Vitamin B12 is part of the B vitamin group. Food sources for vitamin B12 are meat, eggs and dairy products. Scientists report that some seaweed and an alga like spirulina contain very high amounts of vitamin B12.

What it Serves for!

Blood cell production and nervous system maintenance are not possible without vitamin B12. This vitamin contributes to the rapid cellular division and the synthesis of DNA. Adults and children need this vitamin just as much. In the brain, vitamin B12 maintains the myelin by its role in the metabolism of fatty acids.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Only small amounts of vitamin B12 can be stored in the liver, but not more. The bile excretes and reabsorbs it into a circuit that is known as enterohepatic circulation. If you don’t get enough of this vitamin from your diet, you are likely to develop anemia or neurological problems, although problems can appear within twenty years from the switch to a B12-deficient diet.

Deficiencies are more common with vegans and vegetarians and symptoms may include anemia with excessive tiredness, poor immune function, pallor, menstrual disorders and breathlessness. Permanent neurological damage only occurs after prolonged vitamin B12 deficiency.

Balance Your Diet!

You’ll have no imbalance in the body if your diet  contains enough dairy products, eggs and meat. Nevertheless, mention must be made that yogurt fermentation or milk boiling could destroy this vitamin. There is not enough evidence for the way spirulina can compensate for vitamin B12.

The issue is that spirulina contains compounds similar in structure to vitamin B12, although not identical. Scientists do not know whether these analogues are good or bad, but there are chances for these substances to compete with the real vitamin B12 and interfere with its metabolism. This means that on the long run, a B12 vegetal supplement could do more harm than good.

Special Mentions!

Nutritionists have reached a consensus that no vegetal sources for vitamin B12 are reliable, and therefore vegans and vegetarians are advised to consume foods fortified with vitamin B12. Fortification applies to yeast extracts, soya milks, breakfast cereals, vegetable and sunflower margarines. Nursing mothers require a higher intake of vitamin B12, but pregnant women don’t. No toxic reactions have been associated with high vitamin B12 intakes.

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