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July 6, 2020
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How Scientists Discovered That The Mysterious 'Extrinsic Factor' in Liver was Vitamin B12

In 1926, Harvard physicians discovered that eating half a pound of liver daily would prevent Pernicious Anemia. The hunt was on to identify the compound in liver that was responsible. In 1947, Karl Folkers (a scientist at Merck) isolated the tiny red crystals of vitamin B12. 'Extrinsic Factor' now had a name.

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Jonathan Bortz MD
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Jonathan’s background as a practicing diabetes specialist for 15 years and 17-year career developing nutritional prescriptive products for the pharmaceutical industry has contributed to his ability to understand nutrients, how they work and why they are important.

Over the years he has acquired broad and in-depth knowledge in minerals, essential fatty acids and other nutrients, but has special expertise in Vitamin B12 and choline metabolism. He is often asked to speak at national and international venues to articulate why B12, folate and choline are so important to gene function, brain development, liver and cardiovascular health. He applies pharmaceutical standards to nutrient science and has developed a unique ability to translate complicated concepts into simple promotional messages that resonate with practitioners and consumers. He has developed dozens of innovative nutritional products, of which many are category leaders in the US. Jonathan obtained his medical degree from the University of the Witwatersrand Medical School in South Africa and did his fellowship in Endocrinology at Washington University in St. Louis, MO.

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