Let's Talk About Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12, the often cited crux of veganism: the reason why it is unnatural. So many will dismiss a plant based diet due to the lack of this vitamin, they choose to ignore the fact that over 97% of Americans do not get enough fiber, as an example of an equally important element to a balanced diet. Seeing as I promote a WFPB (whole food, plant-based) diet, which is a vegan diet how and where do we get our B12 from?
Where Does B12 Come From?
B12 deficiency is no joke and finding a way of getting this into your body is important. Where does B12 come from? Animal Products... right? Actually, B12 is produced by bacteria, and most people in modern times do get it from eating animal products. However we get it from them because those animals have consumed B12 and so it’s present in their products. There is a wide range of bacteria that produce B12. One you may be somewhat familiar with is the bacteria that produces that smell right after it has freshly rained. What you are smelling there is dirt dwelling bacteria, and those are B12 producers.
Interestingly, the human digestive system is actually pretty bad at extracting B12 from animal products, and this only gets worse as you age. This suggests that our bodies did not evolve with this as the primary source. What is suspected is that paleolithic humans would have gotten their B12 from eating food that still had a bit of dirt on it, or from drinking water from streams, rivers, and lakes. In both these cases, the B12 bacteria present would have been consumed from there, since you only need a miniscule amount of it per day. As another example a medieval peasant probably got it from the B12 bacteria living in the water of their village well.
In the modern world, our water supply is clean, which is great, since we don’t get stuff like cholera, tuberculosis, parasites, and worms. But, the process of killing those things is the same as killing the good B12 bacteria so there is none in the water and we need to find an alternate way to consume it.
But it's in Animal Products
While B12 is present in animal products, where does a pig get it’s B12 from? Simple, they are given supplements. By eating animal products, you are just indirectly supplementing your B12.You may as well go straight to the source. B12 supplements are made by extracting the vitamin out of the bacteria. No animal involvement needed.
Some plant based options that are fortified with B12 like plant milk and nutritional yeast. While I do recommend having both of those, you shouldn’t consider them your primary B12 source, they are just both useful and tasty ingredients. Instead, I’d recommend taking a B12 supplement.
Supplement Information
There are 2 main types of B12 supplement that you will see, methlycobalamin and cyanocobalamin. The cyano version holds up better to light and heat, so it will stay good longer in your pantry so that is what I would recommend.
As for dose, studies have shown that you (an adult between the ages of 18 and 65), should be looking to take at least 2000 mcg once per week on an empty stomach. You also want ones that are either chewable or sublingual (you let it dissolve under your tongue) because your body absorbs it better if it mixes with your saliva. You don’t want to take it in a multi-vitamin, because other things present in there can actually destroy the B12 in your digestive system which will prevent you from absorbing it.
As as final note, as I mentioned as you get older your ability to absorb it drops and so that is why everyone not just vegans over the age of 65 should take a 1000 mcg B12 supplement daily.
What If I’m Vegan and Don’t Take B12 Supplement and I Feel Fine?
Good question. You would be part of a group that is of much higher risk of being B12 deficient. I would recommend that you get blood work done regularly to keep track of your B12 levels, or even just recommend you start taking some right away. Your body does keep a store of B12 so that on days where you don’t consume any, it can still have access to B12 and use it. The problem is that since you only need a very small amount per day, it can take up to a couple years for your body to run out. In the meantime while you use up your stores you will feel fine. If you have been vegan for a short amount of time and are not supplementing your B12, it is probable that your body is using up what you built up before going vegan and you’ll run into trouble down the line. Changes can also be quite gradual, so you may not notice that you don’t feel as good as you use to.
Eventually, you will run out and a vitamin B12 deficiency is not something you want. Among a wide range of issues the most severe is permanent neurological damage, even if you treat the deficiency, you will be stuck with that. Be safe and take a supplement.
Is Supplementing Safe?
Yes. The only real side effects seen from B12 supplementation come from people who are getting massive doses of it at once from injections. In those cases, some of the people getting B12 injections experience acne breakouts.
In general, there is no reason to inject B12 though, even supplementing everyday with an oral method will solve a deficiency. From oral supplementation, you will not reach the B12 levels found in an injection.
Vitamin B12 is also water soluble which means that any excess you consume will just end up in your pee.
Here are some links to supplements you can buy online. I personally consume the Canadian B12 supplements I’ve linked. For the American recommendation, I went with one that has similar ingredients. I am not a doctor nor have I tested any of these in a lab. They simply best match the current guidelines. Consult with a doctor before taking.
Canada
Adults – At least once weekly:
https://amazon.ca/dp/B00BMEHEXE
65+ – Daily:
https://amazon.ca/dp/B00BMEI9RO
USA
Adults – At least once weekly:
https://amazon.com/dp/B00NQ8O8LU
65+ – Daily:
https://amazon.com/dp/B0006ZNFKQ
