Vegetarians usually lack vitamin B12, as they don’t consume meat. Nowadays, more cases of vitamin B12 deficiency are being reported due to veganism catching on as a trend. So, if you are a vegetarian or vegan, or you plan to become one, you are at risk of becoming deficient in this important vitamin.
Countries like Mexico, India, some parts of Central and South America, and Africa struggle with dietary deficiency of vitamin B12 from vegetarianism.
Although there are various suggestions of alternative sources for B12, coming from the vegan population, statistics show that most vegans and vegetarians are deficient in this crucial vitamin.
Healthline has published a study, according to which a lack of B12 in vegans leads to high concentrations of the amino acid homocysteinemia. This concentration is nearly double that of the vegetarian population and 4 times that of omnivores. The raised concentration of this amino acid is related to deadly diseases such as stroke, cardiovascular diseases, and even some types of cancer.
Meat Eaters Have It Easy
You might have heard that vitamin B12 can’t be obtained from sunlight or plant sources, as this vitamin isn’t necessary for plants so they don’t keep deposits of it in their bodies. This vitamin is commonly found in animal food such as clams, liver, mussels, oysters, eggs, milk, crab, fish, beef, lobster, pork, and lamb. There’s a trace of cobalt in this vitamin, hence the name cobalamin – produced only in animals’ guts. So, if plants aren’t producing them, how come herbivorous animals have them, and where do they get them from?
The research-backed nutrition recommendation portal, Vegan Health, has published a fact sheet according to which rabbits, hares, some rodents, and some other herbivorous animals get their necessary amount of vitamin B12 from their body wastes or nature. Primates thought to be the closest to human vegetarians get the required amount of B12 through insects, eggs, and soil. Ruminants like cows, buffaloes, bison, antelopes, goats, giraffes, deer, and sheep possess gut bacteria that produce this vitamin in their bodies. Herbivores like zebras, horses, hares, elephants, and rabbits, get their B12 to fix either through the soil through bacteria in their gut, or by eating their fecal pellets.
While the vegetarian population consumes dairy products, vegans exclude any form of animal products, even honey. Therefore, vegetarians have more options for B12 sources.
Vitamin B12 Sources for Vegans
1. Some Plants Have Traces of It
Researchers are constantly trying to find good sources of vitamin B12 for vegans. One recent research discovered traces of this vitamin in the outer skin of the Healthline. According to the research, so far, these are the only 2 non-animal food sources of a considerable amount of vitamin B12.
Though fermented soy products like miso and tempeh, seaweed, and yeast have been identified as alternative sources, there’s an ongoing debate if they are reliable vitamin B12 sources. This is because they contain an inactive form of this vitamin which can interfere with the absorption of B12 in the body, as opposed to the active form found in the previous sources we mentioned.
2. Fortified Foods, Supplements as Last Resort
In case you can’t include these B12 sources in your diet, due to allergies, taste preferences, or availability problems, the only way is to rely on B12 supplements or fortified food.
3. Breakfast Cereals
The National Institute of Health states that the most readily available vitamin B12 source for vegetarians is fortified breakfast cereals, containing as much as six micrograms of this vitamin per serving. Many studies have confirmed that eating fortified cereal for breakfast or dinner can raise the levels of iron, folate, and vitamins B1, B6, and B12.
4. Fortified Rice
Another great source of micronutrients that the vegetarian population can use to satisfy their requirements for B12 is fortified rice. The Annals of The New York Academy Of Sciences has published a study that says that fortified rice showed little or no loss of this vitamin Healthline. This was proven by another study published in Healthline, showing that fortified rice improved the levels of vitamin B12 in school children in India.
5. Malt and Cocoa-Based Milk
A study has been published recommending cocoa-based milk and fortified malt to increase vitamin B12, B2, red blood cell folate, and body weight in children. Infants of vegetarian or vegan mothers will get the necessary amount of vitamin 12 from breast milk in the first 6 months. However, once they stop breastfeeding, they can fill their nutrient gap will soymilk fortified with B12 and calcium, according to studies.
6. Supplements
A supplement is the other way for vegans to obtain their B12 fix. It is recommended to take small doses more frequently, as the body can absorb a limited amount of this vitamin at a specific point in time. According to Healthline, doses of 0.1–0.5 µg of vitamin B12 led to 52% to 97% absorption; doses in the range of 1 µg and 5 µg showed 56% to 28% absorption respectively; and higher doses ranging from 10 µg to 50 µg showed 16% to 3% absorption, respectively. These supplements can be safely added to a vegan diet, as they are not produced from animal products.
Although vitamin B12 is regarded as non-toxic and safe, consult your doctor if you are pregnant, if you are taking other medications, or if you have abnormal levels of red blood cells in the body. Vitamin B12 can damage the optic nerve in Healthline and people with acne.
Therefore, add fortified food to your diet, B12 supplements, and stay healthy.
Via Cure Joy