- Hey, this is Dr. Berry.
In this short video I wanna talk
to you about a supplement that's very important
for anyone who's taking metformin or glucophage to take.
It's a vital essential mineral
and if you, or a vitamin,
and if you don't get it you can suffer severe, long-term,
even permanent consequences,
so let's talk about this vitamin.
Now, if you know someone that takes metformin
or glucophage for prediabetes,
for insulin resistance, for polycystic ovarian syndrome,
or for infertility issues,
please share this video with them
because they really need this information.
Doctors are very busy.
We try to remember to tell people
to take this vitamin,
but sometimes we forget
and so this is very important to share
if you know someone who's in that boat.
Now let's talk about this.
So metformin or glucophage, you may have heard of this.
It's a very safe, very inexpensive medication
that's first-line treatment for PCOS,
polycystic ovarian syndrome, for prediabetes.
Some doctors even use it in insulin resistant patients
who are not prediabetic yet
and it's definitely one of the first-line drugs used
for type two diabetes.
Like I said, it's very cheap.
It's the least bad of all the type two diabetes medications
in my opinion.
It's not perfect but the reason that I think it's okay
to take for many people is because it works
by decreasing your liver's production of glucose.
It decreases gluconeogenesis.
That's one of the things it does.
What it does not do is increase your pancreas's secretion
of insulin and so it doesn't increase the insulin level
in your bloodstream which is a very good thing.
It also makes your body's tissues more sensitive
to the insulin that you're already making,
so your liver is more insulin sensitive,
your muscles, even your ovaries,
and then a couple of other tissues in the body
may be even more sensitive
to the insulin you're already making,
so its mechanism of action is very good
in that respect, but due also to its mechanism
of action, up to a third of people who take metformin
or glucophage, if they're not taking
a vitamin B12 supplement,
they can become either a little bit
or a lotta bit vitamin B12 deficient
and that's a big deal.
If you're older, if you're over 50,
you're actually much more susceptible to this.
If you drink more than one alcoholic drink a day
you're much more susceptible to this
because alcohol tends to also deplete your folate
and your vitamin B12 levels.
The deficiency in vitamin B12,
the reason we care about it is
it can cause some pretty disastrous symptoms,
but if you're B12 deficient for long enough,
it can become permanent.
The damage can be permanent
and so one of the very first things most people notice
when they're B12 deficient is they have
a peripheral neuropathy in their feet usually
but sometimes the hands as well,
described as a pins and needles kind of feeling
and some people with type two diabetes have this anyway
and so it's hard to know if it's from the B12 deficiency
that they may or may not have
or just from the diabetic neuropathy
and so that's why it's doubly important
for somebody with type two diabetes
to take their vitamin B12 everyday,
and I'm gonna tell you at the end of this video
which kind of B12 to take.
So, we've talked about one of the things
which is peripheral neuropathy
but other problems that a vitamin B12 deficiency
can lead to is worsening memory
and if it goes on for long enough it can actually lead
to a certain type of dementia,
which can be permanent so it's a big deal.
Also, a vitamin B12 deficiency can lead
to decreased cardiac output.
Your heart may just not function as well
as it could otherwise if you're vitamin B12 deficient.
Now, there are multiple different B12 supplements
you can buy on the market,
but what I recommend you take is a methylated B12
and I'm gonna put a link down below
to one that I know is safe and reliable.
The reason I say take a methylated B12 is
that there are millions of people out there
who have an MTHFR gene mutation
and they can't methylate B vitamins,
so even if you're taking a good B12 supplement,
if the B12 is not already methylated
and you have an MTHFR gene mutation,
then you can't utilize that vitamin B12 nearly as well
as if it were methylated,
so everybody just oughta go,
if you're gonna buy a B12 supplement,
get a methylated one.
That way you don't have to spend the money,
if money's an issue,
to find out if you have the MTHFR gene mutation
or not, okay,
so I'm gonna put a link
to a really reliable methylated vitamin B12 down
in the notes below.
So, that's it.
That's what you gotta do.
If you're on metformin or glucophage for any reason,
any medical reason, you absolutely
must take a B12 supplement
and I recommend you take a methylated B12 supplement.
Now, if you enjoyed this video,
please consider subscribing to my channel
because every time I have a bright idea
I try to make a video,
and this actually came from a comment I got
on my Facebook page that said hey dummy,
you should make a video about this,
and so I'm like, you know you're right.
I should make a video about this.
Also, if my videos have really helped improve your health,
you can click on my patreon link.
It's right down below.
It's a quick sign-up
and you can throw a buck or two my way
to help me have more time
to make more videos just like this one.
Also, Nisha, my wife, and I are live on my Facebook page
every Sunday night at seven p.m. central standard time
and we would love it if you would join us there.
All right, this is Dr. Berry.
I'll see you next time.