Synthelamin Feedback?

[Serotonin]

I was considering this product to help stimulate appetite to hopefully counteract the LOSS of appetite caused by the venlafaxine I'm taking.

This is what my friend a Dr. from Corpus Christi had to say about it...

There are a large number of herbal distributors that make the claim that B12 supplementation improves appetite. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to much hard data to back up this claim.

There have been a number of studies that correlate levels of B12 with overall nutritional intake. In populations that have difficulty maintaining body mass or nutritional intake (ie cancer patients, the elderly, eating disorders, etc) low levels of B12 seem to be one of the more solid indicators of poor nutritional intake. Rising B12 levels seem to correlate well with better overall nutritional status.

The extrapolation, however, that B12 actually improves appetite does not seem to have much backing

B12 is normally absorbed by a specific area (the terminal illium) of the small intestine. Proper absorption from the intestine requires a co-factor that is secreted by the stomach lining called "intrinsic factor." Most people get more than they need through normal dietary intake. People who do not make intrisic factor or have poor oral intake may not be getting enough B12.

B12 is a necessary part of red blood cell growth and development. The most significant effect of low levels of B12 is a condition called Pernicious Anemia. There are certainly other physiologic and biochemical problems associated with low B12 levels, but anemia seems to be the cause of the majority of constitutional symptoms (weakness, lethargy, etc).

The recommended daily intake of B12 is about 3.0 ìg/day. For someone with a high metabolic turnover who is trying to increase skeletal muscle mass, then it would be reasonable to infer that you could benefit from a higher B12 intake. The risks asssociated with excess B12 are minimal so taking too much is not much of a danger.

There seemes to be no real difference bewtween IM and SQ B12, but more to the point, I honestly don't see the benefit to injection-based supplimentation. we use IM and SQ B12 in the hosptial setting for people who are unable to take medications by mouth or for people who have stomach disorders and cannot make the intrinsic factor necessary for B12 absorbtion through the GI tract.

There is no evidence that I can find that shows that IM or SQ B12 hold any improvement over oral supplementaion in people with normal stomachs linings. Oral supplements, however, do not carry the infectious risk of IM/SQ administration and have the benefit of being readily available from your local pharmacy or GNC.


Now... all that being said I'm just curious if anyone has tried this product and felt a genuine increase in appetite. Not a placebo affect ( I know it can be difficult to determine).

Thanks!

[Serotonin]

bump... still haven't ordered yet and am looking for some feedback.