What B12 does after 60
He starts with one job, and it explains why low B12 feels like exhaustion rather than a deficiency.
Dr. Martin on what B12 does:
Dr. Martin, The Doctor Is In, Episode 1063Well, B12 makes red blood cells, okay? Red blood cells, you don't make enough red blood cells without B12 and red blood cells carry your hemoglobin oxygen. Hemoglobin is just Velcro.
He adds two more: B12 helps make nerve endings, and it helps your cells reproduce. Then the part that matters after 60. Your body does not make B12. You have to eat it, or take it.
Why the standard B12 test misleads
The usual answer to "should I take B12" is "my doctor said mine is normal". His problem is not the doctor. It is the test.
Dr. Martin on the B12 test:
Dr. Martin, The Doctor Is In, Episode 1063And one of the big problems is the testing for B12. It's a hundred years old. We should give it a birthday party and put it to bed because it's so far off in terms of optimizing B12.
The range is the issue. He reads it as roughly 200 to 1400 and calls that eternity in blood tests. A woman at 300 and a woman at 1200 both come back normal.
Dr. Martin on the number he wants:
Dr. Martin, The Doctor Is In, Episode 1063I like between 800 and 1200. When people ask me, what do I like for B12 numbers? If it's under 800, I don't like it. Optimize it, you'll feel better.
The episode was built around a New England Journal of Medicine article he read on Harvard Health. The journal had landed where he already was.
Dr. Martin, The Doctor Is In, Episode 1063And that's actually what the New England Journal of Medicine was saying, that people do much better with optimal levels of B12, and a lot of times their blood work is showing normal.
How many women?
Dr. Martin, The Doctor Is In, Episode 1063And the vast majority of people, over 80% of the population have low levels of B12, and they're certainly not optimized.
"You want high B12? You don't want low B12."
Dr. Martin, The Doctor Is In, Episode 1063The signs of low B12 women miss
He reads the symptom list straight out of the journal article, nine of them. These are possibilities, not a diagnosis, and plenty have other causes. That is his framing.
- Pins and needles in the hands and feet
- Trouble walking, and losing your balance easily
- Severe joint pain
- Shortness of breath going up a flight of stairs
- Anemia
- A swollen tongue, or anything odd in the mouth and lips
- Memory and cognitive changes
- Muscle weakness
- Fatigue
Two he singles out for women over 60. Balance, because he says seniors lose it easily and nobody checks a B12 level. And strength.
Dr. Martin, The Doctor Is In, Episode 1063You need B12 for muscle strength, grip strength.
The one he says should have topped that list:
Dr. Martin, The Doctor Is In, Episode 1063And of course, which should be really number one on the hit parade of those symptoms would be fatigue. I'm tired, dog. I'm drained. I'm tired of being tired, huh? First thing I used to check is B12.
Medications that drain your B12
This is the part that changes most after 60, and why a woman who eats well can still be low.
The first is the acid reducers. Heartburn pills and the antacids on the shelf lower the acid in your stomach, and stomach acid is what pulls B12 out of your food. Lower the acid, lower the B12.
The second is the one he gets angry about.
Dr. Martin, The Doctor Is In, Episode 1063When you are on Metformin, you are going to be low in B12. 100% for sure. So when you get a prescription for metformin, why is that pharmacist not telling you?
Then there is the arithmetic of being over 60 at all. He cites a United Kingdom figure on the same episode: over 65, people are on five different drugs a day on average. He is careful about what he does with that.
Dr. Martin, The Doctor Is In, Episode 1063Well, what does that do? I'm not telling people not to take their meds. I don't do that. I'm not your doctor. I don't tell people not to take their meds, but if they are taking them, guess what? You're going to be low in B12.
Age does part of it with no medication. Your stomach acid goes down as you get older, he says, and the intrinsic factor goes with it. Weight loss surgery, Crohn's, ulcerative colitis and celiac go on the same list.
Food sources, and where plants fall short
His position on where B12 comes from is the least hedged thing he says.
Dr. Martin, The Doctor Is In, Episode 1063People today are eating less meat, 30% less meat than 20 years ago. How crazy is that? Red meat, especially red meat. It's the only place to get B12.
Liver and steak are the two he names, pork a little less. The meal he sees women over 60 living on gets no credit: chicken and salad, which he says has no B12 in it.
Dr. Martin, The Doctor Is In, Episode 1063You were meant to eat red meat. Vitamin S, steak. Simple as that.
If you are vegetarian or vegan he does not soften it, and he does not tell you to stop. He tells you to supplement for life.
Sublingual B12 versus the B12 shot
The question that follows is always the shot. He has given thousands and is not against them. He thinks the shot loses on frequency, not potency.
Dr. Martin, The Doctor Is In, Episode 1063And I'm just going to tell you, it's better that you take B12 every day than getting a B12 shot. I'm not against B12 shots, okay? I'm not against them all. I'm telling you what's better, sublingual, okay?
Sublingual means it melts under your tongue instead of being swallowed, so it goes into the bloodstream rather than through a stomach that may not have the acid to release it. You can do that every day. You are not getting a shot every day. More on sublingual B12 versus the B12 shot.
Who he is not worried about
He does not name a group who should skip B12, which is worth saying plainly rather than inventing one. On this episode his direction runs entirely the other way: over 80 per cent of people low, and almost nobody optimized.
Work back from his list and the woman he would leave alone looks like this. She eats red meat. She is not on Metformin or an acid reducer. She has not had weight loss surgery. And she tests in the 800 to 1200 range. His point is how few women over 60 that describes.
Common questions
Is vitamin B12 good for women over 60?
In Dr. Martin's view, yes, for most. He puts over 80 per cent of the population at low B12, and what pushes it lower clusters after 60: less stomach acid with age, acid reducing and diabetes medication, less red meat.
My blood test said my B12 is normal. Am I fine?
Not necessarily. He reads the range as roughly 200 to 1400 and calls the test a hundred years old. He wants 800 to 1200. Under 800 he does not like it, flagged or not.
Does Metformin lower B12?
He says yes, without qualification: on Metformin you are going to be low in B12, 100 per cent for sure. Acid reducers do the same by a different route. He is clear he is not telling anyone to stop a prescription.
Is a sublingual B12 better than a B12 shot?
He picks the daily sublingual, and he is not against the shot. His argument is frequency. A sublingual melts under the tongue and goes straight into the bloodstream, so you can take it daily. You do not get a shot daily.
Decide on B12
Martin Clinic's Vitamin B12 is a sublingual methylcobalamin, 4000 mcg in one daily serving.
60-day money-back guarantee. B12 is one of the three he talks about most, and all three are in The Big 3 bundle.These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult your healthcare practitioner before starting a new supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition.
