vitamin b12

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Lstewart717
Lstewart717 Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Has anyone heard or had success with vitamin b12 injections to help speed up metabolism or assist with weight loss? Any suggestions?

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  • becomingbeautifultoday
    becomingbeautifultoday Posts: 131 Member
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    I don't know anything about the injections, but my Mom takes B12 tablets and loves them. Every time I go to her house she makes me take some. Says they help her perform at her best self, especially after working night shift.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    I take it because I don’t eat meat, but think the speedy metabolism part is crap.
  • mhooge
    mhooge Posts: 42 Member
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    I have to get monthly b12 injections because my stomach doesn't absorb it. I notice feeling quite tired when I'm due for my next shot but I don't think it improves my metabolism
  • becomingbeautifultoday
    becomingbeautifultoday Posts: 131 Member
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    MelissaPhippsFeagins wrote: »
    I have had success with B12 fixing a B12 deficiency. I recall having more energy on the B12 than off until my doctor found the source of my issue with absorbing nutrients. After I corrected that, I didn't need the B12 anymore. I wouldn't just go getting the shot to try to lose weight.

    I feel like this might be helpful to me. What was stopping your body from absorbing nutrients and how did you resolve it? I’m constantly tired and can’t seem to get my energy levels up. At one point my iron was low, and I figured that was the issue, but it’s back up now and still always tired.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,949 Member
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    becomingbeautifultoday wrote: »
    MelissaPhippsFeagins wrote: »
    I have had success with B12 fixing a B12 deficiency. I recall having more energy on the B12 than off until my doctor found the source of my issue with absorbing nutrients. After I corrected that, I didn't need the B12 anymore. I wouldn't just go getting the shot to try to lose weight.

    I feel like this might be helpful to me. What was stopping your body from absorbing nutrients and how did you resolve it? I’m constantly tired and can’t seem to get my energy levels up. At one point my iron was low, and I figured that was the issue, but it’s back up now and still always tired.

    I would suggest talking to your doctor. They can do a blood test to see about the B12 levels in your system.

    How is your sleep? Are you always getting 8+ hours every night?
  • dwilliamca
    dwilliamca Posts: 325 Member
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    A simple blood test will tell you if you are anemic due to lack of B12 or folate (or more likely iron). If not it is nothing more than a placebo. B12 does not supply energy but is used to treat a disease called pernicious anemia which usually is caused by lack of something called intrinsic factor which prevents the absorption of B12 from food. Of course people will take it anyway and swear by it assuming they can find some quack willing to give the shots.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,439 Member
    edited January 2018
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    Note; a blood test will only show a deficiency if you've not taken ANY B12 for at least 4 months. You migh tnot be able to absorbe it properly but enough still ends up in your system to raise serum levels and effectively hides a deficiency. This however is not sufficient to prevent damage to nerves. So don't take any B12 if you're enot deficient or a vegetarian as this might result in you not being treated. The only thing that helps with absorption problems is injections, not tablets. Think of it this way: If you can't absorb enough B12 from food you can't from tablets either.
  • michellesz
    michellesz Posts: 428 Member
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    Lstewart717 wrote: »
    Has anyone heard or had success with vitamin b12 injections to help speed up metabolism or assist with weight loss? Any suggestions?

    I don't know of the shots, but ever since I started taking my new all natural supplements that include a Sunrise morning supplement, nitro and Sunset supplement , I have noticed my cravings have drastically decreased and I feel much better!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    B-12 isn't going to boost your metabolism, and I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone to give you an injection if you have no legitimate medical reason to have one...ie blood tests show that you are b-12 deficient and anemic. This is generally a result of a disease which inhibits absorption or a result of eating a vegan diet without supplementation.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    I've been working toward eating more of a plant-based diet, and when I'm eating 100% plant based or close to it I take B12, but not injections and not for metabolism.
  • fuzzylop72
    fuzzylop72 Posts: 651 Member
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    b12 can help energy if (and only if) you're deficient. Personally, I'd only supplement if you've been tested as deficient or you're vegan and thus at high risk of becoming deficient. I don't know of any peer-reviewed substantiation of metabolism boosting properties, though.
  • raspuller
    raspuller Posts: 35 Member
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    I take monthly injections because I’m chronically deficient and can’t get enough from diet. I have not noticed a difference in metabolism (at least in terms of increased weight loss) but it does allow me to maintain a good level of energy which equates to me being more active than when my B12 is in the ditch.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    B12 tablets give me more energy... at first. After about a week they stop doing anything.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    I think people also confuse energy and metabolism. Just because something makes you feel more energetic doesn't mean it is changing your metabolism, they are two different things.

    As others have said, only supplement something if you are deficient.
  • Alidecker
    Alidecker Posts: 1,262 Member
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    I am deficient in B12, my body doesn't absorb it from food or from pills. My Doctor had me do injections, all good, but a pain to go to the doctor every month and I started slacking and my B12 went way low again. Now I take B12 in a sublingual form and it's all good. Doesn't do anything for metabolism and weigh loss that I can tell.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
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    Ask your doctor for a blood test to determine if you're deficient and then the doc will recommend a supplement. Adding it will not impact weight loss--it's not a magic supplement. Some people who are deficient are more lethargic and fatigued and therefore less active, which can impact weight loss.

    However, over-supplementing can cause: anxiety, headaches, nausea, dizziness and vomiting. Too much B can increase the risk of some types of cancers, specifically hematological (liver, lungs, colon) ones (Arendt JFB, Pedersen L, Nexo E, Sorensen HT. Elevated Plasma Vitamin B12 levels as a Marker for cancer: A Population-Based cohort Study. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 2013). It mask some very serious health conditions (leukemia, kidney disease) as higher than normal B can be an indicator. Only take it if you're deficient.

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