Congratulations on taking control of your health, and making the decision to add a vitamin B12 supplement to your daily regimen. Researching the best kind of vitamin B12 can be confusing, but armed with the right information, you can make the right decisions on taking this all-important vitamin. Now you can choose which is the best form of B12 to use.

There are numerous types that claim to be vitamin B12, but you must be very careful not to simply use the first option you find. In fact, there is only one form that should be used in the vast majority of cases: Methylcobalamin. At this point you may be thinking “That seems simple enough. I’ll just ask for that”. Not quite as easy as it seems as there are literally hundreds of options on the market.

There is a generic term for the class of compounds known as Cobalimins. What are Cobalamins? Vitamin B12. But there are many forms and types of Cobalamin, including cyanocobalamin, hydroxocobalamin, and methylcobalamin. But not all of them are created equal, and there is definitely a best choice. Making the correct choice is critical to improving your health.

Hands down, the best choice is methylcobalimin. Why? This form of B12 is technically a ‘coenzyme’ of the vitamin and is superior due to its effectiveness, availability, price point, and choice of applications. Folks who tend to avoid needles may get this in a sublingual formulation, and those who prefer an injectable have that option. Methylcobalimin also provides many benefits that are not available with the other types of Cobalimins, especially with regard to degenerative neurologic problems. In fact, it is one of the only promising treatments for these types of illnesses. It is the form found in our foods, and is more readily available for the body to utilize. Another little known benefit is that mehylcobalamin helps remove toxins from the body, and helps guard against harmful environmental pollutants. Children with autism respond particularly well to this type of vitamin B12 as they may suffer from methylation detoxification problems. Surprisingly, however, it is the least prescribed form of vitamin B12 due to the newness of the research and the lack of widely available information.

The worst choice? Cyanocobalamin. This form must be used in higher doses to get the same effectiveness as methylcobalimin, and is completely ineffective in many cases. Some medical experts, like Dr. AG Freeman in 1970, highly recommended that cyanocobalamin be removed from the market permanently because of its lack of positive attributes. The most disturbing fact is that this is the most common form of vitamin B12 prescribed in theUnited States.

Finally, hydroxocobalamin is the vitamin B12 that is more effective than cyanocobalamin, but not nearly as much as the hylcobalimin. It is typically prescribed when the availability is in question, or there is little knowledge of other options on the market.

Take control of your own health by making the best choice for vitamin B12. After all, your well being depends on it!