The Vitamin B12 Debate
The vitamin everyone seems to quote as being deficient in a vegan diet. However deficiency is almost always due to an inability to absorb the vitamin especially in pernicious anaemia.
The daily requirement is minute
• Infants (0.3ug-0.4ug/day)
• Aged 1-10 years (0.5ug increasing to 1ug/day)
• Teenagers & adults (1.2-1.5ug/day)
• Breast-feeding women (2ug/day )
Note that these quantities are in micrograms (a microgram is a millionth of a gram). This is an incredibly small amount. A whole lifetime's requirement of B12 adds up to a 40 milligram speck of red crystals, about one-seventh the size of an average tablet of aspirin!
In addition the body can store supplies for up to four years, we don't need to eat it everyday. Taking large doses of the vitamin by mouth is pointless because 3ug is the most that can be absorbed at any one time.
It is stated that all plant foods contain no vitamin B12 but various foods are now supplemented with it, such as yeast extracts, soya milks, veggie burgers, and some cereals.. Another source, although small, is in plant products resulting from fermentation, such as beers (especially stout), wines and miso.
What is vitamin B12 needed for?
It has a role in the synthesis of several enzymes, in the production of the genetic material of cells, the red blood cells in bone marrow, assists in utilising folic acid, and carbohydrates in the diet and in the functioning of the nervous system.
Whether to supplement vitamin B12 remains an issue. Many vegans haven't done so and state they remained healthy. Anyway, the sources above seem a much more preferable way to ensure an adequate intake!
Sources of B12 (Amount of B12 in brackets)
• Yeast extracts (Between 2-50ug/100g)
• Margarine's (5.0ug/100g)
• Granovita Sojagen (soya powder) (5.0/100g)
• Plamil concentrated soya milk (3.2ug/100ml)
• Plamil ready to use soya milk (1.6ug/100ml)
• Breakfast cereals (0.8ug/100g)
• Unisoy Gold soya milk (1.6ug/100ml)
• Soya mince/chunks (see labels)
Article by Carol of East Riding Vegans
We have also covered vitamin B12 in our newsletter No 14 May 2001