Korn
May 2nd, 2004, 10:05 PM
A fisherman who goes fishing just to get vitamin D from fish, might as well just drop the fishing itself. Going fishing (being outdoor) is enough, because being exposed to sunlight (even on a cloudy day) causes his body to synthesize vitamin D (which isn't a vitamin, by the way, but a hormone).
Could the same be true for B12? Maybe not. Still, I have seen several references to airborne B12. If vitamin B12 exists on dust and particles, simply being in touch with plants, soil and 'dirt' from nature, probably could increase your B12 levels. So, just like the fisherman who increases his vitamin D levels just by taking a trip in his fisher boat, maybe someone who is growing vegetables will inhale B12 when he is plowing the fields.
From http://www.plantbased.org/html/b12.html
"Creatures, including humans, intake B12 through inhaling, licking and eating food which has been exposed to air and the particulate matter it carries. From air currents and soil, plants pick up B12, though it is said that plants do not "contain" B12. Rather like a yeast or nutritious dust, cobalamin is around the world floating in the air, washing into the soil during rain and snow, being produced by microbes -which have access to cobalt - all over the place."
There are some reports from people in so called 'primitive' communities that live on a vegan diet and do not develop symptoms on B12 deficiency. Some articles have been more or less guessing that this is because they don't wash their hands as much as 'civilized westerners' do (which of course could be part of the reason), but there are so many differences between a 'modern' and a primitive/natural lifestyle, so we don't really know what the real reason is. These people also probably might drink water that hasn't been chlorinated (or from copper tubes), maybe they don't use toothpaste with fluor, they might use cow dung as a fertilizer instead of chemicals, they are less exposed to EMF, and they might both grow their own vegetables, spend a lot more time outdoor (= more sun = vitamin D = more calcium = more B12), and have the luxury of eating really fresh food much more than we do.
Everybody feels better after spending some time in the nature, be it trekking, biking or just taking a walk. This, of course has many reasons - maybe being in touch with / inhaling micro-organisms is one of them. Vitamin B12 is actually (also) sold as nose spray (http://www.homesteadmarket.com/xylitol_B12_spray.html) , since inhaling (at least by some) is considered a better way to get B12 than eating it.
When I have read about airborne B12 in the past, I never knew how much I could trust that info, and I know very little about it. But one thing I know - we shouldn't ignore a possible B12 source because it contributes with only a minute amount of B12. We need extremely little B12, and if we look on all the possible, natural B12 providers together (and eliminate as many of the unnatural B12 reducing elements as possible, and they are MANY), at least to me, it's not a mystery at all that these 'primitive' people have had a good and healthy life without animal products - or supplements.
I'd still like to see more documentation, though... Not only do I know little about airborne B12, but I don't think I have seen any direct documentation between lack of sunlight and B12 deficiency either. Anyone?
Could the same be true for B12? Maybe not. Still, I have seen several references to airborne B12. If vitamin B12 exists on dust and particles, simply being in touch with plants, soil and 'dirt' from nature, probably could increase your B12 levels. So, just like the fisherman who increases his vitamin D levels just by taking a trip in his fisher boat, maybe someone who is growing vegetables will inhale B12 when he is plowing the fields.
From http://www.plantbased.org/html/b12.html
"Creatures, including humans, intake B12 through inhaling, licking and eating food which has been exposed to air and the particulate matter it carries. From air currents and soil, plants pick up B12, though it is said that plants do not "contain" B12. Rather like a yeast or nutritious dust, cobalamin is around the world floating in the air, washing into the soil during rain and snow, being produced by microbes -which have access to cobalt - all over the place."
There are some reports from people in so called 'primitive' communities that live on a vegan diet and do not develop symptoms on B12 deficiency. Some articles have been more or less guessing that this is because they don't wash their hands as much as 'civilized westerners' do (which of course could be part of the reason), but there are so many differences between a 'modern' and a primitive/natural lifestyle, so we don't really know what the real reason is. These people also probably might drink water that hasn't been chlorinated (or from copper tubes), maybe they don't use toothpaste with fluor, they might use cow dung as a fertilizer instead of chemicals, they are less exposed to EMF, and they might both grow their own vegetables, spend a lot more time outdoor (= more sun = vitamin D = more calcium = more B12), and have the luxury of eating really fresh food much more than we do.
Everybody feels better after spending some time in the nature, be it trekking, biking or just taking a walk. This, of course has many reasons - maybe being in touch with / inhaling micro-organisms is one of them. Vitamin B12 is actually (also) sold as nose spray (http://www.homesteadmarket.com/xylitol_B12_spray.html) , since inhaling (at least by some) is considered a better way to get B12 than eating it.
When I have read about airborne B12 in the past, I never knew how much I could trust that info, and I know very little about it. But one thing I know - we shouldn't ignore a possible B12 source because it contributes with only a minute amount of B12. We need extremely little B12, and if we look on all the possible, natural B12 providers together (and eliminate as many of the unnatural B12 reducing elements as possible, and they are MANY), at least to me, it's not a mystery at all that these 'primitive' people have had a good and healthy life without animal products - or supplements.
I'd still like to see more documentation, though... Not only do I know little about airborne B12, but I don't think I have seen any direct documentation between lack of sunlight and B12 deficiency either. Anyone?