Vitamin B12 is a hot issue when people first turn to the vegan lifestyle, and with good reason.
Most people only have a vague idea of what B12 is and what it is used by our bodies for.
At best people know that B vitamins are good for us.
There's a lot of misinformation regarding what B12 is, where it comes from and how effective plant-based sources are.
Vegans are generally unaware that the bioavailability of B12 from sources like spirulina is virtually non-existed, and that supplementation is advised.
Conversely, meat eaters are generally unaware that their key B12 source isn't as natural as they are led to believe.
They are unaware hat they too may need to supplement – and certainly eat fortified foods – due to poor absorption or simply not getting enough.
So, let’s start from the beginning, and break down the the truth about what B12, where it comes from, how dangerous deficiency is, and what vegans specifically need to know.
Content:
B12 is actually bacteria.
What is Vitamin B12?
There is a common myth that B12 is produced by animals. It's not.
B12 is not produced by any large organism.
B12 is made by anaerobic microorganisms (ie. bacteria that do not require oxygen to live).
Animals get B12 in different ways.
Ruminants like cows and sheep can absorb the aerobic bacteria made by their gut.
But humans are single stomached, so we cannot ferment plant matter in this way and, for this reason, must seek another source of B12.
Animals experience bacterial contamination of their food and water too, and some eat poop – another way to obtain B12.
In short, the B12 found in animal foods is there as a result of food digestion and environmental contamination.
Why Do We Need B12?
B12 is a key vitamin for mammals. It helps keep the body’s nerve and blood cells healthy.
It is involved in the formation of blood, amino and fatty acid metabolism, and DNA regulation and synthesis.
B12 RDA
The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for adults is 2.4 micrograms (mcg) a day.
Pregnant women and those who are breastfeeding need more.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sets the Daily Value (DV) higher at 6 micrograms
There is no upper limit, so there is no need to worry about toxicity from taking a little too much.
B12 Deficiency
Vitamin B12 deficiency affects between 1.5% and 15% of the population (USA).
Without B12 in our diets we can get a certain type of anemia (megaloblastic) and a neurological disorder (subacute combined degeneration).
Young children are particularly at risk.
The symptoms of this form of anemia are as follows:
- fatigue and weakness
- weight loss
- sore tongue
- headaches
Other symptoms of B12 deficiency are:
- Constipation
- Decreased appetite
- Numbness and tingling in the hands and feet
- Dizziness, light-headedness
- Poor memory and confusion
The main causes of vitamin B12 deficiency include malabsorption from food, pernicious anemia, dietary deficiency and post-surgical malabsorption. Often, the cause of vitamin B12 deficiency is unknown.
Vegans are an at risk group.
Indeed, this 2010 study shows a high level of B12 deficiency amongst the vegan group. (1)
Vegans have lower vitamin B12 concentrations, but higher folate concentrations, than vegetarians and omnivores. Half of the vegans were categorized as vitamin B12 deficient and would be expected to have a higher risk of developing clinical symptoms related to vitamin B12 deficiency.
Primates, Humans & B12
Our primate cousins, like the gorilla, obtain B12 from bacteria present in the wild.
The bacteria is on plants they eat, in the water they drink, and from consumption of soil and faecal matter in the environment.
They also naturally consume insects on the plant matter they eat, which would also contain B12. The diet of Chimpanzees also includes a small amount of meat, less than three percent.
Research shows that primates in captivity develop B12 deficiency if their food is not supplemented with B12. (2)
Humans historically got B12 from the environment, like our primate cousins do: eating vegetation, fruit, and drinking bacteria-laden fresh water sources. We were exposed to dirt and faeces and the bugs on our food.
When we started hunting meat, we began to get B12 from this source too.
In the modern day, our produce is heavily sanitized and chemically cleaned to meet retail standards, and subsequently the B12 (bacteria) is removed.
Moreover, the animals we consume have their diet supplemented with B12 – because they are not raised naturally, in terms of both environment and diet.
Vegan or meat eater, the best way to ensure you are getting enough of this bacteria is to supplement.
Plant-Based Sources of B12
1. Edible Algaes
Edible algaes contain B12, but in general also contain B12 analogues that block active B12.
Because of this, it was previously thought that these sources were all inadequate, until now.
Dried green laver (Enteromorphasp.) and purple laver (Porphyra sp.) are the most widely consumed edible algae, and they contain substantial amounts of Vitamin B12 (approximately 63.6 μg/100 g dry weight and 32.3 μg/100 g dry weight, respectively)
However, research has shown that the best edible algae is dried purple laver, (nori) which is formed into a sheet and dried (3).
Consumption of approximately 4 g of dried purple laver (Vitamin B12 content: 77.6 μg /100 g dry weight) supplies the RDA of 2.4 μg/day.
And, a more recent study shows that Chorella is a bioavailable source of vitamin B12 and can mitigate deficiency (4).
2. Meridian Yeast Extract & Marmite
Meridian Yeast extract on one slice of toast provides nearly all your RDA of B12 (and I’m never, ever going to eat one slice of toast on its own).
Marmite over four slices provides 40 percent of your recommended daily allowance.
The reason for the B12 content in these foods is the fermentation of the yeast involved in production of these foods.
3. Other Fortified Foods
You are probably consuming B12 without knowing it, as so many foods are fortified with B12: Cereals, soya milk, plant-based yogurts, snack bars, and more.
It's great that science is uncovering natural B12 sources like the edible algae listed above, but the presence of B12 in common plant based foods that make up the bulk of the vegan diet is still low.
Fortunately though, vegans are aided by three factors.
- The amount of B12 we actually need to remain healthy is incredibly low: 2.4 mcg for an adult, per day, is all that is required. But when taking absorption into account, we need a lot more to ensure we get enough (see below)
- The human liver is incredibly efficient at storing essential nutrients. If you are moving onto a vegan diet, you probably have enough B12 stored up in your body from your previous lifestyle to last half a decade. However, and we cannot stress this enough, this store will rapidly deplete if you become B12 deficient.
- B12 fortified foods and supplements are easy to incorporate into your diet.
B12 Supplementation
Cyano-cobalamin Vs. Methyl-cobalamin
These are the two most common forms of over the counter supplementation.
Cyano-cobalamin is a lab created form, which contains one molecule of cyanide for every molecule of B12.
Methyl-cobalamin is an active form that does not require conversion in the liver.
It is recommended to take Methyl-cobalamin sublingually (under the tongue), not orally (swallowing), so that it can be absorbed directly into your blood stream.
Both forms of B12 supplement can prevent deficiency and while some studies support efficacy for one over the other, health professionals generally agree that either is fine.
For a more detailed analysis of the different forms of B12, please see this post.
Our guts can only absorb B12 in the terminal ileum, which is a tiny portion of our small intestine, so any gut problem like diarrhea can result in limited absorption.
In fact, any gastric problem can limit absorption. If your gut bacteria balance is in a bad state due to poor diet, your B12 absorption level may be low.
> Shop for B12 Supplements on Amazon
Can You Overdoes on B12?
As mentioned previously, there is no known toxicity level for B12, so technically you would not be able to overdose.
The daily RDA is measured in millionths of a gram (2.4 mcg), but you need to take a lot more to achieve absorption of this amount.
This is why B12 supplements usually come in 500 or 1000 mcg form. It's wise to take 1000 mcg on a daily basis.
The Bottom Line
The bacteria responsible for B12 production live in soil, in water, and yes, in human faecal matter.
Prior to the industrialized production of vegetables, a plant based diet (which the vast majority of people followed out of economic necessity if not choice) would incorporate soil, bugs and natural water sources containing bacteria.
Again, I’m not advocating we eat soil, bugs, and drink rain water as a matter of course, particularly in the highly polluted world we live in.
The point is, for better or worse, we have a civilization that washes vegetables in chlorine before they are put out in the supermarket, and it’s common for us to wash them again when we get home before cooking.
The bacteria that would have been present on the plants we eat have been scourged.
We can buy organic, fresh from the ground, and eat vegetables unwashed, but even this doesn't guaranteed a reliable RDA of B12.
Furthermore, eating seaweed and algae and Chorella is not reliable enough. This and fortified foods is a good start, but based on the research we have we need to supplement.
I’ll leave the last word to Dr. Michael Greger M.D.
Vitamin B12 is made by neither animals nor plants, but by microbes.
Thankfully, in our sanitized world there are safe, cheap, convenient sources. Vitamin B12 deficiency is common in vegans who don’t eat B12 fortified foods or take B12 supplements and can result in paralysis, myelopathy, psychosis, or atherosclerosis.
It is imperative that those eating plant-based diets include B12-fortified foods in their diet or take B12 supplements, especially pregnant or nursing women. Testing is not necessary, but supplementing is—it may even increase one’s lifespan.
Revision: I found that if I took too much B12 I got dermatophytosis.
May 14, 2019 at 12:04 am
I found if one takes too many B12 pills, one will get ringworm like skin diseases.
May 09, 2019 at 9:42 pm
That’s a new one, and definitely a myth. You’re far more likely to get worms from taking your B12 via an animal, or from drinking rain water and eating some earth. If you’re anti pills, you can always take an oral spray like I mentioned in the post. The one I take is made with organic berries. Yum.
May 10, 2019 at 8:36 am
WUTWUT?????????
May 10, 2019 at 8:52 pm
I just want to know why is there a diet (being vegan) where you have to take supplements. Surely that is not right. I have a PhD in animal nutrition and can confirm that animals are not being deprived of vit B12 in their natural diets.
Nov 02, 2017 at 4:54 pm
Those on a whole-foods plant-based diet take far fewer supplements than those on meat and dairy based diets. The supplement industry is a multi-billion dollar industry and it’s primary target market are those who are nutritionally defficient on a meat and dairy based diet.
If you pull and eat vegetables out the soil, live a largely outdoor life without constantly washing your hands, and drink from natural water sources then you most likely would not need a B12 supplement or B12 fortified foods.
The issue is that we now live in a highly sanitized world where our vegetables and fruit and water are cleaned beyond a natural state. All the B12 we used to get from eating from the ground and drinking water from springs and streams has gone out of our diet.
Animals who eat a natural diet eat poop, bits of soil and drink rainwater, and therefore get the B12 they need. Humans then get B12 by their eating meat (second-hand). Humans could of course eat their own poop, as B12 is made in the lower intestine, but I wouldn’t recommend it!
Even farmed animal meat is supplemented with B12 these days because the animals aren’t grazing naturally or eating in a natural environment. In order to maintain meat as a source of B12, the meat industry now adds it to animal feed. In fact, 90% of B12 supplements are fed to livestock.
So yes, you are absolutely right, animals in their natural environment certainly don’t need B12, but animals living an unnatural existence most certainly do.
Just a quick add in: There are natural sources of plant-based B12. Please see the section on this in the post.
Nov 02, 2017 at 5:06 pm
Some people have to supplement because their body just can’t absorb nutrients. I wouldn’t say it’s due to “diary and meat based diets” i would say; due to the genetics of the human, he or she cannot absorb certain vitamins and minerals, therefore they need to supplement – this isn’t a “new” issue, we’ve been improving nutrition since the age of time – for example scurvy. We learn what works and what doesn’t. I’d say you should really know how your body works, take blood tests, and find out what diet is best for you. And if you want to be vegan, sure that is great. But if you want to eat meat, that’s not bad either. Humans have been eating meat and vegetables for hundreds of thousands of years. How we attain our foods now is the problem. Not what we eat. Some would argue large scale agriculture is just as bad as factory farming – which is the same industry basically. You grow massive amounts of crop you’re going to destroy massive amounts of land, animals, bugs and native plant life. Unfortunately we can’t grow food ethically without people starving – we can, but no one will, would cost a lot of money, – however large scale agriculture and factory farming were our solutions to starvation. The ideal lifestyle would be hunting your own meat and growing your own plants. The hunter gatherer lifestyle still works today in Amazonian cultures, some would argue those communities have a very similar life expectancy. If I had the time in the world I would grow my own plants and source my own meat. Shooting an animal killing it instantly is the most humane way to source your meat, not factory farming, and growing your own plants would also be ideal. Less animals would die, and you would be having the most nutrient dense diet possible. I think a vegan diet is essential, but it’s not the solution to a proper diet. We need to figure out a way to live ethically as possible. And healthy as possible.
Apr 18, 2018 at 2:29 pm
People in W.Africa eat the poop of certain rodents as a matter of course in their local diets with a highly fatty sauce made from the nuts of the red oil palm.
Jun 26, 2018 at 7:50 am
That’s one way to get your B12!
Jun 26, 2018 at 7:56 am
Interesting. You are absolutely correct in your first three paragraphs! I am a Health Reformer and been so for several years and have no nutrition related problems…
Aug 29, 2022 at 1:14 am
Good question. However there is a much larger issue here. First of all, years ago the soil was actually healthy and full of B12. Humans ate the plants which had some soil attached, as well as drank water that had been enriched with soils and rocks. Today is different–pesticides and herbicides, not rotating crops, and over-farming typically destroy B12 in the soil. Chlorine and fluoride are added to our water, which destroy B12. We wash produce off and do not ingest the B12 (or bug eggs either). All humans centuries ago were able to get B12 in their food choices, including vegans, with few exceptions.
Recently, I have looked at over three dozen nutrition studies that show that EVERYONE has nutritional deficiencies of some kind, regardless of the “diet” they consume. Unfortunately in today’s world, we ALL need to take some sort of supplement to make sure we get enough nutrition. Omnivores are typically deficient in folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iodine, Vitamin A, C, D3, and fiber, among others. Vegans are more typically deficient in B12, iron, calcium, iodine, magnesium, potassium, zinc, and D3. Few omnivores are aware that 99% of all farm animals in the USA are fed SUPPLEMENTS in their feed or water, which include B12 and many other nutrients like Zinc or magnesium. So, those eating animal proteins are consuming “supplements” in that way. Most humans are omnivores, and a good percentage of omnivores are B12 deficient, despite the fact that they are consuming animal proteins. Many humans have malabsorption issues and do not absorb B12 in their guts. Many have to heal their guts and/or at least get B12 injections, most of these humans are omnivores, not vegans. I have met many omnivores, over 40 years old, who have had to take B12 supplements and/or get B12 injections.
“Animals are not deprived of vit B12 in their natural diets”?. Very FEW farm animals today (1% or so) actually consume the whole plant with the soil attached. Most romanticized “pastured” animals are fed some type of nutrition supplement, and pastured pigs and poultry consume about 50% of their diet as grains or beans such as corn, wheat, or soy–they do not get all their foods from simply foraging.
Here is a video about nutritional deficiencies by comparison, Cheers, https://nutritionfacts.org/video/omnivore-vs-vegan-nutrient-deficiencies-2/
Dec 23, 2022 at 12:38 am
By the time symptoms appear it’s too late, the neurological damage is done .Don’t wait for symptoms, take a supplement. The vegan sources you mention are all fortified Foods .That’s not a natural source that’s a industrialized form of veganism. No different than taking a supplement in my opinion.
Aug 23, 2017 at 4:51 am
Hi David, please see the section regarding the edible algaes dried green laver (Enteromorphasp.) and purple laver (Porphyra sp.), and Chorella. I have updated the post with some additional information on non-fortified foods as science is now showing a different picture. Though I still recommend everyone to supplement with methylcobalamin. As you point out, it is not something to risk.
Aug 23, 2017 at 11:32 am
Hi Peter,
I just read an article by an RD that says it’s better to take cyanocobalamin than methylcobalamin because the latter is thought to be less stable and that much, much higher doses are required. The amount of cyanide is also tiny compared to what we usually get in our diet. Here’s the article if you’re interested: https://www.theveganrd.com/vegan-nutrition-101/vegan-nutrition-primers/vitamin-b12-a-vegan-nutrition-primer/
Nov 06, 2018 at 8:58 pm
Hi Meredith, I wrote about this in another article here and included research I found: https://theplantway.com/methylcobalamin-cyanocobalamin/
On balance I think most people will be fine with both, because research shows that cyanocobalamin may be absorbed better in your body, while methylcobalamin likely has a higher retention rate. Other studies have found that the differences in absorption and retention are minimal.
Personally, I take methylcobalamin, because it is a natural bioactive form of B-12, and comes without the cyanide. Even at a low dose, I don’t want it :). Cyanocobalamin is more synthetic and thus cheaper.
I think the general consensus is that both are fine. To quote a GP from BMJ:
Is it important which form is used in treatment? In most people, it does not matter. They can convert cyano- and hydroxo-cobalamin into the active forms needed. However, I have recently reported a case in which it did matter. The severe vitamin B12 deficiency, including dementia and psychosis, responded to treatment with high dose oral methylcobalamin, but not to equally high dose oral hydroxocobalamin. [1]
1. Rietsema WJ. Unexpected Recovery of Moderate Cognitive Impairment on Treatment with Oral Methylcobalamin. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2014;62(8):1611-12 doi: 10.1111/jgs.12966[published Online First: Epub Date]|.
https://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g5226/rr/764190
Nov 06, 2018 at 10:28 pm
I was undecided weather or not to go vegan. I watched a documentary on what meat is slowly doing to people and what they put into it so people will come back. I started thinking of a way to be healthy and not consume things that kills the body over time. Why avoid a growing problem when down the road something could happen and you look back with regret of your consumption. What we put in our bodies today we use for the future and I don’t mean the short hall I mean the long hall. I want to start a YouTube channel surrounding the idea that we don’t need to consume garbage foods for a temporary fix of our appetite but find a way of fueling our future bodies with long lasting health benefits and a overall clear mind and body. If you have any tips on plant based diets/vegan foods please feel free to comment.
Jul 19, 2017 at 8:38 pm
Absolutely Jordan. We now know that animal protein contributes to a host of illnesses, and that the drugs and pesticides used in both animal and plant agriculture are detrimental to our health. Junk food is addictive, dairy is addictive; we just need to change our habits to be healthier.
Jul 20, 2017 at 2:16 pm
Why are the comments about vegan activism attached to an article about B12? I’m confused…
Jul 14, 2017 at 7:54 pm
I was using Disqus comments system and for no reason all the comments began assigning to different posts. Sorry! I have switched back to a standard system now.
Jul 20, 2017 at 1:31 pm
I don’t know that you are wrong. I don’t know that you are not wrong. I do know that I believe in God and the Bible and, for some reason, it became okay to eat animals, as if there was something we needed from them as time progressed; but, then, it was never an absolute order that animals have to be eaten, except as regards the Passover meal. Jesus give out loaves and fishes, but, never beef steaks. But, that doesn’t mean that beef steak was forbidden, does it? No. And, nor did he tell people that they must eat only of a loaf, or only of a fish, or some of each, or else.
What I have never gotten a satisfactory answer about is the Nearings, I think their name was. Great! Now I have to go look it up! Yes- Helen and Scott Nearing. Ever since I first heard about them, which was in grade school approximately 1,000 years ago (haha?), I wanted to know at what point they decided to stop eating all animal products- how long did they live that way before they died, at a ripe old age, after living a robust life? And, did they take supplements?
I have been told by some people who allege to have read their books, “Yes, of course they took B12 supplementation or snuck some meat into their diet or they would have died.” and by others, “No! No! No! They lived completely animal free and proved that B-12 is not necessary to supplement.” Yet, these were all statements of opinion or supposition, not information. No one could say, on page …. of the book titled …. it is directly stated that they did (or did not) supplement with B12…(or, that they eschewed all supplementation or, that they went in for one night of frenzied meat eating per year in honor of their Jewish heritage and so kept alive….) … or, anything else actually informative and helpful.
I have also never been able to afford their books or get anyone to lend them to me. So, I just don’t know, but, I think knowing what they did would have an amazing impact on the debate; at least, if they were not people who supplemented and if they did, indeed, live for many years without using animal products of any sort.
It still, however, wouldn’t negate your information as concerns the overwashing of vegetables, use of nasty chemicals, poor soil quality, etc. Except, it might, in the case of those who are willing to grow their own vegetables and thereby negate them as concerns.
I know that the information that those who are very pro vitamin B-12 supplementation or gaining it through meat eating let out actually makes no sense, to a great degree. They say things like that if someone doesn’t eat meat for a month, they will become anemic, go crazy and die; yet, they also say that the liver will store vitamin B-12 for years and years, and basically recycle it to use again, so that’s why less vegans have problems than they should, because, many of them ate lots of meat for years, so, 5-15 years in, they are still well stocked up on vitamin B-12. It really can’t be both ways! Just like it can’t be a sudden, swooping bid for death that comes on one so swiftly that a bottle of Vitamin B-12 cannot possibly be purchased before the onset of mania and death AND that it is a slow thing that causes a lingering death and a dwindling of mental health if not eventually caught, but, which can be quickly fixed by the addition of a supplement or a bite of pork.
Obviously (I hope) I am trying to be a little humorous, but, really, those are the sort of contradictory things they say. So, I know that, whatever else is going on, they are not being truthful and are most likely just spouting propaganda they picked up from someone else who also likes to eat meat.
But, most people do the same thing – just spout propaganda that they didn’t research and which supports their opinion. Which, again, brings me to the Nearings – long-lived people who lived a certain lifestyle for most of their lives, from what I have gathered. A study of what they did seems the best bet to get a clear answer.
Aren’t there any vegans out there, or vegetarians, who have read their books?
Jul 21, 2016 at 6:32 am
Why to worry about those who never existed. Jesus and other imaginary personalities.
Face the truth we don’t need a god to be a good human.
May 26, 2018 at 8:39 pm
wow, you are really something! lol, those Nearings were born in the 1800s, when there was nowhere near the level of mass sensitization and bleaching going on today, and pollution. Did you even read the article? These people probably barely washed their hands and ate naturally farm grown foods etc. It’s tough to live like that today in most countries especially westernized countries. Unless you go decide to live on a farm or in a bush somewhere, if you’re living in a suburb or the city, lol, you wouldn’t be close to anyone who was living during the 1800s
Sep 08, 2018 at 7:26 pm
The Nearings were strict and inflexible vegans, except that I think Scott sometimes indulged in ice cream! However, they did get occasional B12 injections. I have read (and own) two books by them, and a long time ago I read some interviews with them published in the original Mother Earth News.
Oct 16, 2018 at 12:33 am
I take a daily supplement, though at times I do forget. I also eat fortified cereals and soy milk, so I’m sure I’m getting enough.
Sep 03, 2015 at 4:10 pm
Here is a description blurb from Goodreads for the book “Could it Be B12”
“A silent crippler
stalks millions of North Americans. It afflicts one person with tremors,
makes another depressed or psychotic, and causes agonizing leg pains or
paralysis in still another. It can mimic Alzheimer’s disease, multiple
sclerosis, early Parkinson’s disease, diabetic neuropathy, or chronic
fatigue syndrome. It can make men or women infertile or cause
development disabilities in their children. The disorder is vitamin B12
deficiency. This isn’t a new or fad disease. You’ll find it listed in
the textbooks of any first-year medical student. Yet it may be the most
misdiagnosed disease and, when this occurs, the consequences can be
tragic.”
Sep 03, 2015 at 7:41 am
Yes, it’s a vital vitamin for our health, that’s beyond doubt!
Sep 03, 2015 at 8:50 am
Yes, but, do you realize that it could also be other vitamin deficiencies, according to other sources, or, the ingesting of wheat, according to some sources, or allergies, according to some sources, or stress alone, according to other sources? Oh wait, and, then there is the mercury, flouride, what’s wrong with plastic, etc. All of which can cause some or all of the mentioned symptoms.
I was severely anemic, but, eating plenty of meat and taking prenatal vitamins. Found out I had been anemic most of my life, while eating meat and taking vitamins, and, eating many fresh plants, in the summertime, that came fresh from good soil, as well as playing in that same dirt and getting it all over me and in my mouth and down my throat.
We ate animals that were raised by us, as well as those bought dead at a store, as well as ones killed in the wild.
When I became severely anemic it was related, as far as I can tell by what was happening in my life, to contracting the Epstein Barr virus – which, according to Western medicine, mostly causes no problems for anyone, even though most people have it and lots of them have the same symptoms as I do, many of which you mentioned in your comment.
But, it could also have been that I started going to the dentist and had fillings, for the first time in my life. Or, it could have been that I ate more commercial foods, including bread and crackers. Or, that we got a microwave. Or, that we got a telephone. Or, that we got a color television.
What it could not have been, apparently, was that eating meat and taking vitamins either caused or prevented anemia, fatigue or any of the rest of it, since I was doing both before, after and during all the symptoms of Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue.
But, I can tell you, they are all made better with less stress.
Jul 21, 2016 at 6:42 am
Absolutely Geanie. We can’t rely on the government to give impartial advice, since the nutritional information they offer is subject to lobbying by the major food corporations. So we have to take responsibility ourselves. B12 is hugely important for everyone, not just vegans. Meat eaters don’t realise that factory farming now supplies animals with B12 through fortified feed because B12 is produced only by bacteria and the animals are not grazing on natural soil. So it’s not an excuse to stay a meat eater eating factory farmed meat because of B12. Why not avoid making animals suffer and simply take a supplement, instead of enslaving the animals and feeding them a supplement that is then passed to you through the meat. Equally, if vegans were eating plants like primates, ripping them out the ground and eating them raw with soil on them, there would be no need to supplement for B12. But the reality is that our food is too clean now and therefore we just don’t get the B12 we need. Moreover, science has proven that B12 supplements are generally very well absorbed by the body.
Sep 03, 2015 at 6:13 am
I like what you say in the last paragraph about everyone being responsible to learn about nutrition and how best to take care of their bodies. Whether it’s vitamin B12 supplements, or the food pyramid it’s important to know how to stay healthy. It’s also important to understand you’re what eating and how it came to be on your plate.
Feb 12, 2015 at 12:42 am