I Am Taking Sam-e 400 Mg Once Per Day.is Gnc Big 100 Enough Vitamin B For Me?

July 11th, 2009 • Related • Filed Under

I am taking SAM-e complete, 400 mg once per day. I bought the Big 100 Vitamin B complex at GNC. Is the Big100 enough Vitamin B complex to prevent the buildup of homocysteine?
“Once a SAMe molecule loses its methyl group, it breaks down to form homocysteine. Homocysteine is extremely toxic if it builds up within cells. But with the help of several B vitamins (B6, B12 and folic acid), our bodies convert homocysteine into glutathione, a valuable antioxidant, or “remethylate” it back into methionine.
“SAMe and homocysteine are essentially two versions of the same molecule—one benign and one dangerous. When our cells are well stocked with B vitamins, the brisk pace of methylation keeps homocysteine levels low. But when we’re low on those vitamins, homocysteine can build up quickly, stalling the production of SAMe and causing countless health problems. High homocysteine is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke. During pregnancy, it raises the risk of spina bifida and other birth defects. And many studies have implicated it in depression. ”
The GNC Big 100 contains b-12 100 mcg, folic acid 400 mcg,b6 100mg, thiamin,riboflavin,niacin,biotin,pantoth… acid,inositol, and choline bitartrate.
Thanks for any help on this…just wanna see if i need to take more vitamin b complex.

There Are 2 Responses So Far. »

  1. Comment by Tink on 11 July 2009:

    Your main methyl donors are b-12, b-6, and folic acid. Thats whatcha need break down homocystiene.
    Many people take 800mcg of folic acid alone for just this purpose. Plenty of places sell combinations of b-12, b-6, and folic….I would try one of those…and returning the b-100 you bought….besides, it will make you pretty hungry most likely (thats a side effect for many people when taking b-complex)
    What I would suggest is that you take a multi that has a decent b-complex in it (most of the b’s around 25 mgs) and then add a folic acid…..at least, thats what I would do in your spot
    Good Luck
    Edit: I can’t read your comments while adding an edit – so I hope that I address most of them….most formulas sold at GNC are so so….I’ve never really been able to find usefully designed formulas there….vitaminshoppe.com and iherb.com have served me much better.
    This is the one that I suggest for that purpose…http://www.iherb.com/Carlson-Labs-Tri-B-…
    You just want something along those lines….Shoot, its common enough of a formula that you might be able to ask the pharmacist at your drug store for something like it. You might not know it, but folic acid is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs [yes, thats right, drug - at 1,000mcg its a prescription drug] So he will know about it, especially considering that pharmacists are doctors of drugs [Thats their speciality]
    Furthermore, your cardiologist will know ALL about all of these vitamins (surprisingly, cardiologists tend to know the most about vitamins, because many of them are prescribed cardiological drugs at higher doses) so I’m assuming he might be able to suggest a specific brand….with valve issues along those lines, its a good idea to keep homocystiene low, however, you need to also manage overall cholesterol counts as well.
    Good Luck

  2. Comment by oldtimek on 11 July 2009:

    Part of that depends on the rest of your diet, but yes, those three B Vitamins do help to control the Homocysteine and those are good supplemental doses of the B Vitamins.
    Most of the Homocysteine formulas I’ve seen have closer to 500 mcg of B-12, 400 mcg of Folic Acid (both common doses), and 50 mg of B-6 (lower than normal dose, but sufficient for it’s purposes). In other words, the B-6 and Folic are good, but you could take extra B-12 or just switch to one of the many Homocysteine complexes on the market (either GNC or a better brand… just make sure they are from a company with good quality).
    You should be perfectly fine taking those, but if you notice any cardiovascular issues come up down the line, you could always add some TMG (Trimethylglycine) since that would help convert the Homocysteine more. Good luck and I hope I helped!

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