Don't Vegetarians Have Trouble Getting Enough Vitamin B12?

Vitamin B12: A Simple Solution

The vegan diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains,
and legumes, provides an abundance of vitamins and
minerals to meet one's nutritional needs. However, there
is one vitamin, called vitamin B12, which does present a
genuine nutritional issue, although one that is easily
solved.

When vitamin B12, which is produced by bacteria and other
one-celled organisms in the small intestines of animals,
is made by humans, it is not well absorbed and retained.
Found mainly in animal products, small amounts may be
found in plant products due to bacterial
contamination.1,2 However these plant and fermented
foods, such as spirulina, sea vegetables, tempeh, and
miso, do not provide an active and reliable source,3 so
vitamin B12 must be obtained elsewhere in the diet.

For individuals following a diet free of all animal
products, vitamin B12 needs can easily be met by
consuming a variety of vegan foods. Fortified breakfast
cereals, fortified soymilk, and fortified meat analogues
contain a reliable source of the vitamin.4 Nutritional
yeast, such as Red Star Vegetarian Support Formula, is
also a reliable source. Be sure to check the Nutrition
Facts Label or the ingredient list to ensure you are
receiving the active form of vitamin B12, called
cobalamin or cyanocobalamin. Most common multivitamins,
from Flintstones to One-A-Day to Stress Tabs, also
contain B12.

Regular intake of vitamin B12 is important to meet one's
nutritional needs. The recommended dietary allowance in
adults is 2.4 micrograms per day, with increased
requirements for women who are pregnant or
breastfeeding.5 Ensuring that vitamin B12 needs are met
as one ages becomes even more critical as deficiencies
are common among the elderly.6,7 Symptoms of deficiency
may include fatigue, weakness, tingling in the arms and
legs, digestive disturbances, and a sore tongue, and may
lead to anemia and more serious disorders of the blood
and nervous system.5

Listed below are common sources of vitamin B12 in the
vegan diet. Be sure to check nutrition labels as products
may vary.

Common Sources of B12 in a Vegan Diet

Serving - Amount

Total cereal - 3/4 cup - 6.0 mcg
Product 19 cereal - 1 cup - 6.0 mcg
Kellogg's Corn Flakes - 3/4 cup - 1.5 mcg
Grape-Nuts cereal - 1/2 cup - 1.5 mcg
Edensoy Extra Soymilk - 1 cup - 3.0 mcg
Meat analogues - varies - 2-7 mcg
Nutritional yeast (Red Star Vegetarian Support Formula,
formerly T-6635+) - 1 T - 4.0 mcg

Sources: Pennington JAT. Bowes and Church's Food Values
of Portions Commonly Used. Lippincott, New York, 1998.
VMessina V and Messina M. The Vegetarian Way. Crown Trade
Paperbacks, New York, 1996.

References

1. Herbert V. Vitamin B-12: plant sources, requirements,
and assay. Am J Clin Nutr. 1988;48:852-858.

2. Rauma A, Torronen R, Hanninen O, Mykkanen H. Vitamin
B-12 status of long-term adherents of a strict uncooked
vegan diet ("living food diet") is compromised. J Nutr.
1995;125:2511-2515.

3. Position of the American Dietetic Association:
vegetarian diets. J Amer Diet Assoc. 2003;103 (6):748-
765.

4. Smith MV. Development of a quick reference guide to
accommodate vegetarianism in diet therapy for multiple
disease conditions. Am J Clin Nutr. 1988;48:906-909.

5. Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for
Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin
B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline. National
Academy Press, Washington, DC. 2000.

6. Lindenbaum J, Rosenberg IH, Wilson PWF, Stabler SP,
Allen RH. Prevalence of cobalamin deficiency in the
Framingham elderly population. Am J Clin Nutr. 1994;60:2-
11.

7. Carmel R. Cobalamin, the stomach, and aging. Am J Clin
Nutr. 1997;66:750-759.

http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/veg...getting-enough

Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.jai-maharaj

o o o

o Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used
for the educational purposes of research and open
discussion. The contents of this post may not have been
authored by, and do not necessarily represent the opinion
of the poster. The contents are protected by copyright
law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

o If you send private e-mail to me, it will likely
not be read, considered or answered if it does not
contain your full legal name, current e-mail and postal
addresses, and live-voice telephone number.

o Posted for information and discussion. Views
expressed by others are not necessarily those of the
poster who may or may not have read the article.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This article may contain copyrighted
material the use of which may or may not have been
specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This
material is being made available in efforts to advance
the understanding of environmental, political, human
rights, economic, democratic, scientific, social, and
cultural, etc., issues. It is believed that this
constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material
as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the
material on this site is distributed without profit to
those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving
the included information for research, comment,
discussion and educational purposes by subscribing to
USENET newsgroups or visiting web sites. For more
information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

If you wish to use copyrighted material from this article
for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you
must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Since newsgroup posts are being removed by forgery by one
or more net terrorists, this post may be reposted several
times.