Comments on daily B-12 vitamin --> # of mcgs level. Some say if you eat the right foods, you don't need it. I've heard 1000mcg per day for vegans / vegetarians is common. Costco sells 5000mcg capsules!! I recognize some folks with a B-12 shortage need more. Assume a healthy person w/no shortage. Any helpful comments are welcome (snarky are not) I'm here to learn. Thanks!
Vitamin B12
- Thread starter zki
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Lou
Forum Legend
The " if you eat the right foods, you don't need it" was in the news just last week.
That statement is not true for vegans. It may be true for carnists but in a recent study, something like 10 - 20% of the population was B12 deficient. And of course, not all of those people were vegans.
The best way to get your B12 is with your food, in small amounts throughout the day. A glass of soy milk with each meal should do it. or any one of the other fortified foods. Figure 33% of the RDA - three times a day.
However, taking 100% of the RDA just once a day doesn't work so well.
The thing is that only about 33% of the RDA can enter our system at any one time. After the first 33%, the absorption rate goes down to 1%. That is why you see these B12 capsules with these huge RDA%. I think in order to get 100% at a rate of 1%, you need 10000%.
Timed released B12 capsules might be a good alternative, too.
Dr Gregar has a video on it that really explains it well.
That statement is not true for vegans. It may be true for carnists but in a recent study, something like 10 - 20% of the population was B12 deficient. And of course, not all of those people were vegans.
The best way to get your B12 is with your food, in small amounts throughout the day. A glass of soy milk with each meal should do it. or any one of the other fortified foods. Figure 33% of the RDA - three times a day.
However, taking 100% of the RDA just once a day doesn't work so well.
The thing is that only about 33% of the RDA can enter our system at any one time. After the first 33%, the absorption rate goes down to 1%. That is why you see these B12 capsules with these huge RDA%. I think in order to get 100% at a rate of 1%, you need 10000%.
Timed released B12 capsules might be a good alternative, too.
Dr Gregar has a video on it that really explains it well.
So easy to take a supplement - you only need one 2000-2500 once a week!
I don't think about getting it from fortified foods, because you'd need to get it pretty much every day, and what if you change up your diet? I used to when i drank store bought soy milks and things, then switched to mostly wfpb and said -whoops! I need a supplement!
www.forksoverknives.com
The fact that your body stores it is not reason to wait!
I don't think about getting it from fortified foods, because you'd need to get it pretty much every day, and what if you change up your diet? I used to when i drank store bought soy milks and things, then switched to mostly wfpb and said -whoops! I need a supplement!
Vitamin B12: All Your Questions Answered | %%sitename%%
Vegans are regularly advised to mind their levels of vitamin B12, but vegetarians and even meat eaters often come up short on this important nutrient...
www.forksoverknives.com
Three Chickpeas
Forum Practitioner
I take a supplement, and have to stay on Mama Chickpea about taking one. We've started to ensure Little Chickpea has some Ripple (B-12 fortified pea-milk) and even more recently some fortified coconut yogurt as she's naturally slowed her breastfeeding. We all get some more in our B-12 fortified nutritional yeast whenever we have that with a meal. During the summer we'll eat vegetables and berries straight from the plants from our garden, and we're on well water.
We don't have much worries about B12 around here!
We don't have much worries about B12 around here!
Lou
Forum Legend
As I understand it, getting B12 from garden vegetables is a myth or a misconception. The bacteria that create B12 Does exist in the soil. and eating it does put those bacteria in our guts. But it doesn't matter. The site for B12 absorption is in our small intestine. The site the B12 producing bacteria lives in our large intestine.
Three Chickpeas
Forum Practitioner
Lou
Forum Legend
If it doesn't work like that, we still get plenty, but you have given me something new to research.
Good, let us know what you find out.
Take the 5000mcg. It's not going to do anything detrimental to your microbiome because your gallbladder controls your stomach bile not your stomach. If anything, you are going to be doing yourself a favour. It;s fat soluable which means that it's a rare occurrence with vegan foods. Take as much as you can get.
Mic the Vegan has an interesting new video out that addresses the B12 from food issue ... well worth watching.
Emma JC
Emma JC
Forest Nymph
Forum Legend
Yeah I was watching this last night. The duck weed thing is awesome. The only problem is that the protein powder he is talking about is not cheap. I wonder if just cultivating duck weed works, because that's easy. It grows wild.
As he mentioned you would have to be careful where it is growing... a polluted pond would not be ideal.
Emma JC
Forest Nymph
Forum Legend
As he mentioned you would have to be careful where it is growing... a polluted pond would not be ideal.
Emma JC
Lol I agree! I just meant it might not be hard to cultivate at home and I am curious about its effectiveness without it being in this special powder. For example, he hypothesizes that our ancestors might have eaten it in the wild near the equator. That would explain the ancient vegan humans that appear in Judeo-Christian mythology and other evidence of a potentially fully vegan civilization in Africa from anthropology. Do East Asian people eat it historically? Or is it natto that allows them to live until 90-100 on little to no meat, no dairy, and a number of eggs that don't appear to be a full B12 source in moderation. Like eating one egg a day with little or no animal flesh isn't a great B12 source if you eat that way for years or decades.
of course, since I watched a duckweed video, another one showed up and it was very interesting also...
Emma JC
Emma JC
probablybirdie
Newcomer
Just wanted to add a couple resources to this thread: theveganrd.com's article on b12 and veganhealth.org's article on b12. Both of these sites are run by vegan RDs.
theveganrd.com says to do one of the following:
Hope this helps!
theveganrd.com says to do one of the following:
- Eat two servings per day of foods fortified with at least 2 to 3.5 mcg of vitamin B12 each. You’ll need to eat these servings at least 4 hours apart to allow for optimal absorption.
- Take a daily supplement providing 25 to 100 mcg of vitamin B12
- Take a supplement providing 1,000 mcg of vitamin B12 twice per week
- Eat fortified foods two or three times a day to get at least three micrograms (mcg or µg) of B12 a day or
- Take one B12 supplement daily providing at least 10 micrograms or
- Take a weekly B12 supplement providing at least 2000 micrograms.
Hope this helps!
David3
Forum Legend
The Vegetarian Resource Group has published a report about vitamin B12 and duckweed. The author is Reed Mangels, co-author of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' Position Paper on Vegetarian Diets: https://www.vrg.org/blog/2020/01/28/is-duckweed-a-reliable-source-of-vitamin-b12/ .
TofuRobot
Forum Legend
Just checking in...
I have Twinlab Mega Dots, 5,000 mcg and LifeWise liquid drops, 1,000 mcg. I switch off between those 2.
This time last year I tested deficient - and actually had symptoms of a deficiency. Had to get injections 1x/week for 4 weeks. I just take one of those every day cuz I don't want to mess around.
I have Twinlab Mega Dots, 5,000 mcg and LifeWise liquid drops, 1,000 mcg. I switch off between those 2.
This time last year I tested deficient - and actually had symptoms of a deficiency. Had to get injections 1x/week for 4 weeks. I just take one of those every day cuz I don't want to mess around.
FredVegrox
Forum Senior
I like having some prepared food that is fortified with vitamin B12, though I mostly eat whole foods. But I do take vitamin B12 supplements. It is needed in our society of modern civilization. This vitamin is not made from animals, it is from soil bacteria, with all the ways of cleaning we have, those bacteria are eliminated from veggies that would have them. Even animals in captivity under animal agriculture do not get the vitamin B12 that they would naturally get with grazing, and they have to be given supplements of vitamin B12. The ideal I would seek is growing my own produce for all of my food, as well as for any who would go with me to do that, and it would only be rinsed, and vitamin B12 would still be available from that.
Were you tested for the MFTHR genetic makeup? Where you require the methylated form of B12 and/or folate?
Were you taking methylcobalamin or cyanocobalimin?
Cyanocobalimin is know to be more stable, so if it says it so much mcg it stays that amount, while methyl has been found to degrade from amount listed, BUT, if you have the genetic mfthr you won't be able to use cyano, so methylated is required.
What is an MTHFR mutation?
An MTHFR mutation is the mutation of a gene that regulates the production of a certain enzyme. The mutation can lead to many health conditions. Learn more here.
www.medicalnewstoday.com
TofuRobot
Forum Legend
Tiredness, weakness, heart palpitations, numbness/tingling in my fingers, being excessively cold all the time. With regards to the numbness/tingling in my hands/fingers, I actually have Reynaud's disease, which is not so much of a "disease" per se, but that's what it's called. When it's really cold, and especially when my hands are cold, all the blood will leave 1-4 of my fingers - usually just my index fingers. My fingers will be totally white and it hurts. I've had this since I was a teenager. It happens pretty infrequently, but last year it was happening a lot more than usual, and was affecting more of my fingers than usual. I really didn't think anything of it (heck, my house is cold in the winter season), and I didn't think much about being tired. I didn't realize how "off" I was until I started getting the injections and started feeling normal again. I'm due for another physical in a couple weeks, so I'll be interested to see how taking just the supplements is working. I still get the RD symptoms, but not as much - just like I did before. And I feel fine now. So... We'll see I guess!
