In the title, “Vitamins” is short-hand for “multiple vitamin supplements” that are obsolete. Multivitamins are taken to achieve a health benefit or as inexpensive health insurance. Insurance against a possible missing nutrient in the diet that could contribute to any one of a number of illnesses. 

Below are some facts I will be explored in the chapters to follow:  

• Most medical training and textbooks state that there is a three-year reserve of B₁₂ in the liver. Unfortunately, healthcare is based on this incorrect assumption. The liver does not and cannot store water-soluble B vitamins.  
• Only 30 to 40 percent of people have enough of the enzyme (MTHFR) that efficiently converts the folic acid found in supplements and grain products into folate, the bioactive form used by the body. 
• There is plenty of B₁₂ and folate in red meat, but 50 percent of people over the age of fifty cannot manufacture enough stomach acid to break down the protein to release these vitamers.
• The widespread use of medications to reduce stomach acids, such as H-2 blockers and proton-pump inhibitors, can lead to a medically induced B₁₂ deficiency. 
• The enzyme that changes folic acid into bioactive folate, known as MTHFR, is blocked by many medications, including NSAIDs, antibiotics, diuretics, aspirin, birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy, steroids, and metformin. 
• The damage to sensory nerve cells due to B₁₂ deficiency starts long before the shortage can be detected on blood tests for anemia. 
• Deficiencies in B₁₂ or folate are not nearly as rare or as easy to diagnose as we were led to believe in medical training.

Here’s how a combined B₁₂ /folate deficiency list might look if we included the “too small to be obvious” problems as well as the “large” problems. Do you or yours experience any of these? 

• Neurologic problems—numbness, weakness, incontinence, dementia
• Cardiovascular damage—arteriosclerosis, heart attacks, strokes, pulmonary emboli
• Immune system weakness—chronic inflammation, poor wound healing, feeling sickly 
• Hematologic impairment—anemia, fatigue, increased infection
• Endocrinologic upset—weight gain, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis
• Gynecologic impairment—false abnormal pap smears, postpartum depression, infertility 
• Psychiatric distress—irritability, depression, anxiety, poor concentration
• Gastrointestinal problems—weight loss or gain, constipation, irritable bowel, mouth ulcers

The following are some additional little-known details that will also be explored:

• B₁₂ and folate deficiency hampers the elimination of a cellular waste product called homocysteine. A buildup of homocysteine causes increased blood viscosity, blood clots, inflammation, arterial damage, unhealthy aging, and other medical problems. 
• B₁₂ and folate vitamers modulate the level of long-term inflammation through a process called DNA epigenetic methylation. This process regulates the protein expression of genes.
• Many textbooks are mistaken in stating the liver has the highest concentration of B₁₂ in the body. It certainly has the greatest amount of B₁₂ because it is so large, but the pituitary gland contains a much greater concentration of the vitamer. This little-known fact has tremendous implications for health and disease because the pituitary helps regulate most hormone production in the body.
• Japan sets a high level for normal B₁₂ below which neurologic symptoms start, while in the US we set the level two to three times lower at the level which anemia starts. This means that sensory nerve damage starts before anemia changes even appear in the lab tests your doctor ordered.
• Folate and B₁₂ are co-enzymes, so both must be present in adequate amounts for essential biochemical reactions to work, such as cellular energy production. 
• Vaccinations, such as the pneumococcal vaccines, can be significantly less effective when vitamin B levels are reduced. 
• When B vitamers are taken by vegans and vegetarians, they can actually maximize the benefits of their dietary choices and reduce fertility difficulties. 
• Regular use of B vitamers decreases the craving for red meat, promoting personal health and ecologic benefits.
• Only humans have a high concentration of methyl-B₁₂ in our blood because of our unique brains and circadian rhythms.
• If shellfish were not such a great supply of B₁₂ and folate, all humans on earth would be speaking various Neanderthal dialects rather than a Homo sapiens language.
• All earthlings going to Mars will carry vitamers to survive the voyage.

In sum, there is a deficiency of vitamers in our food, our supplements, and our bodies. Switching to B₁₂ and folate in the vitamer forms can make a significant positive change in your health. The new knowledge you will acquire can help you make better choices for yourself and your loved ones and save your dollars from just being flushed away. By the end of the book, you will fully understand the importance of vitamers and how to use them for healthy living and healthy longevity.