What is this B12 stuff?!?!?

Question

Why is everyone so worried about this B12?!?! I don't know what it is and I really don't care to have any of it, but why is every one so worried about it. I'm a vegan so if its in meat I haven't been getting any and i'm very healthy!

Answer 1

I'm not really sure, and I don't think I've been having any of it and I feel fine.

Answer 2

B12 is a vitamin ... without it you get anemia, permanent nerve damage and can die.

According to the U.K. Vegan Society, the only reliable vegan sources of B-12 are foods fortified with B-12 (including some plant milks, some soy products and some breakfast cereals), and B-12 supplements.

Answer 3

People are worried about vitamin B12 because it is the only nutrient that you cannot get reliably on a vegan diet and because B12 deficiency is dangerous and real.

If you came to veganism after a lifetime of eating meat, you likely have a store of B12 that could last you for years.  But you may not and you really, really don't want to find out.   My meat-eating ex-boyfriend has an underlying condition that inhibits absorption of B12.  He wasn't diagnosed until his hands were paralyzed; luckily the damage was reversable.

B12 is produced by a bacterium that is incubated in the guts of "food" animals.  That's how it ends up in animal foods.  There are no longer reliable plant sources, so vegans need to either eat fortified foods or take a supplement.  Nutritional yeast (Red Star vegetarian support formula) is a good source, or you can take a B12 supp once a week or so.  Supplemental B12 is made by the same bacterium, but incubated on a sterile veg-friendly medium instead of the gut of a cow.

Answer 4

Here are some informational websites that might better explain the answer to your question:

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/b12.html

http://www.veganhealth.org/b12/vegansour...

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/b12.htm

Hope this helps some...these websites address B12 in concerns with vegan lifestyles.

Best wishes =)

Answer 5

Some people who have recently switched their diets drastically depend on some intake of B12 or they get really really tired with their new vegan diet. Others say it's just because it gives the boost. Some vegans don't always go with the enriched stuff, stuff dusted with those things, so they would not get it in their cereals and pastas. Others find themselves getting anemic, in which case they need to see a doctor which will give them a shot of B12 usually once it's determined that the diet they are on is not providing enough. I think it's best to stick with the whole fresh and steamed vegetables. There are a bunch of sources other then enriched stuff: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamin... has a lot of listings of where to get it and how much as well as why you need it and what it does. it seems like mollusks and clams are at the top of the list, possibly since their diet is rich in seaweed and other things that contain cobalt.

Answer 6

B12 is recycled in the body. As a vegan, you'll be getting B12 from fortified soymilk and/or breakfast cereals with added B12.

Answer 7

I'm a vegan, so I have looked into this a lot.  I've read that it's just another thing that people seem to cling onto to try to convince us that we are deficient and sickly - like protein.  Every time someone finds out I'm a vegan they ask about protein and B12.  B12 is just a vitamin but it is hard to get if you're a vegan.  Animals are full of it, but it seems that no plants make it - except for wheatgrass.  Vegans generally just get it from fortified foods.  I was very concerned about getting enough of it because even though you can store it for a very long time in your tissues, after a few years your supplies can dwindle.  Having a deficiency can be a serious issue as it can cause problems because you need it for your brain and nervous system to function.  I've heard that people think our bodies can manufacture it themselves because look at cows - they are full of B12 and yet they are vegans.  I was concerned because I had been a vegeterian for eleven years (I became one at 8) and suddenly I was a vegan.  I think my B12 supplies degraded during that time.  Not having enough can cause things like depression.  I had depression for a while, and after a few weeks of drinking fortified rice milk I started to feel better.  And now, if I don't drink rice milk I start to feel a little strange.  It could be all in my head, but this is my experience.  What I'm trying to say, is don't worry too much unless it seems to become a problem, because you're probably getting all you need from fortified foods.