Update 3/13/20. This is a follow up to my review on TriVita Sublingual B12. As I was writing my original TriVita B12 review, I noticed that there are 2 versions of this supplement. In addition to the original version, there is also a Super Sublingual B12 supplement. Both versions have vitamins B12, B6, and folic acid. What's the difference between them? Well, for one thing, the super B12 supplement has 3x as much B12 as the original version. Whether or not people need that is open to debate. The big difference as I see it is that the Super version also has:
- Ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate (25 mcg – micrograms)
- Cocosin (5 mg)
- Ginseing (5 mg)
Heres some research on those ingredients
Ornithine Alpha Ketoglutarate
Ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate (also called OKG). Ornithine is an amino acid. Ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate is composed of ornithine and the amino acid, glutamine. There are several reasons why OKG is being used in this supplement. Here are what I think are the most likely reasons.
Bodybuilders sometimes take ornithine supplements because they think it raises growth hormone. Growth hormone levels tend to decline as we age. Some research does suggest that very high levels of ornithine may raise growth hormone in young men who lift weights. The issue is in this study ornithine was combined with the amino acid arginine (TriVita Super B12 does not have arginine). Also, the men in this study took 4400 mg of ornithine (and 6000 mg of arginine). TriVita Super B12, only has 25 micrograms of ornithine (notice micrograms is MUCH smaller than milligrams).
Ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate may help tissue regeneration. In this regard, OKG may help people with severe burns. In research, OKG is not given as an oral or sublingual supplement. Rather it is delivered via a tube into the digestive system. Also, a lot of OKG is used (10 to 20 grams a day). That's more than is in TriVita Super B12. Would a sublingual OKG supplement also help rebuild tissue in people who are not badly injured? I am not sure. I can't locate any research on this.
Glutamine (which is part of OKG) is very popular among those who exercise. While glutamine may help people who are very sick, it doesn't seem to do much in healthy people, unless you are a professional athlete. For more info see my glutamine review.
Cocosin
Cocosin is basically coconut oil. Some people think that coconut oil is healthy because it contains a lot of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). These fats are processed in the body differently than longer chain fats. They are less likely to be stored as fat. Some research notes that heart attacks are not increased by coconut oil. That's really good.
That said coconut oil is mostly made of saturated fats.
Other research hints that coconut oil might raise cholesterol levels. It's for these contradictory findings that I currently view coconut oil as controversial until better studies can be done. TriVita super B12 doesn't have much coconut oil so that's good.
FYI, Trivita also makes a cactus juice drink called Nopalea.
Ginseng
When it comes to ginseng, the question I have is what kind of ginseng is in TriVita Super B12? There are several types of ginseng and each can have different effects. The most common types that I see in supplements are:
- American ginseng
- Asian ginseng
- Siberian ginseng
On the TriVita website, we are only told that their ginseng comes from the root of the plant. That doesn't tell me much. If I don't know what type of ginseng is in TriVita Super B12 I can't elaborate on what it might do.
If you find out the type of ginseng in TriVita super B12 let me know. Different types of ginseng are used for different reasons and can have different effects. For those who are interested, here is TriVita Super B12 on Amazon.
What do you think?