut.
(On a positive note, five new studies indicate that metformin use in patients with Type II diabetes may reduce the risk of death from coronavirus by up to 70 percent!)
Of course, B12 is only one nutrient in this critical family of vitamins…
Uncovering the B vitamin–homocysteine link
Vitamin B9 comes in two forms—dietary folate, which you get from eating foods like beans, leafy greens, citrus fruits, and broccoli—and folic acid, which you get from dietary supplements.
Most people think of it as the all-important prenatal vitamin that helps prevent birth defects—such as spina bifida. But this essential nutrient also helps prevent heart disease, anemia, and brain diseases as well.
In fact, the most interesting new research on B9 relates to its key role in preventing a build-up of homocysteine, an amino acid that research strongly links to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In fact, a recent study published in the New Journal of Medicine reported that increased homocysteine levels are a “strong independent risk” for development of dementia and AD.
Of course, high homocysteine in the blood also significantly raises your risk of heart disease. But once again, you can reduce your levels by boosting your intake of vitamin B9…as well as B6 and B12. In addition, if you’re older than 50, make sure to ask your doctor to check your homocysteine level at your annual physical.
In the end, no matter your age, B vitamins are essential for human health. And because of a decline in soil quality over the last 50 years, even if you do follow a healthy diet, you may not be getting enough Bs daily. That’s why I advise everyone to take a high-quality, daily B-vitamin complex—one that includes all eight vitamins in the family. I always tell people to look for a product that contains at least 5 mg of B6—as that’s a good litmus test for quality.
And for more insight into natural ways to protect your heart health as you get older, I encourage you to check out my Heart Attack Prevention and Repair Protocol. This innovative, online learning tool outlines the natural, heart-healing pathway to low blood pressure, a stroke-free brain, and never having to take a dangerous heart medication again. To learn more, or to enroll today, click here now!
Source:
“Metformin use is associated with reduced mortality rate from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection.” Obes Med. 2020;19:100290. doi.org/10.1016/j.obmed.2020.100290