VITAMIN B DEFICIENCIES CAN PRODUCE PSYCHIATRIC EXPRESSIONS. METHYLCOBALAMIN, B12 FIXES THAT

I had always thought of B-12 as an energy tablet, one that people with low-energy take.  But B-12 serves a much greater function beyond boosting of energy.  It restores nerve and brain function.  How so?  It rebuilds the myelin sheath that protects the spinal column as well as all of the individual nerves in the brain.  Keeping this myelin sheath in tact means that your organ signaling will function strong and far longer than most.  Remember: protect that myelin sheath.  The Methylcobalamin form of B12 does this.

The gist of this article is that one, we don't get enough B12 from our diet for a variety of reasons; all this to say that we all should be supplementing with methylcobalamin. 

I was a little disappointed by a couple of things in this article.  One, when Mercola, or his ghostwriter, says lists the various dosages for different individuals, he leaves out what MEN should take.  He lists newborns, children up to 13, "people" 14 and older, pregnant women, and breastfeeding women.  But no mention of men, as if men don't have specific and certain requirements that are distinctive from "people age 14 and older."  Disappointing.  

Second, as the article decries the horrors of B12 deficiency, the writer fails to point out some foods that deplete our vitamin B stores, foods like MSG, coffee, tea, and dental amalgams.  There are other foods as well as prescription medicines that outright block or impair vitamin B absorption, while other things deplete your body's stores of the nutrient.  Why is this important?  Stress and sleep deprivation can also contribute to B depletion, and you don't want to get caught at work expressing mild psychiatric symptoms for your coworkers may not be so understanding, ahem, if you know what I mean.  

Several of the B vitamins (B2, B6, B9, and B12) affect brain metabolism and contribute to psychiatric illnesses like depression and behavioral disorders.  

Not good.  Make sure you take the Methylcobalamin.  

h/t Lew Rockwell

Find the article at Mercola.com.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), nearly 40 percent of the U.S. population have marginal vitamin B12 status and 9 percent are deficient.1 Vitamin B12 insufficiency and deficiency increase your risk of serious health problems, many of which mimic more serious neurological diseases and can easily lead to misdiagnosis and improper treatment.

Neurological problems, in particular, are a possibility even at the “low normal” range at or just below 258 picomoles per liter (pmol/L). A level of 148 pmol/L or less is considered a deficiency state. As noted by the USDA:2

Deficiency can cause a type of anemia marked by fewer but larger red blood cells. It can also cause walking and balance disturbances, a loss of vibration sensation, confusion and, in advanced cases, dementia. The body requires B12 to make the protective coating surrounding the nerves. So, inadequate B12 can expose nerves to damage.

Indeed, vitamin B123 is vital for many functions throughout your body. B12 is required for:  

B12 DEFICIENCY MIMICS MANY SERIOUS NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND DISEASES

As noted in the featured video, B12 deficiency can look exactly like multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and autism. The film is made by registered nurse Sally Pacholok (see her B12 Awareness site), a leading advocate for B12 deficiency awareness.6 According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a deficiency can even affect a woman’s Pap test, which screens for cervical cancer.

 

Low B12 can affect the appearance of cervical cells, which can result in a false positive.7 Deficiency also raises your risk of heart disease. Vegans or strict vegetarians who abstain from animal products and do not supplement their diet with vitamin B12 will typically become anemic. Nervous and digestive system damage can also result.8

Claims that B12 is present in certain algae, tempeh and brewer’s yeast fail to take into account that the B12 analogues present in these foods are not bioavailable. The only reliable and absorbable sources of vitamin B12 are animal products. However, even animal foods have become a questionable source thanks to modern farming practices and, for this reason, many experts now believe most people really need to take a B12 supplement to ensure healthy B12 status.9

 

B12 DEFICIENCY WIDESPREAD EVEN AMONG MEAT EATERS

Interestingly, research shows no association between B12 blood levels and consumption of meat, poultry and fish — the primary sources of B12.10 According to the researchers, rampant B12 insufficiency is not due to lack of meat consumption. Rather, the vitamin simply isn’t being properly absorbed. B12 is tightly bound to proteins and high acidity is required to break this bond. In essence, a lot of people simply do not have sufficient stomach acid to separate the B12 from the protein.

The researchers speculate that the widespread use of antacids plays a significant role, especially among younger people. In a previous article,11 Dr. Jennifer Rooke, assistant professor in the department of community health and preventive medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine, also notes that factory farmed meat simply does not contain the B12 levels we’re used to.

The reason for this is because animals raised in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) aren’t fed their natural diet. Cows are fed corn and grains, most of which are genetically engineered (GE) and loaded with pesticides, rather than grass. The same goes for chickens, the natural diet of which are insects, worms, seeds and berries, not GE corn.

“It is true that animal products contain B12, and strict vegetarians/vegans are at risk for B12 deficiency, but absorbing B12 from animal products is a very complex process and people who eat meat may be at equal or greater risk for B12 deficiency,” Rooke writes. The reason CAFO animals don’t produce as much B12 is because B12 is made by bacteria that live in both soil and the guts of animals. Cows and chickens raised on pasture obtain the vitamin from the dirt on their food.

Pesticides also kill off soil bacteria, which is why conventionally grown grains are not a good source of B12, and CAFO animals are routinely given antibiotics, which also kill of these beneficial microbes. “In order to maintain meat a source of B12 the meat industry now adds it to animal feed; 90 percent of B12 supplements produced in the world are fed to livestock.

Even if you only eat grass fed organic meat you may not be able to absorb the B12 attached to animal protein. It may be more efficient to just skip the animals and get B12 directly from supplements,” Rooke writes.

PREGNANT WOMEN BEWARE:  B12 DEFICIENCY CAN CAUSE SEVERE NEUROLOGICAL DAMGAGE IN YOUR CHILD

While vegans are urged to augment their B12 intake by stocking up on nutritional yeast, coconut oil and fortified coconut milk, a strict vegan or even vegetarian diet is not recommended. In fact, there are cases in which a deficiency causes serious brain abnormalities. Women of childbearing age also need to be aware that B12 deficiency will place their offspring at risk.

If you’re deficient and breastfeed, your child will also be deficient, and may develop neurological symptoms — symptoms that are frequently misdiagnosed as autism and/or other neurological diseases. It’s really critical to catch a B12 deficiency early, as impaired brain and nerve development can be very difficult to correct once the damage is done. In adults, B12 deficiency can develop in about six years.12 That’s how long it takes to deplete your body’s B12 stores.

Babies, however, do not have B12 stores, especially if the mother was deficient during pregnancy, so side effects can develop far more rapidly. Babies whose moms had a B12 deficiency during pregnancy also have a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and other serious metabolic problems.13

A deficiency can be corrected by weekly shots of vitamin B12 or daily high-dose B12 supplements. Mild cases may also be corrected by increased intake of vitamin B12-rich foods. A detailed list of the B12 amounts of different foods can be found on the NIH website.14Some of the richest sources include clams, beef liver, wild rainbow trout and wild sockeye salmon.

B12 DEFICIENCY PLAYS A ROLE IN DEPRESSION AND OTHER PSYCHIATRIC CONDITIONS

Aside from symptoms mimicking autism and Alzheimer’s, B12 deficiency also contributes to depression and other psychiatric conditions. (Other B vitamins, including niacin (B3), B6, biotin (B8) and folate (B9) deficiencies can also produce psychiatric effects.) For example, research has shown vitamin B12 deficiency can trigger confusion, agitation, depression, mania, psychosis and paranoid delusions.15^,16

One study17^,18 found vitamins B6, B8 (inositol) and B12 in combination were very effective for improving schizophrenic symptoms when taken in high doses — more so than standard drug treatments alone. Low doses were ineffective. One of the reasons for this may be related to the fact that schizophrenics tend to have abnormalities in their B12 and glutamate pathways.19

LOW B12 IMPLICATED IN MIGRAINES

B12, along with B6 and folic acid, has also been shown to reduce the frequency, severity and disability of migraines. In one study,20daily vitamin supplements produced a twofold reduction in migraines over a six-month period. Certain gene mutations and dysfunctions can lead to higher levels of homocysteine production, which can make you more susceptible to migraine attacks.

Vitamins B6 and B12 help to optimize your homocysteine levels. The scientists also found that depending on your genotype, you may need a higher or lower dose to benefit. People with TT genotypes, which have a lower enzymatic rate, metabolize less homocysteine than those with C allele carriers. As a result, the former experience less of a benefit from the supplementation and require higher doses.

SIGNS OF VITAMIN B12 DEFICIENCY

If you’re frequently beset by fatigue and general lack of energy, you may be experiencing the onset of B12 deficiency. Other seemingly unrelated symptoms such as poor memory, shortness of breath, loss of taste and smell, depression and tingling in your extremities, can be indicative of low B12.

Anxiousness and depression may occur because a B12 shortage depresses the brain chemical serotonin, a neurotransmitter linked to your brain’s pleasure centers, and dopamine, the mood regulator registering memory and mood. Unless there’s an intervention, low B12 levels may even lead to paranoia, delusions and hallucinations. Other signs and symptoms include:21

MOST PEOPLE ARE AT RISK FOR B12 DEFICIENCY

There are a number of key reasons for a B12 deficiency, including the following. Unfortunately, doctors frequently overlook these common contributing causes, and B12 deficiency is frequently misdiagnosed as something far more serious.

Needless to say, when a deficiency is misdiagnosed as depression, Alzheimer’s, autism or other serious disease, the root cause remains unaddressed, and no amount of treatment will be significantly effective. So, if any of these situations apply to you, be particularly mindful of your B12 status, especially if you have symptoms associated with deficiency.

HOW MUCH VITAMIN B12 DO YOU NEED AND WHICH TYPE IS BEST?

The recommended dietary allowance for vitamin B12 is:27

• 0.4 to 1.8 micrograms (mcg) for newborns and children up to 13, depending on their exact age
• 2.4 mcg for people age 14 and older
• 2.6 mcg for pregnant women
• 2.8 mcg for breastfeeding women

Fortunately, you don’t need to worry about overdosing on B12 because it’s water soluble, so your body will simply flush out any excess. The type of B12 you use, however, is a factor worthy of consideration. While cyanocobalamin is the form of B12 found in most supplements, this form is far from ideal and does not occur naturally in foods. As explained by Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo:28

As the name implies, cyanocobalamin contains a cyanide molecule. Most people are familiar with cyanide as a poisonous substance. Although the amount of cyanide in a normal B12 supplement is small and from a toxicology point, viewed as insignificant, your body will still need to remove and eliminate this compound. This removal is accomplished through your detoxification systems with substances like glutathione being very important for the elimination of the cyanide.

A far better form of B12 — especially for the support of nervous system health and healthy vision — is methylcobalamin, which is the naturally occurring form found in food. It’s more absorbable and your body retains it in greater amounts than cyanocobalamin.29Considering the many health risks associated with B12 deficiency, and the fact that CAFO animal products — which is what most people eat — tend to be low in B12, it may be wise for most people to take a high-quality methylcobalamin supplement.

SOURCES AND REFERENCES

• 1, 2 USDA, Vitamin B12 Deficiency
• 3 Eating Our Future, Vitamin B12 Deficiency
• 4 Cell Metabolism November 4, 2014; 20(5): 769–778
• 5 PNAS February 14, 2017; 114(7): E1205-E1214
• 6 B12awareness.org
• 7 Health.com March 27, 2018
• 8 The Nutrition Almanac, 3rd ed. p. 32-33; Garrison, R. & Somer, E. The Nutrition Desk Reference, 3rd ed., (Keats Publishing; CT), p. 126
• 9 European Journal of Nutrition 2017 Feb;56(1):283-29
• 10 USDA, Vitamin B12 Deficiency
• 11 Baltimore Post-Examiner October 30, 2013
• 12  Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline, Estimation of the
• 13 Science Daily November 7, 2016
• 14 NIH.gov, Vitamin B12 Fact Sheet
• 15 British Medical Journal 956 Dec 15; 2(5006): 1394–1398
• 16 British Medical Journal 956 Dec 15; 2(5006): 1394–1398 (Full article, PDF)
• 17 Psychological Medicine February 16, 2017, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291717000022
• 18 Medical News Today February 16, 2017
• 19 PeerJ Journal 3:e1140
• 20 Pharmacogenet Genomics. 2009 Jun;19(6):422-8
• 21 Harvard, Vitamin B12
• 22 Clinical Chemistry August 2008
• 23 American Family Physician 2017 Sep 15;96(6):384-389
• 24 JAMA 2013;310(22):2435-2442
• 25 Health.com March 27, 2018
• 26 Effects of Antibiotic-Induced Vitamin B12 Deficiency With and Without Oral Administration of Vitamin B12 (PDF)
• 27 NIH.gov, Vitamin B12 Fact Sheet
• 28 DaDamo.com, Cyanocobalamin versus Methylcobalamin
• 29 Just Vitamins, Cyanocobalamin versus Methylcobalamin

METHYLCOBALAMIN STIMULATES SEROTONIN CREATION & IS THE ONLY FORM OF B-12 THAT ACTS ON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

Though his presentation register annoys me a bit, this particular one is informative and worth the time to listen to, particularly his emphasis on Methylacobalamin and Adensosylcobalamin.  Here is Dr. Edward Group's presentation.  The reason why Methylcobalamin and  Adensosylcobalamin are so important is because these are the most absorbable forms of B-12.  From Dr. E. Group's presentation:

Methylcobalamin is the only form of B12 that can cross the blood-brain barrier without assistance or conversion. Its methyl group stimulates serotonin creation, a neurotransmitter responsible for mood support. It also works directly on brain cells to protect against damage from excitotoxins. ^[1]  Researchers have found large doses of methylcobalamin may offer therapeutic value for those suffering from ALS and multiple sclerosis. ^[2] [3] This is the only form of B12 that acts on the nervous system.

Adensosylcobalamin

Methylcobalamin 

METHYLCOBALAMIN, B-12, SLOWS BRAIN SHRINKAGE & RESTORES YOUR CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS

George Hoyt Whipple discovered B-12 in 1934.  So knowledge of this nutritional compound is well known and well-studied.  B-12 is water soluble, plays a key role in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, and basically interacts with the bacteria in your body to produce energy, described here:

Vitamin B₁₂, also called cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin that has a key role in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system via the synthesis of myelin (myelinogenesis),^[1][2] and the formation of red blood cells. It is one of eight B vitamins. It is involved in the metabolism of every cell of the human body, especially affecting DNA synthesis, fatty acid and amino acidmetabolism.^[3] No fungi, plants, or animals (including humans) are capable of producing vitamin B₁₂. Only bacteria and archaea have the enzymes needed for its synthesis. Some substantial sources of B₁₂ include animal products (shellfish, meat), fortified foods, and dietary supplements.^[4][5] B₁₂ is the largest and most structurally complicated vitamin and is produced industrially only through bacterial fermentation. This B₁₂ is used for fortified foods and supplements. It has also been produced synthetically via vitamin B₁₂total synthesis.

Yeah, the synthetic version of B-12, called cyanocobalamin, actually has cyanide in it.  You may want to steer clear of that one.  Methylcobabalmin is the preferred for of B-12.

Sardi published an article back on September 11, 2013, titled "The Incredible Shrinking (Mushy) Vitamin B-12 Deficient Brain."  It will alert you to the serious problems that result from a B-12 deficiency, and I say this as a guy who takes a supplement daily (with a B-12 dose of 320mcg; that exceeds a maintenance dose by 5000%.  I wonder what a therapeutic dose is).  His article starts with a citation to the Tufts University study on how a mild deficiency of B-12 speeds dementia.  Yikes.  In terms of numbers, what is a deficiency of B-12?  

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the brain of a 76-year-old patient with dementia. The brain has shrunk, and the ventricles, the fluid-filled spaces (dark brown) at the center of the brain, have become enlarged. Photo: BSIP/Photoresearchers Inc.

It's elusive.  According to the B-12 website (yes, there's a website dedicated just to vitamin B-12), he states that it is 7ug, whatever that is.  But there is a summary to the article, and that's here:

The daily requirement according to DGE: 3 µg.  

The daily requirement is not actually the necessary amount!

Current studies recommend an intake of 7-10 µg.
During stress, illness and pregnancy, a higher intake is required.
Vegans should take supplements. 

Okay, so it looks like you want to be maintaining, meaning taking on a daily basis, 3 µg.  So anything less than that, you risk becoming deficient and moving toward mild dementia.  So don't start down that road.  It's a lot easier to remember to take the methylcobalamin, B-12, than to try to rebuild the brain.  

Investigators at Tufts University display striking images of the human brain when it is deficient in vitamin B-12.  Brain scans show fluid-filled spaces as the center of a shrinking B-12 deficient brain—literally holes in the brain. 

The report starts

Being even mildly deficient in vitamin B-12 may put older adults at a greater risk for accelerated cognitive decline, an observational study from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts suggests.  

Still, no numbers on how to measure "Being even mildly deficient . . . ."  

BENEFITS OF B-12, METHYLCOBALAMIN

BENEFIT #1:  Delays and significantly slows the shrinkage of the brain.  Methylcobalamin, B-12 produces stunning benefits on the brain, on the heart, on the spine, and the muscles and nerves that run all through your body.  It slows brain shrinkage by 7 times of what is normal.  This should be a daily regimen for life.   

A prior study showed that high-dose B vitamins (800 mcg folic acid, 20mgs vitamin B6, 500 mcgs of B-12) slows the rate of shrinkage in the human brain, and more demonstrably (by 7 times) shrinkage of grey matter in the brain.

So here I've listed some of the benefits of B-12: Methyllcobalamin, B-12, Betaine Hydrochloride, and Benfotiamine.  But what causes brain shrinkage in the first place?  Is there a way to prevent shrinkage or avoid it altogether?  First, I would stay away from foods drain the B-12 stores from your body, things like coffee, alcohol, digestive disorders, pernicious anemia, injuries, and worst of all, stress.  Stress is a killer, especially chronic stress.  B-12 helps fight off the damaging effects of stress on the brain.  

BENEFIT #2:  B-12 revitalizes and restores brain, heart, and spinal energy.  Few things do all three.

BENEFIT #3:  B-12 restores your circadian rhythms.  You will get the best sleep of your life.  Nothing compares.  Plus, given all the other benefits of how it rebuilds the brain, spine, heart, blood vessels, tell me, what's not to like.  If your sleep is better, just think how less irritable you'll be the next day.  I got the best sleep I'd head in decades.   

Effects of vitamin B12 on performance and circadian rhythm in normal subjects.  Neuropsychopharmacology, 1996.

This preliminary study investigates effects of methyl- and cyanocobalamin on circadian rhythms, well-being, alertness, and concentration in healthy subjects. Six women (mean age 35 years) and 14 men (mean age 37 years) were randomly assigned to treatment for 14 days with 3 mg cyano-(CB12) or methylcobalamin (MB12) after 9 days of pre-treatment observation. Levels in the CB12 group increased rapidly in the first, then slowly in the second treatment week, whereas increase in the MB12 group was linear. Urinary aMT6s excretion was reduced by both forms of vitamin B12 over 24 hours with a significant decrease between 0700-1100 hours, whereas urinary excretion of potassium was significantly increased between 0700-1100 hours. Activity from 2300-0700 hours increased significantly under both forms of vitamin B12. Sleep time was significantly reduced under MB12 intake. In this group the change in the visual analogue scales items "sleep quality," "concentration," and "feeling refreshed" between pretreatment and the first week of treatment showed significant correlations with vitamin B12 plasma levels. Cortisol excretion and temperature were not affected by either medication. We conclude that vitamin B12 exerts a direct influence on melatonin. Only MB12 has a positive psychotropic alerting effect with a distribution of the sleep-wake cycle toward sleep reduction.

WHAT B12 DEFICIENCY LOOKS LIKE

You already know what it looks like: fatigue because your circadian rhythms are ruined; poor appetite because you're eating fast food and coffee because you're trying to compensate for the deleterious disruption of your circadian rhythms.  Get the B-12.  Depression and numbness and tingling in the hands and or feet all for the same reason: disruption of your circadian rhythms that are built on your body's ability to coordinate its nerve and muscle and hormone functions properly.  You don't want to let these conditions go unanswered.  Get the B-12.  Take it throughout the day.  Take it daily.  It's at this point that most medical articles will say "so speak to your doctor promptly about treatment," but I would say, hey, your doctor doesn't know much about nutrition and even less about nutritional supplements, so instead of speaking with your doctor, consult the valuable articles and books by Bill Sardi.  

CAUSES OF B-12 DEFICIENCY
Bill Sardi points to two causes of B-12 deficiency: lack of absorption and H. Pylori bacterium.  The latter shuts down stomach acid and the former   

Lack of absorption of dietary and supplemental vitamin B-12 due to progressive inability to produce stomach acid is cited as a growing concern.  Therefore, it may be that widespread H. Pylori infection, which is prevalents in more than half of the US population, could be a parallel facto as H. Pylori shuts down production of stomach acid or hydrochloric acid. 

Lack of absorption is a serious problem for oldsters.  We might eat right but we're just not absorbing the nutrition that we need from a healthy diet.  

The academy estimates that between 10 percent and 30 percent of people older than 50 produce too little stomach acid to release B12 from its carrier protein in foods, and as the years advance, the percentage of low-acid producers rises.

Diabetics are at an added risk.

Another concern is that most often used anti-diabetic drug, metformin, depletes the body of vitamin B-12.  Metformin use has been associated with decliningmental function.

REMEDY THE DEFICIENCY

1.  Eat lean animal meats to get B-12 from food. 

Animal proteins, such as lean meats, poultry and eggs, are good sources of vitamin B-12. Because older adults may have a hard time absorbing vitamin B-12 from food, the USDAʼs 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that people over age 50 incorporate foods fortified with B-12 or supplements in their diets.

2.  Supplement with Betaine Hydrochloride to replenish stomach acid so that you can digest the foods above and get the needed B-12.  

The group studied did eat meats, so one of the reasons for them being deficient is due to low stomach acid at age 75 and above.  To remedy the problem of low stomach acid, then you'll need to supplement with Betaine Hydrochloride.  For low stomach acid, Sardi recommends the following:  

1) Follow an anti-H Pylori regimen;

2) Supplement your diet with zinc which is needed to make hydrochloric acid in the stomach. [I never heard of this before];

3) Take Betaine Hydrochloride with meals to provide supplemental acid source. 

SUPPLEMENTS TO REMEDY NERVE & MUSCLE FATIGUE, A TIRED HEART, A TIRED BRAIN, AND A TIRED SPINE

Methylcobalamin
 

If you're not getting enough B12 from the meats and eggs in your diet, supplement with this hydrochloric acid to help break down those proteins and other nutrients, like B-12

Betaine Hydrochloride.  


Mind Boosters: A Guide to Natural Supplements That Enhance Your Mind, Memory, and Mood, Ray Sahelian, 2000.  

COFFEE: DON'T WORRY ABOUT CANCER; WORRY ABOUT IT DEPLETING B1, THIAMINE

Well, don't expect to learn of the real value of food or their nutritional compounds from non-profits.  Starbucks, and other sellers inside California, has been ordered to post a warning that their coffee contains carcinogens.  Oh, brother.  This is terrible.  Whether coffee contains carcinogens or not is not why this is a terrible regulation.  What's terrible is that the customer may find a message on his cup that reads similar to the cigarette warning of:  

SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING:

Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, And May Complicate Pregnancy

What's dumb about it is that the warning itself is subliminal.  It's a message that the consumer inhales with each bite, sip, puff puff, or what have you.

Further, the compound that has been designated a carcinogen is acrylamide, a chemical used in the roasting process.  And the article does not go into what kinds of cancers what might get with acrylamide.  So there are no details.  

Thursday, March 29, 2018 07:53PM

LOS ANGELES (KABC) --

A judge ruled that Starbucks and other coffee sellers in California must provide a cancer warning on their products for customers.

A nonprofit group sued several companies that sell coffee, including Starbucks, coffee distributors and retailers in 2010.

The lawsuit claimed those companies violated state law, which requires them to warn consumers about chemicals in the roasting process that may cause cancer. One of those chemicals is acrylamide, which is a carcinogen.

Attorneys for about 90 companies said the chemical is present in the process, but that it's at harmless levels and is outweighed by the benefits of drinking a cup of coffee.

The ruling came despite eased concerns in recent years about the possible dangers of coffee, with some studies finding health benefits. In 2016, the International Agency for Research on Cancer--the cancer agency of the World Health Organization--moved coffee off its "possible carcinogen" list.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Coffee is a mixed bag nutritionally speaking.  It is a mild mineral chelator.  That can be good if someone already has cancer and they're trying to reduce absorption to more heavy minerals, like iron, mercury, and calcium.  Coffee is good for your vision.  So it has a couple of benefits.  But if someone is an addictive drinker of coffee, like I was, it can deplete B vitamins to the point that you'll actually feel tired.  That's not good.  But again this only after a week or two of steady coffee drinking of 3 to 4 cups a day, depending on your current B vitamin status.  You may already be deficient in B vitamins adn then drinking coffee on a regular basis, well, then it's not good for you.  So it's not so much that the coffee is bad; it's that your body requires daily sustained amounts of B vitamins.  Get it?  Good.  Read Bill Sardi on this.  

The problem of thiamin deficiency may be traced to another daily practice, the consumption of coffee, tea or beer. Many millions of people consume coffee or tea at the same time they take their morning multivitamin. What's the problem with tea or coffee? They contain tannins (bitter parts) that alter vitamin B1 and render it useless. Sulfite preservatives, as found in wine, are another antagonist to B1. Alcohol also interferes with B1 absorption. In fact, about 30-80% of alcohol users have low circulating levels of B1. The lesson here is not to take vitamin B1 pills with coffee, tea or alcohol. 

Forget about cancer.  This is what you really have to worry about from your addicting consumption of coffee.  A cup or two per day may not be that bad, but be sure that you're taking B1 away from your coffee consumption.  

A policeman is flagged down by a 32-year-old woman at a park in Joliet, Illinois who says she can't remember who she is or how she got there. She is later found to be a mother of four children living in Jackson, Michigan. Her name is Amber. She has not recovered memory of her earlier life or what triggered her amnesia. Doctors are at a loss to know what caused this case of "global amnesia."

Marie is college educated, with a father who is a physician and mother who is a nurse, and she can't find anyone who can tell her why she is experiencing severe nausea and vomiting early in her first pregnancy. No one seems to know. Folk remedies are sought. Despite being the most common torment of pregnancy, the cause of morning sickness remains a mystery. Or is it?

Jim, a rock sculptor living near Ontario, California, looks like Indiana Jones in the movie Raiders Of The Lost Ark. Prop him up on a bar stool drinking down some brew and he would fit into any beer commercial. He is manly but has an unmanly and embarrassing problem. All of a sudden he can't seem to control his bowels. He is running to the bathroom all the time. His doctor says it is irritable bowel syndrome, a now common condition that forces sufferers to be closely tethered to bathrooms. A drug is prescribed that slows down gastric transit time but induces sleepiness, and can't be taken while driving. But what is the cause of his problem?

Jackie is out of work and living in Santa Fe, New Mexico and suffering with relentless pain that has been diagnosed as fibromyalgia. Doctors don't seem to have an answer as to what causes this problem. Inexplicably, a number of people with fibromyalgia report having the same problem as Jim the rock sculptor (above), irritable bowel. Are the two conditions linked in any way? An estimated 5 million Americans have fibromyalgia, some of them children.

Robert, an award-winning journalist, wakes up one morning with a slight weakness in his left leg. Then he begins to lose his ability to speak. He has to say "yes" or "no" by shifting his eyes. Doctors offer an experimental drug. For unexplained reasons, doctors delay treatment until Robert loses feeling throughout his body and is now permanently confined to a wheelchair. Doctors say Robert had a bout of Guillain Barré syndrome that never went into remission as most other cases do. Again, doctors have no idea of the cause of this progressive loss of nervous system control, some believing it is triggered by a virus.

Steve, age 35, had been suffering heart palpitations for years and finally was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, a quivering heart muscle in the top chambers of the heart. Surgery and medication began to slowly help Steve regain his energy. Steve wonders if his children will inherit his problem. Despite successful treatment, neither surgery nor medication addresses the still unknown cause of atrial fibrillation. Millions of Americans, mostly men, face this same problem. Treatment consists of prescribing blood thinners to prevent a blood clot in the heart being thrown into the lungs or brain and controlled destruction of the heart muscle (ablation) itself. But what is its cause?

Martin, at age 56, first noticed could not keep up with his 70-year old brother in law when out hunting. He began to experience shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling in his ankles and a persistent cough. The diagnosis: heart failure. The cure: the implantation of a device in his chest that helps his heart pump blood. The device is credited with saving his life. More commonly heart failure is treated with a battery of drugs. But a recent study shows the drugs are of negligible value. 

LYCOPENE IS THE MOST POTENT FREE RADICAL QUENCHER OF ALL CAROTENOIDS

Tomatoes are delicious and refreshing when fresh-picked or chopped and mixed into a salsa.  And we hear how good they are for your health.  And they are.  But sometimes we find ourselves disappointed when we buy them fresh where they seem to lack all the rich taste and nutritional value.  And that is true.  That's not just folklore or rumor.  If you can find a delicious, vine-ripened tomato, those tend to be the most flavorful.  But the truth is that the tomatoes found inside a can of tomato sauce is actually more flavorful with a higher concentration of Lycopene.   

It's the Lycopene that gives tomatoes their health benefits.  Lycopene is one of 600 or more carotenoids.  Carotenoids accumulate in the skin where their protective compounds go to work.  I use the word protective because these carotenoids protect your skin from UV rays, working in this way as an anti-wrinkle food and anti-aging food.  What's not to like?  

But the health benefits of Lycopene don't end there.  According to NCBI, Lycopene is the most potent of all carotenoid free radicals.  

Lycopene, the most potent singlet oxygen quencher of all carotenoids, is a possible treatment option for male infertility because of its antioxidant properties. 

A singlet oxygen quencher is an antioxidant that destroys single oxygen free radicals.  

Dietary carotenoids seem to participate in the prevention of photooxidative stress by accumulating as antioxidants in the skin.  

Lycopene is the most potent of all carotenoids.  In fact, carotenoids have more powerful antioxidant activity than vitamin E.  

Carotenoids are known to be powerful O₂ (¹Δ_g) quenchers,⁽⁶⁾ and their activities are much higher than that of α-tocopherol and other biological antioxidants.

When the two are combined, Lycopene with vitamin E, they are a powerful compound for reducing erythema.

Stahl, et al ⁽³⁹⁾ found that combination of a relatively low dose of total carotenoids (25 mg/day) and vitamin E (RRR-α-tocopherol; 335 mg/day) significantly diminished the erythema (redness of the skin) on dorsal skin induced by illumination with UV light after 8 weeks.  

Eat your tomatoes and your watermelon and your red apples.  Not only is Lycopene good for your skin, it has terrific affects on your overall fertility, while enhancing your immunity.  Incorporate this food in your diet. 

other beneficial effects via nonoxidative mechanisms in the testis, such as gap junction communication, modulation of gene expression, regulation of the cell cycle and immunoenhancement. 

To achieve these results, however, one must take 4-8mgs per day for 4 to 12 months.  Fine.  You want these health benefits?  Great.  Take Lycopene on a daily basis for a full year and voila!

Okay, so reports on how much lycopene one should get on a daily basis varies.  The above NCBI article cites 4-8mgs per day.  But this Telegraph article says that one needs closer to 22mgs per day.  

One serving of cooked tomatoes a day, and several servings of fresh tomatoes a week. You should ideally eat 22 mg of lycopene a day; there are 27 mgs in two tablespoons of tomato purée. On a gram-for-gram basis, cherry tomatoes contain more lycopene than large tomatoes.

So far no mention of how many milligrams are found in an average-sized tomato.  

How should I eat them?

Here, canned is better than fresh. Lycopene is better absorbed when it is consumed in processed products, such as baked beans and tinned tomatoes, rather than as whole tomatoes. Choose tomato-based pasta sauces rather than creamy ones. Organic tomato ketchup is particularly good, and tomatoes are a fine excuse for a Bloody Mary.  

That surprised me.  You get more Lycopene in processed products. 

Tomato-based foods offer the highest concentrations of lycopene, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Because carotenoids are fat-soluble nutrients, cooking tomatoes with oil or eating cooked tomatoes with small amounts of fat increases the amount of lycopene that your body can absorb. Tomato sauces, pastes, soups and juices contain more lycopene than the fresh vegetable. One cup of canned tomato paste provides 75 mg of lycopene, compared to 5 mg[s] in one cup of raw tomatoes, the Linus Pauling Institute notes. Watermelon, pink, grapefruit, guava, apricots and papaya contain lycopene. These nutritious foods also provide vitamin C, potassium, folate and other antioxidant pigments.

That should be the final word on tomatoes and lycopene.  You get more Lycopene in processed foods. The one citation above even pointed to ketchup.  I used to think that Ronald Reagan was crazy when he and his commission cited ketchup as a vegetable, but apparently it has enough nutrients in it to have some protective effect against aging, illness, and a more youthful look.  

This was interesting.  If you consume too much carotenoids, they will deposit in your skin and turn your skin yellow, red, or orange.  I once consumed too much carrot juice one night and woke the next with orange arm pits.  Literally.  I freaked out and went to the Emergency Room the afternoon of the next day where the doctor asked if I had consumed any carrot juice.  Guilty as charged.  The best way to get the right amount is not really through supplementation but through food.  Your body will select the amount of Lycopene it needs and discard the rest.