Vitamin B12: Spark Neuroplasticity With This Vitalizing Nootropic by @jeroseland on 3Speak
The Cobalamin is the gateway brain vitamin. Since B12 plays a role in so many foundational processes that power our minds and bodies, people should begin their Biohacking by ensuring they are getti...
Tags: #health #nootropics #brainpower
If you've been reaching for methyl B12, expecting a reliable, cognitive, or training edge, the recent human clinical trials have some inconvenient findings alongside one genuinely interesting performance signal that I don't think you'll see show up in supplement marketing anytime soon. And that's why you're listening to The Limitless podcast to keep you ahead of the... marketing narratives, and on the edge of the clinical science published in this whole domain of cognitive enhancers, biohacking, the health things that don't just keep you at a baseline, but make you a little bit more dangerous. I'm Jonathan Rosent, again, with Limitless. And this is going to be a podcastization of my vitamin B-12 meta-analysis. Years and years ago, I had created all these videos about the 101 neutropics, like B -12, and these 101 kind of neutropics are actually pretty important. And I recently... updated the article version, and then I went back to take a look at the video version, because sometimes when I update the article version, I don't update the video version, because I just don't have the time, and if the original video is kind of, like, good enough to elicit people's interest in reading the article, then I say, hey, I've only got so much time. But in this case, the... audio in the original video version of my B12 meta-analysis was craptacular. It was just a grating audio experience. Hey, this is Jonathan with Limitless Mindset, the online destination for acquiring superhuman brain power and hacking your reality. So if you appreciate that kind of commitment to quality, then please, please, please leave this one a upload. Yeah, you're watching. listening to me someplace, I bet you got a thing where you can leave this like a comment and upvote, maybe five stars, yeah, do that, because I have very high standards that I bring, and I think it's reasonable to ask for you to just take the 10, 20, maybe 30 seconds that it takes for you to give me that little algorithmic boost. So let's dive in. The cobalamin, vitamin B12, plays an essential role in the normal functioning of the brain and human nervous system. The chemical components of B12 are involved in brain metabolism and the manufacture of neurotransmitters. This podcast is going to focus on decoding what the human studies are saying about B12 and how this squares up with anecdotal experiences of biohackers online. Yeah, that's my... empiricism methodology. Actually, there's four pillars to my empiricism methodology. I call it the Quadrithium Empiricum, and you're going to hear more about that towards the end of this podcast. But yeah. I'm a little bit different. Some people out there, some educators out there, they only look at the published clinical science, and then some people have a little bit too much of, like, a bias, where they say anecdotal evidence is the most important thing. And I try to strike a balance between, again, four different pillars of empiricism, the quadrivium empiricum. That is a cool phrase that I came up with. Isn't it deserving of your upvote? I dare say, dear listener. Okay, let's dive into the scientific research. Being the king of B vitamins, there's an abundance of research done on it. Over 8,000 articles of relevant research. published on PubMed and over 700 human clinical trials in this century alone. And here we're going to summarize every single one of them. Just kidding. Not going to do that. Otherwise, this would become a one of those Go to Sleep podcasts. We're not quite going to do that. We're going to meta-analyze and summarize. And look at the recent performance science. biohacker who keeps methyl B12 or B complex on hand as a foundational nutropic or mitochondrial support tool, the last several years of clinical work deliver a refreshingly honest picture. Clear and often robust benefits show up when your B12 status is low or homocysteine. is elevated. In healthy people who are already sufficient, the data on standalone cognitive enhancement or fatigue reduction is mostly modest or absent, though a couple of targeted performance findings and some longer-term brain health signals are worth factoring into your protocol. Here is what stands out from the stronger... recent trials and analyses. The most intriguing recent performance signal comes from a 2025, randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial conducted in healthy amateur male cyclists who already had normal B-12 levels. Participants took a specific methylcobolamine formulation at just one milligram per day. for just three consecutive days. Compared with placebo, they produced 4.1% higher peak power output during repeated windgate anaerobic sprints, experienced 6.4% less fatigue across those sprints, and showed 4.9% faster response times. on a cognitive reaction test. Researchers attributed the changes to improved neuromuscular efficiency, better nerve conduction, and reduced exercise-induced oxidative stress. For biohackers who periodize around key training or competition blocks, short-term targeted use of well-absorbed methylcobolamine looks like one of the cleaner acute edges to emerge from the recent scientific work on it. Okay, so that is interesting. So, one milligram, which would be, actually, that's what I have right here, 1,000 MCG. That is one milligram. and that resulted in modest uptick in physical performance. Next. A 2021 systemic review and meta-analysis published in the journal Nutrients examined B-12 supplementation either alone or in a B complex across 16 clinical trials involving more than 6,000 mostly older participants who had normal or only mildly low levels and no advanced neurological conditions. Supplementation produced no... meaningful improvement in cognitive function across standard domains or in depressive symptoms. Fatigue was rarely measured in the underlying trials, but the single study that tracked it found, no benefit. This is high certainty evidence that Extra B12 is unlikely to deliver... a reliable, neutropic, or an energizing edge if your levels are already decent. It is a useful reality check against the marketing that treats B-12 as an automatic cognitive upgrade for everyone. Next, a 2021 meta-analysis of 21 clinical trials involving more than 7,000 older adults and people with mild cognitive impairment. found that B vitamin combinations that included B12 produced a moderate improvement in overall cognitive function and consistently lowered homocystide. The same analysis showed no clear benefit on more specific measures, such as episodic memory, executive function, or information processing speed. For biohackers, this suggests B12 can play a supportive role in slowing, broad, cognitive slippage in at-risk or aging populations, particularly when homocystine is high, but it is not a precision instrument for sharpening, working memory. For that, you'll want to do dual endback training. And I've got links to that. Yeah, as per the usual, in the article version of this, I have all those link rabbit holes for everything I say here, for everything I assert here, dual end back, for example, that's a link rabbit hole. You're going to want to delve. into. And B12, also probably not going to do anything for reaction time, for people that already have normal B12 levels. 2026 research out of the University of California, San Francisco, where I imagine there are no natural hair colors to be seen whatsoever. That's just my speculation. It was highlighted. in coverage this year, and they found that older adults with lower levels of active B12, even when those levels fell inside conventional reference ranges, showed slower thinking speed, delayed visual processing, and greater white matter damage on brain imaging. This suggests that what labs currently call normal may steal... leave room for subclinical effects on the neural infrastructure that supports quick cognition and recovery. As a biohacker, you probably already know that the lower end of the lab's quote-unquote healthy range. In many, many cases, means unhealthy. It means room for improvement. It means potential check engine light, red-file complex supplementation, significantly improved exercise, endurance, performance, and reduced exercise fatigue. So that's kind of cool. B-12 is emerging as an... Enhanceer, which just makes me think of that great documentary, the endurance about the Shackleton expedition. I mention, I make it a point to mention this documentary about every six months on the podcast, because it's worth a rewatch. So this points to a genuine anti-fatigue and endurance support effect from the broader B -Vitamin family. for people who are pushing training volume. Next, I had originally named B12 as the gateway brain vitamin. And I think I still feel confident recommending B12 as a gateway smart drug to those beginning their biohacking. Many people email me questions asking about exotic... new neutropics. And when I question them a little bit, I will often discover that they have done very little to optimize their diet and lifestyle factors before diving into the murky waters of cognitive enhancement. Since B12 plays a role in so many foundational processes that power our minds and bodies, people should begin their biohacking by ensuring that they're getting enough of the B vitamins before diving into hardcore neutropic or pharmaceutical solutions. Let's talk about it as an energizing neutropic. B12 is essential for DNA synthesis and cellular energy production. According to a University of Sydney paper, the mechanisms of action of B12 empower a demanding work-hard, play-hard lifestyle, both in the short and long term. Biohackers on Lungicity regard it as one of the top neutropics for motivation and energy. To quote a long-term user of B12 and supposed professional shark tamer on Amazon, I take one of these per day in the morning, and it makes such an overall difference in my energy level. I can immediately feel the difference. If you are feeling sluggish, depressed, and anxious, take this product. I have been getting over a nasty stomach infection, and after a month-long bout of heavy-duty antibiotic therapy, I was feeling drained of all my energy. I felt like I couldn't get my body feeling like it used to pre-medication, and it was actually losing hope in ever feeling that energy again. Then I tried this, call me crazy, but I swear this boosted my mood and lifted me off my feet on the first day of usage. I actually felt better than I did before the antibiotics. I feel amazing. Now, I don't get sleepy midday, and am alert and far more positive since starting this. Of the over 200 neutropics I've tried, personally, B12 passed the snooze test most impressively. You set your alarm. about 30 to 40 minutes early. Then you leave your neutropics and a glass of water next to your bed, and when your alarm goes off, take the neutropics and then go back to sleep. The neutropics should kick in and wake you up. When you're relaxing in bed, in that semi -conscious state, it can be a really cool sensation to feel the neutropics switch on, especially when it happens in the middle of a lucid dream. And that was something I wrote originally, and I realize now that that's kind of, like, insanely bad sleep hacking that I am recommending there. Now, I never use an alarm clock. This is one of the benefits of entrepreneurship. You don't need an alarm clock. But... You can do a similar kind of experiment is inevitably you might wake up early. And what you can do is leave your neutropics out. You could leave them out on bedstand or nearby the bathroom if sometimes you wake up early and go to the bathroom. And then take your neutropics. maybe 30, 40, an hour before you normally wake up, and then, yeah, you'll have that kind of cool experience of maybe your neutropics will kick in during a lucid dream. Next, B12 is frequently praised as a cure for the post-lunch mid-afternoon energy crash. and it may also have some value as a focused drug. To quote one, articulate self-experimentor, there is a distinct boost to my concentration that comes from it. as in it becomes much easier to stay settled on what I'm focused on, as well as the depth and richness of my thoughts that increase with regard to the natural detail that spawns from them. Next, B vitamins are mitochondrial support. From... Lee knows book. It was entitled Mitochondria in the Future of Medicine, and it was a quite good, quite boring book. I'll quote from it. Of all the nutrients defined as true vitamins, The ones that have the greatest direct impact on cellular metabolism and energy production are collectively known as the B vitamins. This group is made up of numerous distinct nutrients, and each is either a co-factor in an important metabolic process or a precursor of an important energy-related molecule. B-12 plays an important role in supplying essential methyl groups for protein and DNA synthesis and has numerous functions. However, for the mitochondria, vitamin B12 is involved in several important metabolic processes, including the generation of of Sam E, which is important for cell function and survival. Next, let's talk about empowering neuroplasticity, or maybe you want to call it neurogenesis. This is the capacity of the brain to grow and adapt to the challenges presented to it. Anytime you take on a cognitively challenging new task, whether it's learning a new language, playing a musical instrument, programming iOS, or salsa dancing. That sensation of frustration at your snail's pace of improvement is the gears of neuroplasticity working in your mind. Personal development on any level requires two things, stimulus and fuel. So, fuel is things like B12. It's high-quality vitamins and nutrients that support your neurogenesis capacity. And then the stimulus. And the stimulus can... be things like, it could be things like traveling to a new place, learning a new language, it could be a new relationship, or it could be a skill that you want to acquire and suck at currently, and you're willing to push your way through the sock, and I think about salsa dancing, because it's one of those things that a lot of people will say, Oh, I'm awful at salsa dancing. I would never try that. And I was that way at one point, but then I said, oh, this is a neuroplasticity opportunity to get outside of my comfort zone and do something fun and challenge myself. And about 10 hours later, I was kind of a dangerous gringo on the dance floor. And actually, that neuroplasticity... example, I include that in my book, Hourglass. I had written a science fiction slash cyberpunk novel, where I took my 15 years of obsession with biohacking, new tropics, life hacking. I took the... nearly 800 articles that I've written about this topic, and I said, let me take my best of the best biohacks and life hacks, and put them into a thriller narrative about a cybercriminal who has to save civilization from the same comet that destroyed Atlantis, 12,800 years ago. Yeah, that's the premise of Hourglass story. And in it, I actually use... salsa dancing as a neuroplasticity stimulant that the protagonist needs to make a major breakthrough in the story. I won't tell you anymore, but I'll just include a little snippet from the audiobook. The next morning, still shivering after an ice -cold shower, a clever thought occurred to him. All work and no play makes Xavier a dull boy. Might there be a skill or hobby you could pick up? Something totally unrelated to solving the conjecture? That would stimulate broader neuroplasticity? Something fun, new to you, and novel? The Angel asked. Learning a new language? No, too time-consuming. Learning to play a musical instrument? No. I have the musical aptitude of a rock. Playing a new sport? No. I'm kind of a clutz with lousy eye -hand coordination on account of my decades of spending most of my time in front of a computer. Might you try something new that would impress Astrid? The angel suggested. Yeah, you're supposed to be the new Xavier, so surprise her. Remember what Marilyn Monroe said. You can do anything you want to a girl as long as you do not bore her. You obsessing over the conjecture, 24-7 is sure to bore her. The demon interjected. She's Colombian, Latino culture. Salsa dancing. Yes, I'll learn to salsa dance. I've always been an awful dancer, but I've heard it's actually not that hard to learn. Next, let's look at the abstract of a 2014 UNAN University paper, which had some interesting conclusions. Quote, in this review, we summarized the manner in which nutrients... can protect against oxidative damage to mitochondria and lipids in the neuronal circuits associated with cognitive and effective disorder. These nutrients include members of the B vitamin, B12, and folic acid, and magnesium. Accumulating data... have shown these nutrients can enhance neurocognitive function and may have therapeutic benefits for depression and suicidal behaviors. A growing body of studies suggests the intriguing possibility. that regular consumption of these nutrients may help present the onset of mood disorders and suicidal behaviors in vulnerable individuals, or significantly augment the therapeutic effect of available antidepressants. and a 2007 Chinese study adds, both vitamins B12 and B9 are central for normal brain development and have a role in neuroplasticity and in the maintenance of neuronal integrity. So, yeah, pretty conclusive that it's a neuroplasticity agent. Let's move on to talking about depression. The authors of a population-based study of 271 people conducted in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, concluded that low B12 levels were a cause of depression and not merely a symptom of it. Quote... the association of vitamin B12 and folate with related to depression. And this is an important distinction that's not always understood by lay people. Marketers and people with agendas will often make sensationalistic claims based on a small piece of data that draws a vague and often purely coincidental connection between two things. Like when we hear someone claim that violent video games cause school. shootings. Hopefully, we all understand that it's not actually video games that cause school shootings, but mentally unstable young men belong to a demographic that's just more likely to play violent video games. However, in the case of depression and B12, the researchers of this extensive study are saying that... in a lot of their subjects was indeed caused by the deficiency. And boy, if you've ever known a person that struggled with depression, that's like freaking fantastic news, because dealing with depression is just like pushing that, for some people, it's like pushing that boulder up the mountain for eternity, right? If you can get out of that cycle with something as simple as just taking a vitamin that is really worth trying, that's really worth getting the blood test done to see if that's actually the problem, which brings us to the topic of deficiency. Unless one's diet is strictly controlled for both quantity and quality. B12 sources, the risk of deficiency is serious. It's important to maintain healthy B12 levels. At levels, just a little bit below normal, symptoms such as fatigue, insufficient memory, and depression can occur. Here's some more signs of deficiency. Fatigue and constant tiredness, lack of energy, shortness of breath, frequent headaches, heart palpitations, moodiness or depression, stomach upset, sudden weight loss. And these are obviously kind of ubiquitous symptoms that even a healthy person might experience sporadically. So, again, if you suspect that you might be deficient, then get that blood test done. Here's some of the more specific conditions associated with deficiency. Anemia, peripheral neuropathy, surgical resection, autoimmune pernicious anemia, celiac Crohn's disease, chronic pancreatitis, acloridria, atrophic gastritis, and serious B12 deficiency, it can actually cause irreversible damage. to the mind, in…