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Intrinsic Factor Supplement

heard of Intrinsic Factor Supplement

  • yes

    Votes: 7 35.0%
  • no

    Votes: 13 65.0%

  • Total voters
    20

echobravo

Keep searching, the answer is out there
Messages
137
Location
Norway
Hi @Johnmac, hope you are good.

I have considered to have a phone consultation with Joseph Cohen, but havent started his Lectin avoidance diet. Been inspired by Dr. Douillard's new book "Eat wheat" lately, so will try his approach of strengthening digestion; healing "intestinal skin" (leaky gut), getting the lymph system declogged. He says clogged up lymph/liver/gallbladder causes buildup of toxins, immune reactions, sensitivities etc. The answer according to Dr. D. is not elimination diets, but to strengthen digestion, so that we once again can eat some wheat (ancient types), milk products - like we used to be able to.

BTW, got positive result on the "Anti H. Pylory IgG" test last week. This indicates and H. Pylori infection (past or present), and I am wondering if this could have happened due to low levels of HCL? (Stress too, I guess;). Since both HCL and Intrinsic Factor (been low in B12 since 1996) are produced by parietal cells in the stomach, could it be that an autoimmunity towards parietal cells could be the cause?

Let us know how the diet goes!
 

Johnmac

Senior Member
Messages
756
Location
Cambodia
Hi @Johnmac, hope you are good.

I have considered to have a phone consultation with Joseph Cohen, but havent started his Lectin avoidance diet. Been inspired by Dr. Douillard's new book "Eat wheat" lately, so will try his approach of strengthening digestion; healing "intestinal skin" (leaky gut), getting the lymph system declogged. He says clogged up lymph/liver/gallbladder causes buildup of toxins, immune reactions, sensitivities etc. The answer according to Dr. D. is not elimination diets, but to strengthen digestion, so that we once again can eat some wheat (ancient types), milk products - like we used to be able to.

BTW, got positive result on the "Anti H. Pylory IgG" test last week. This indicates and H. Pylori infection (past or present), and I am wondering if this could have happened due to low levels of HCL? (Stress too, I guess;). Since both HCL and Intrinsic Factor (been low in B12 since 1996) are produced by parietal cells in the stomach, could it be that an autoimmunity towards parietal cells could be the cause?

Let us know how the diet goes!

Thanks, I'll let you know if anything good happens. Good luck with your path.
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
This article details some side effects that can arise from B12 supplements containing intrinsic factor (IF):
Supplemental Intrinsic Factor

Some oral B-12 supplements on the market include intrinsic factor derived from animal sources, usually pigs or cows. These supplements may also contain folic acid, iron, vitamin C or hydrochloric acid.

Some research involves making plant-based IF using human recombinant DNA, but IF obtained from pigs or cows is used in vitamin supplements and the Schillings test, which tests for natural IF secretion from your stomach, according to “Human Biochemistry and Disease” (Reference 3).

Side Effects

According to the “Guide to Nutritional Supplements” by Benjamin Caballero, in studies in which patients with pernicious anemia were given oral supplements containing B-12 and IF, some patients developed antibodies against the foreign IF, did not absorb the B-12 and developed moderate to severe stomach cramps.

Administration of animal IF to humans is also a concern because of possible contamination or pathogenic transmission.

According to “PDR for Nutritional Supplements,” administration of IF with B-12 can enhance its absorption but only in low-doses, as doses far higher than physiologically normal actually impair B-12 uptake because it reduces the availability of free cobalamin.

The most appropriate doses are not noted, but most supplements contain between 20 and 40 mg of IF per tablet. More studies are needed to ascertain the safety and efficacy of using animal-derived IF. Consult with your doctor if you suspect you are deficient in IF or B-12.



This article explains how normal human intrinsic factor promotes the absorption of dietary vitamin B12:
Intrinsic factor binds to B12 when it reaches the stomach following exposure to gastric juices. Bound with intrinsic factor, B12 will survive the journey through the stomach and reach the small intestine. Once there, intrinsic factor dissolves, releasing B12 to bind with another protein, transcobalamin II, for transit through the epithelial cells and into the bloodstream and on to the liver.
 
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Galixie

Senior Member
Messages
219
In case anyone is interested, the FDA says this about intrinsic factor supplementation. It is worded specifically toward how it affects pernicious anemia patients, but anyone having absorption issues would be similarly affected:

"(1) The parenteral administration of cyanocobalamin or vitamin B12 is generally recognized as a fully effective treatment of pernicious anemia. Parenteral cyanocobalamin preparations have not been and are not authorized for use except by or on the prescription of a duly licensed medical practitioner.

(2) Some patients afflicted with pernicious anemia do not respond to orally ingested products. There is no known way to predict which patients will fail to respond or will cease to respond to the treatment of pernicious anemia with orally ingested preparations.

(3) The substitution of a possibly inadequate treatment, such as the ingestion of oral preparations of vitamin B12 with intrinsic factor concentrate, in place of parenteral vitamin B12 products for a disease condition as serious as pernicious anemia cannot be regarded as safe in all cases.

(4) The development of the classical symptoms of pernicious anemia that would cause a person to seek medical attention may in some cases be delayed by oral ingestion of intrinsic factor. Pernicious anemia is a disease that is associated, among other things, with a higher than normal incidence of cancer of the stomach and that for the safety of the patient, requires continuous expert medical supervision.

(5) With inadequate treatment there may be markedly deleterious effects on the nervous system. It is well established that whereas the development of anemia is completely reversible with adequate treatment, the involvement of the nervous system may not be completely reversible and thus may result in permanent damage.

(6) Some hematologists prescribe oral preparations of vitamin B12 in the treatment of pernicious-anemia patients.

(7) Intrinsic factor and intrinsic factor concentrate serve no known useful therapeutic or nutritive purpose except to the extent that they do increase the gastrointestinal absorption of vitamin B12 in patients with a deficiency or absence of intrinsic factor, which may eventually lead to pernicious anemia. This conclusion does not apply to diagnostic procedures using radioactive cyanocobalamin."

Basically the FDA's viewpoint is that supplementing with intrinsic factor doesn't always work and is not recommended.
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
Basically the FDA's viewpoint is that supplementing with intrinsic factor doesn't always work and is not recommended.

But this FDA advice only applies to pernicious anemia, in which if adequate B12 is not provided, irreversible nervous system damage can occur. With such serious consequences, the FDA say it may not be safe in all cases of pernicious anemia to rely on B12 with intrinsic factor.

However, there is no general deficiency of vitamin B12 in ME/CFS, and ME/CFS patients who benefit from B12 are not generally low in this vitamin. See here:
Those patients who respond to B12 are not obviously deficient in B12; indeed, blood tests usually show normal levels.

In ME/CFS, supraphysiological doses of B12 are taken for their therapeutic effects, not to remedy B12 deficiency. Those therapeutic effects may derive from B12's ability to promote methylation (see the methylation protocol), from B12 hydroxocobalamin's ability to scavenge nitric oxide, or from some other mechanism.

So ME/CFS patients that benefit from B12 injections or sublingual tablets could consider B12 + intrinsic factor supplements, but being mindful of the possible side effects detailed earlier.
 
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Galixie

Senior Member
Messages
219
But this FDA advice only applies to pernicious anemia, in which if adequate B12 is not provided, irreversible nervous system damage can occur. With such serious consequences, the FDA say it may not be safe in all cases of pernicious anemia to rely on B12 with intrinsic factor.

However, there is no general deficiency of vitamin B12 in ME/CFS, and ME/CFS patients who benefit from B12 are not generally low in this vitamin. See here:


In ME/CFS, supraphysiological doses of B12 are taken for their therapeutic effects, not to remedy B12 deficiency. Those therapeutic effects may derive from B12's ability to promote methylation (see the methylation protocol), from B12 hydroxocobalamin's ability to scavenge nitric oxide, or from some other mechanism.

So ME/CFS patients that benefit from B12 injections or sublingual tablets could consider B12 + intrinsic factor supplements, but being mindful of the possible side effects detailed earlier.

The reason I pointed it out was twofold. Many people with pernicious anemia aren't correctly diagnosed because the only available test for intrinsic factor antibodies only accurately catches 40%-60% of people who have pernicious anemia. Frequently patients that are deficient in B12 and test negative for IF antibodies are told that it is not pernicious anemia and that the cause cannot be determined. In those cases, the reality is that it might be pernicious anemia after all and needs to be treated as such.

ME/CFS doesn't exist in a vacuum. The same person can have a broken arm and a stomach ache at the same time and not have the two conditions be related to each other. It is possible to have pernicious anemia and ME/CFS simultaneously. This would especially be the case if ME/CFS does turn out to be an autoimmune condition, since it is well known that patients with one autoimmune problem frequently develop others.

The other reason I was pointing this out is really a bit more obscure. Sorry about that. But I was trying to point out the fact that intrinsic factor can only help with absorption if you lack intrinsic factor. There are plenty of things apart from pernicious anemia that affect absorption of B12. They range from parasites and h. pylori, to gastric surgery, to low stomach acid, to medication interference, to diet. Intrinsic factor will not help with absorption if you have any hindrance other than one causing a lack of intrinsic factor.

As for B12 not usually being low in ME/CFS patients, I must be an outlier. I found out I was B12 deficient years before finding out I have CFS. But I refer back to my statement about it being possible to have two conditions at once...
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
ME/CFS doesn't exist in a vacuum. The same person can have a broken arm and a stomach ache at the same time and not have the two conditions be related to each other. It is possible to have pernicious anemia and ME/CFS simultaneously.

You could have both ME/CFS and pernicious anemia, but with the latter's prevalence being 0.1%, you might expect only 1 in 1000 ME/CFS patients to have pernicious anemia.



But I was trying to point out the fact that intrinsic factor can only help with absorption if you lack intrinsic factor.

In fact even for those with normal intrinsic factor function, taking additional intrinsic factor will still dramatically increase the amount of vitamin B12 absorbed from a B12 supplement. This is because the stomach only secretes small amounts of intrinsic factor at one time, only enough intrinsic factor to facilitate the absorption of around 1.5 mcg of vitamin B12.

So that means with an oral B12 supplement containing say 5,000 mcg of B12, even in a healthy person, the stomach will only produce enough intrinsic factor to absorb about 1.5 mcg of that 5,000 mcg, with the rest of the B12 not being absorbed and wasted.

Whereas when you use a B12 supplement with added intrinsic factor, that extra intrinsic factor allows for much more B12 absorption.

It was mentioned earlier that 40 mg of intrinsic factor will bind to (and thus facilitate the absorption of) 600 mcg of B12.
 
Messages
6
The theory seems promising and Intrinsic Factor products are available. Has anyone here had practical experience of taking supplementary Intrinsic Factor with B12 and noticed the difference?
 

aturtles

Senior Member
Messages
129
Location
Seattle, WA
The theory seems promising and Intrinsic Factor products are available. Has anyone here had practical experience of taking supplementary Intrinsic Factor with B12 and noticed the difference?

I have. After being diagnosed with PA (or at least elevated anti-perietal cell antibodies) last month, I bought an IF formula, and have been taking it for about a week. First time I took it, I noticed a number of good things, including warming in the throat, stomach, and extremities, along with a sense of what I think of as the MeCbl "power up", similar to what I feel when I get a b12 shot (but, of course, different; it's very hard to come up with the right language to describe these sensations, even after years of doing it. :D )

In short, yes, it seems to be working.

I am concerned about the FDA warnings mentioned in this thread, of course, and am still planning to contact the company and ask them about their process for manufacturing the IF, but I'm also still doing it, because body says yes.

Not many sources on the market. Narrowing the formula down to those without folic acid, and with as few additions as possible, I ended up with Progressive Labs. If anyone else has a lead on another minimal but quality IF, I'd be pleased to hear about it.

Also, I'm curious about dose. This formula and most are 20mg IF, but nowhere have I been able to find anything about what a reasonable IF dose could be. If anyone has data on doses, I'd be very interested.
 
Messages
46
I have. After being diagnosed with PA (or at least elevated anti-perietal cell antibodies) last month, I bought an IF formula, and have been taking it for about a week. First time I took it, I noticed a number of good things, including warming in the throat, stomach, and extremities, along with a sense of what I think of as the MeCbl "power up", similar to what I feel when I get a b12 shot (but, of course, different; it's very hard to come up with the right language to describe these sensations, even after years of doing it. :D )

In short, yes, it seems to be working.

I am concerned about the FDA warnings mentioned in this thread, of course, and am still planning to contact the company and ask them about their process for manufacturing the IF, but I'm also still doing it, because body says yes.

Not many sources on the market. Narrowing the formula down to those without folic acid, and with as few additions as possible, I ended up with Progressive Labs. If anyone else has a lead on another minimal but quality IF, I'd be pleased to hear about it.

Also, I'm curious about dose. This formula and most are 20mg IF, but nowhere have I been able to find anything about what a reasonable IF dose could be. If anyone has data on doses, I'd be very interested.
I know this is a very old thread but I'm curious if you are still taking the IF supplement and how that worked out for you.

Also curious to see if anyone else has tried using IF to boost their b12 levels...?