IO Genix Vitamin B12 1000 µg ER - Vegan Extended Release

What is IO Genix Vitamin B12 1000 µg ER?

IO Genix Vitamin B12 1000 µg ER is a coated tablet of vitamin B12 in the form of cyanocobalamin. One tablet provides 1,000 µg, which is 40,000% of the nutrient reference value. The bottle holds 90 of them, which comes to three months at one tablet a day.

The two letters “ER” stand for extended release, prolonged release. The tablet does not release its dose into the stomach all at once: it diffuses it gradually, which the hydroxypropyl methylcellulose used as a thickener in the body of the tablet makes possible. It is the only thing that sets this product apart from a conventional B12, and it determines how it should be taken.

Vitamin B12 is the only nutrient the body can neither make nor find in the plant kingdom. It comes exclusively from foods of animal origin — meat, fish, eggs, dairy products — because it is synthesised by bacteria. That is what makes it the baseline supplement for vegan diets, and one of the few whose necessity is not up for debate in that particular case. The rest of the Spanish range can be browsed in our IO Genix aisle, and the other products in the category in our vitamin B aisle.

What does one Vitamin B12 ER tablet contain?

40,000% of the reference value is a figure that makes you sit up, and it deserves a full explanation rather than a shrug. Oral absorption of vitamin B12 is limited in two ways. The active route, which goes through the intrinsic factor produced in the stomach, saturates at around 1 to 2 µg per dose, and no more. Beyond that, all that is left is passive diffusion across the intestinal wall, whose yield is of the order of 1%. In other words, a lot has to be offered for a little to get through.

That is the whole logic of the 1,000 µg dose: it is not commercial one-upmanship, it is the arithmetical consequence of a saturable absorption mechanism. And it is also why extended release makes sense here: by spreading out when the vitamin becomes available, it calls on the active route several times over rather than just once.

Vitamin B12 carries several authorised claims in Europe, and they are more than enough to describe what it is for. Vitamin B12 contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system, contributes to normal red blood cell formation, contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism, contributes to normal homocysteine metabolism, contributes to the normal function of the immune system and has a role in the process of cell division. These are the official wordings.

The form used is cyanocobalamin. It is the most stable of the B12 forms, the one that best withstands heat and light, and by far the most studied. The body has to convert it into active forms, a conversion that takes place normally in a healthy person. The manufacturer also states that the product is free from gelatine, gluten, lactose and GMOs.

Information missing from the manufacturer's file: the exact period over which the release is spread is not disclosed. We will not invent it and we stick to the principle: the diffusion is gradual, not immediate.

Ingredients list

Bulking agents (microcrystalline cellulose, calcium carbonate), thickener (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose), anti-caking agents (silicon dioxide, magnesium stearate), coating agent (clear HPMC powder), cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12).

May contain traces of TREE NUTS, PEANUTS, EGGS, MILK, SULPHITES, FISH and SOYA. Free from GMOs, gluten, gelatine, artificial colourings, starch, lactose, salt and added sugar.

How do you take Vitamin B12 ER?

Dose: 1 tablet, to be swallowed whole. Liquid: a glass of water. Timing: any time of day, preferably with a meal. Frequency: one dose a day. Duration: the manufacturer sets no time limit; supplementation is ongoing for as long as the reason behind it persists.

The most important instruction on this page comes down to three words: do not crunch. Do not chew it, crush it or cut the tablet in half either. Extended release depends entirely on the tablet staying intact; breaking it releases the whole dose at once and does away with the only advantage you are paying for. If you find tablets hard to swallow, take it in the middle of a mouthful of fruit purée or yoghurt, without breaking it up.

Two interactions are worth noting, because they are common and easy to avoid. A high dose of vitamin C, above 500 mg, taken in the hour before or after, reduces the absorption of B12: space the two doses out. And several common medicines — metformin, proton pump inhibitors such as omeprazole, H2 blockers, colchicine — reduce the absorption of vitamin B12. The manufacturer recommends leaving two to three hours between them. If this applies to you, speak to your doctor or pharmacist.

When will you notice anything? If your levels are normal, you will feel nothing at all, and that is entirely to be expected: B12 is not a stimulant. It combines without any overlap with an omega 3 or a spirulina, the latter not in fact being a reliable source of B12, whatever you may often read.

Who is Vitamin B12 ER for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed first and foremost at people whose diet provides no B12, or very little: vegan and strict vegetarian diets, above all. It also concerns people over sixty, in whom falling stomach acidity reduces the extraction of B12 from food, and those taking a medicine known to hinder its absorption over the long term.

It is not suitable in cases of allergy to cobalt or cobalamin — the B12 molecule is built around a cobalt atom. The manufacturer also flags Leber's disease, a hereditary optic neuropathy for which cyanocobalamin is contraindicated. It is a rare condition, but the warning is explicit on the packaging and we reproduce it as it stands.

In cases of absorption disorders — Crohn's disease, colitis, gastrectomy, pancreatic insufficiency — or diagnosed pernicious anaemia, the oral route may not be enough and follow-up is a matter for a doctor, not a supplement bought online. For pregnant and breastfeeding women, B12 requirements are higher, but what to do about it is decided with a healthcare professional.

What not to expect from it: it is no substitute for a diagnosis. Persistent tiredness can have ten causes, and only a blood test will say whether B12 is one of them. If you belong to an at-risk group, have your B12 measured rather than assuming — it is quicker, more reliable, and it avoids supplementing beside the real issue.

Extended-release tablet or B vitamin complex?

The question comes up every time, and the answer depends entirely on why you are buying.

A B vitamin complex provides all eight vitamins in the group, with B12 dosages that generally hover around a few micrograms — enough to cover the reference value, not to make up for a complete absence of dietary intake. It is the right choice if your diet is simply irregular and you are looking for a broad safety net. Our multivitamins aisle answers the same logic, on an even broader scale.

This tablet does the opposite: a single vitamin, at 1,000 µg, with release spread over time. It is the format that fits when B12 is precisely the nutrient that is lacking, that is to say on a diet excluding all animal products, or when a medicine hinders its absorption. In that case, a general-purpose B complex would be undersized.

There is a third situation, often overlooked: B12 works hand in hand with vitamin B9 and with iron in red blood cell formation. If you follow a vegan diet, these three nutrients deserve to be looked at together, with the help of a healthcare professional. The plant proteins aisle rounds out the same approach on the protein side.

Frequently asked questions

Why 1,000 µg when the reference value is 2.5 µg?

Because oral absorption of B12 saturates: the active route tops out at around 1 to 2 µg per dose, and beyond that only passive diffusion operates, with a yield of about 1%. A high dosage compensates for that low yield. It is not one-upmanship, it is arithmetic.

Can the tablet be cut or crunched?

No, never. It is the one absolute rule with this product. Crunching, chewing or crushing the tablet releases the whole dose instantly and cancels out the extended release. If the tablet goes down badly, swallow it with a spoonful of yoghurt or fruit purée, but whole.

Cyanocobalamin or methylcobalamin?

Cyanocobalamin is more stable, better documented and less expensive; the body converts it into active forms without difficulty in a healthy person. Methylcobalamin is already active but more fragile in storage. For everyday use, the form chosen here is a defensible one.

Is this tablet suitable for vegans?

The manufacturer states that it is free from gelatine, gluten, lactose and GMOs, and cyanocobalamin is obtained by bacterial fermentation. Nothing in the ingredients list is of animal origin. Do note, however, the possible traces of eggs, milk and fish linked to the manufacturing plant.

Should vitamin C be avoided at the same time?

Yes, if the dose exceeds 500 mg. The manufacturer asks that you leave at least an hour between them, because a high dose of vitamin C taken at the same time reduces the absorption of B12. If you take a 1,000 mg vitamin C in the morning, move the B12 to lunchtime.

How long before an effect is felt?

None at all if your levels are normal: B12 is not a stimulant and produces no sensation. Where a deficiency has been confirmed by a blood test, an improvement in tiredness is generally seen over several weeks of oral supplementation, and follow-up belongs to the doctor who made the diagnosis.

How long does a bottle last?

90 tablets at one a day: three months. As B12 supplementation is designed for the long run on a vegan diet, it is a pack size suited to ongoing use rather than to a one-off course.

Where can you buy IO Genix Vitamin B12 ER?

The 90-tablet bottle can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, it is the first supplement we recommend to a customer who tells us they have gone vegan: before the proteins, before the omega 3, comes B12, because it is the only intake that no plant food supplies reliably. The rest of our selection can be browsed in the sports nutrition aisle.