How Important is B12

B12 is vital to the health of everyone, and according to some studies, approximately 40% of North American adults are deficient. Not just veg'ns, 40% of ALL North American adults. Some issues that can cause deficiency are gastro-intestinal inflammation, ulcers, aging, and acid reflux disease.

B12 deficiency can result in dementia like symptoms, as well as depression, migraine, and fatigue to name just a few.

The average adult requires 2 micrograms per day. Not much but unfortunately, the body doesn't absorb it well, so a dosage of 500 micrograms will result in only 1.8 micrograms being absorbed so over time, you wind up with a deficiency. Fortunately, B12 does not store up in your fat (it is water soluble) and taking a tablet that provides 1000 micrograms per day will take care of all your requirements.

As a bit of anecdotal evidence, here is my experience:

I've been vegan for 4 years, vegetarian for 15 and have suffered from depression for most of my life. When I began to understand how vital B12 is to my health, I decided to experiment and began taking 2000 micrograms (2 tablets) per day. The plan was to do this for one month, deal with any deficiency issues and then to drop back to 1000 micrograms per day for maintenance. By the way, my good quality adult multi vitamin only provides 25 micrograms per tablet. As an aging adult, one of my concerns was dementia in old age, as well as the issue of depression.

One week after beginning, I felt confident enough to tell both my daughters about how fabulous I was feeling. Mood significantly improved, relaxed, no anxiety, more energy and enthusiasm.....fabulous! So, as both of them take anti-depressants (it's a family thing), they decided to try it too and within a week, their verdict on that score was absolutely the same, happy, happy, happy!

So for all of you who are veg'n, it is critical that you make sure you are taking enough B12. You cannot afford to let this slip. Your health AND your happiness are at stake.

[Lovely]

I take my vitamins everyday. I take
B12 and iron pills along with an Acai berry chewy that has some
b12, zinc ,b6 and more that I'm too lazy to type :P

But I heard that meat eaters can get B12 deficiency.
I don't know how true that is but it makes sense since
most may not even have heard of it before. And they
probably think since they are meat eaters they don't
have to worry about it.

The form that is best assimilated is Methylcobalamin in a sublingual form. The optimal serum level on lab results is in the upper 800's. Remember, just because it's in range, doesn't mean it's optimal.

[Kaere]

I took sublingual B12 for about a week and it made me feel like I had taken rocket fuel - crazy amounts of energy. It tasted horrific however and that dissuaded me from continuing to take it. I haven't found the same results using a capsule or tablets. Maybe I'll try again as I am so sluggish these days.

Originally Posted by Kaere

I took sublingual B12 for about a week and it made me feel like I had taken rocket fuel - crazy amounts of energy. It tasted horrific however and that dissuaded me from continuing to take it. I haven't found the same results using a capsule or tablets. Maybe I'll try again as I am so sluggish these days.

Try a lower dose or break it up, once in the morning and then again at lunch time.

Originally Posted by Lovely

.....But I heard that meat eaters can get B12 deficiency.
I don't know how true that is but it makes sense since
most may not even have heard of it before. And they
probably think since they are meat eaters they don't
have to worry about it.

That's right Lovely, the illness that I wrote about happen to all kinds of people, and as well, here's some more info that maybe some don't know which also might explain that fact.

B12 is a microrganism that actually grows in the soil and when animals eat grass of the ground, or peck around in the dirt, they get theirs then and it suffuses their tissue on it's way through their bodies (just like ours). But pig feed and chicken feed and cattle feed also have B12 added so that those animals will not become deficient. Think about this, chicks that are hatched in a hatchery and then are shipped to farms to be raised, never see real dirt so they must have the vitamin added to their food or they would become very ill as they are seriously deficient. Same goes for baby pigs who never see the sunshine or the grass. And if the animals are deficient and then people eat them, they are not getting adequate supplies of B12 and then if they have some kinds of illness that inhibits absorption, it is entirely possible that they too could develop deficiencies.

Originally Posted by DebbyM

The average adult requires 2 micrograms per day. Not much but unfortunately, the body doesn't absorb it well, so a dosage of 500 micrograms will result in only 1.8 micrograms being absorbed so over time, you wind up with a deficiency. Fortunately, B12 does not store up in your fat (it is water soluble) and taking a tablet that provides 1000 micrograms per day will take care of all your requirements.

Saving this information. I think something's telling me I need it, since I've run into this information twice today in two different places. Thanks.

Originally Posted by DebbyM

One week after beginning, I felt confident enough to tell both my daughters about how fabulous I was feeling. Mood significantly improved, relaxed, no anxiety, more energy and enthusiasm.....fabulous! So, as both of them take anti-depressants (it's a family thing), they decided to try it too and within a week, their verdict on that score was absolutely the same, happy, happy, happy!

Thank you for sharing your experience. It is heartening.

Originally Posted by Lovely

I take my vitamins everyday. I take
B12 and iron pills along with an Acai berry chewy that has some
b12, zinc ,b6 and more that I'm too lazy to type :P

I have iron tablets, and a strong suspicion that I should take it, but I don't know how much! If someone could help me with this, it would be great. I am a 23 year old female, and I weigh 110lbs.

[Lovely]

Originally Posted by tragblack

I have iron tablets, and a strong suspicion that I should take it, but I don't know how much! If someone could help me with this, it would be great. I am a 23 year old female, and I weigh 110lbs.

I would contact a doctor to be sure. I honestly don't know
and the best I could do is guess. So ask a doctor or a
professional.

Originally Posted by Lovely

I would contact a doctor to be sure. I honestly don't know
and the best I could do is guess. So ask a doctor or a
professional.

I don't have the means. I'm sure there is a mild recommendation that someone could offer, if anyone knows about vitamins. I don't have any allergies or bad underlying health problems except a bit of asthma, and have taken many different types of vitamins in the past.

Originally Posted by tragblack

I don't have the means. I'm sure there is a mild recommendation that someone could offer, if anyone knows about vitamins. I don't have any allergies or bad underlying health problems except a bit of asthma, and have taken many different types of vitamins in the past.

If you have heavy periods then you're probably anemic. Another tale-tale sing is a bluish tinge to your fingernail beds and gums. You'd want to take at minimum 70-80 mg of elemental iron. If you're severely deficient, around 200mg elemental iron.

When you have the opportunity to get labs done, in addition to your cbc iron, get your ferritin checked too. It should be at minimum 70-90.

My daughter, is anemic due to heavy periods. She's currently taking Vitamin Shoppe's Iron brand which is 29mg of ferrous fumerate per capsule. I currently have her on 3 capsules 2-3 times a day. She's been on it for about a month and she's beginning to have a little more stamina.