Sublingual Vitamin B12 Information

Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that is found in a variety of foods, such as meat, fish and dairy. It is also available as a dietary supplement and a prescription medication by itself as Vitamin B12 or in combination as Vitamin B complex. One way to take it is sublingually, or under the tongue, using a liquid solution or by allowing capsules to melt under your tongue.

Identification

The job of Vitamin B12 in the body is to support the development and production of red blood cells, thereby preventing anemia. It’s instrumental in the formation of nerve cells and maintenance of the nerve endings. According to James F. Balch, M.D., in “Prescription for Nutritional Healing," Vitamin B12 is “required for proper digestion, absorption of foods, the synthesis of protein, and the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats." When you take B12 sublingually, you insert the capsule or squirt the liquid under your tongue and hold it there for about 30 seconds while it absorbs into your bloodstream, then swallow.

Benefits

The sublingual form of Vitamin B12 is frequently marketed as having superior bioavailability because it enters the bloodstream directly and avoids the stomach and digestive process. Since it relies on the presence of a substance called intrinsic factor, a protein manufactured in the stomach, to be absorbed by the body, sublingual forms of B12 are said to deliver more of the vitamin into your body via the bloodstream than other versions, although existing evidence suggests no difference among forms with respect to absorption or bioavailability, notes the Office of Dietary Supplements, which is part of the National Institutes of Health.

Dosing

Per the Mayo Clinic, daily recommended dietary allowances for Vitamin B12 are 2.4 mcg for adults, 2.6 mcg for pregnant females, and 2.8 mcg for lactating females. If you are over 50 years of age, you should eat foods fortified with B12 or consider taking a supplement. Consult with your health-care provider for individual dosing concerns. Because your body’s ability to absorb vitamin B12 is limited by the capacity of intrinsic factor, only about 10 mcg of a 500 mcg supplement is actually absorbed in healthy people, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements.

Considerations

Certain people are more at risk of having a deficiency in Vitamin B12. The elderly, individuals with pernicious anemia or gastrointestinal disorders, vegetarians, pregnant women and lactating women should consider the need for sublingual Vitamin B12. Prescription medications can also diminish the body's supply of vitamin B12. If you are taking antibiotics, anticonvulsants, antihypertensives, antipsychotics, anticancer, anti-gout, anti-Parkinson's or anti-tuberculosis medications; birth control pills, cholesterol-lowering drugs; or potassium replacements, you may need to supplement your Vitamin B12.

Warning

If you are currently taking prescription medications, it is wise to check with your pharmacist or health-care provider about any possible interactions prior to supplementing with sublingual Vitamin B12.