Why You Need B12
Vitamin B12 is a water soluble vitamin. This means that it doesn’t stay in the body for a long period of time and that more frequent support with B12 may be needed to maintain healthy B12 levels in the body.
- Vitamin B12 is important for energy, for balance related sports, for endurance sports, for healthy red blood cells, for memory, among other roles in the body.
- Vitamin B12 can be depleted by drinking alcoholic beverages, a poor diet, certain medications and as we age.
- Lack of B12 has been associated with fatigue, alcoholic liver disease, anemia, cancer, ulcers, dementia, neural tube defects, depression and memory loss.
- Higher levels of B12 correlate with improved balance, energy and endurance in athletics.
Why You Need Hydroxy B12
Vitamin B12 also called cobalamin can include hydroxyl B12, methylB12,cyanoB12 and adenosylB12. Many vitamins, including B12, are not active in the form in which they are normally found in food, instead the body
needs to convert the B12 into a form that it can use directly. B12 is needed for the proper functioning of a number of different enzymes in the body, however not all types of B12 are equal and not all types of B12 can be easily changed to what is needed for critical reactions in the body. Hydroxy, methyl and adenosyl are all forms of B12 that are used directly by reactions in the body. CyanoB12 must be converted for use in the body and as the name suggests, cyanocobalamin contains a cyanide molecule.
- MethylB12 can be used in the body, though it cannot be tolerated by everyone. Those who get jittery from caffeine, coke, tea may not react as well to methylB12. For this reason, Black Bear B12 does not use methylB12 as we feel that everyone should be able to take and benefit from the use of high doses of B12.
- AdenosylB12 is a special form of B12 that is important in the energy cycle in the cells of your body. As part of our Black Bear sponsored athletes program we are very concerned with supporting energy in the body of our athletes. Black Bear does include adenosyl B12.
- Hydroxycobalamin, or hydroxyB12 is the main component in Black Bear. It is a unique form of vitamin B12, which is more easily converted to the form that is actually used for reactions in the body. This might cause you to ask, why doesn’t everyone use high dose hydroxylB12 in their formulations? Well, Hydroxycobalamin (Hydroxy B12) is more difficult to work with, harder to keep in an active form and more expensive than some other forms of B12, such as cyanoB12. For this reason, many other products do not contain hydroxyl B12 and instead use cyanoB12.
- CyanoB12 contains a cyanide molecule. So when you take cyanoB12 your body must first turn it into hydroxyB12 in order to use it, and then must find a way to get rid of the toxic cyanide molecule. We all know cyanide is a poison even if the rest of the B12 molecule is good for you. The body actually uses hydroxyB12 in order to detoxify cyanide. So, not only is cyanoB12 not the form your body ultimately needs, but taking higher doses of cyanoB12 may actually deplete your hydroxy B12. So why would anyone use cyano B12 if it can be toxic? Well, in low doses it may be helpful for the eyes, but for the most part cyanoB12 is used because it is much less expensive, and a form of B12 that is easier to keep in a stable.
The formulation of Black Bear B12 has taken into account all of these various forms of B12 and which can best be handled by the body. Black Bear B12 contains a unique blend of hydroxyl B12 and adenosylB12 to optimize energy support for our sponsored athletes.
Black Bear Energy Spray uses xylitol with trehalose as a sweetener. Xylitol is a natural sugar found in hundreds of plants and animals; in fact, we make up to 15 grams of xylitol daily during normal metabolism. Natural sources of xylitol include the fibers of many fruits and vegetables, including various berries, corn husks, oats, and mushrooms. It can also be extracted from corn fiber, birch, raspberries, plums, and corn.
Xylitol has half the calories of table sugar and has less of an impact on blood sugar so it is an alternative for those concerned about blood sugar issues. Xyltiol is the mirror image of glucose (glucose is one of the two sugars that makes up ‘table sugar’). This mirror image structure appears to confuse bacteria and in part may account for its ability to inhibit bacterial growth. Xylitol has been found to decrease the incidence of dental issues. It has also been shown to reduce ear infections as well as to have a positive impact on bone density.
Xylitol was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1963 and it has no known toxic levels.
Why You Need Molybdenum
Molybdenum is a mineral that is critical for certain reactions in the body.
- Lack of molybdenum may be related to asthma, allergies and respiratory issues.
- Drinking alcohol can deplete molybdenum leading to increased risk of toxic sulfites in the body and increased nitrosamines (which are associated with colon and esophageal cancer).
- Molybdenum deficiency has been related to impotence in older males, and sulfite sensitive asthma.
- Molybdenum is needed by enzymes in the body to help the body to process dairy (xanthine oxidase), to get rid of the very toxic sulfites (sulfite oxidase), and to help the body to handle breakdown products from alcohol (aldehyde oxidase).
Black Bear B12 has the advantage of containing a special blend of minerals including molybdenum.
Black Bear Energy Spray uses Trehalose as a sweetener. Trehalose is a natural sugar, similar to sucrose (table sugar) that is found in nature in hundreds of plants and animals. Trehalose is consumed as part of a normal diet and is found in mushrooms, honey, lobster, shrimp and foods produced using baker’s and brewer’s yeast.
Trehalose has been shown to be nature’s way of protecting us from extreme hot and cold conditions. It is a primary factor in stabilizing organisms during times of freezing and heating. Especially for those who are skiing or snowboarding in extreme cold or skateboarding in the heat this may be a positive factor. Trehalose has also been shown to reduce neurological stress, to help provide energy to the body, to protect cells from injury, to prevent proteins from clustering into aggregates and to stabilize protein and cell membranes. Doctors currently use Trehalose to preserve tissue and blood cells during organ transplants and transfusions. High fructose corn syrup can’t compete with all that!