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B12 for Vegans
Susan has been a vegan for the past six years. She eats a balanced diet, has maintained a stable weight for most of this time, and has never taken any supplements. Lately, she's begun to feel tired all the time and is losing weight. Susan has also not had a menstrual period for the past two months.
She finally resolved to go to her doctor and get her blood tested in case she had an iron deficiency. When the tests came back, she discovered she had developed pernicious anemia, caused by a B12 deficiency. She received an injection of B12 and started eating foods fortified with vitamin B12, such as soymilk. She has not had any more problems with this vitamin but still goes in annually to get her blood tested for any nutritional deficiency markers.
- Problem Nutrient: Vitamin B12
- RDA: 2.4 mcg/day for those 14 years and older, 2.6 mcg/day in pregnancy, 2.8 mcg/day in lactation.
- Cause for the Problem: The only natural source of B12 is bacteria; in our very clean food supply today, these bacteria can only be found in milk, eggs, and meat.
- Deficiency: B12 deficiency takes several years to fully develop, so many vegans do not even know that they have a problem until the deficiency is advanced. It starts out with biochemical changes and eventually leads a condition known as macrocytic anemia, in which the blood cells are very large and unable to carry oxygen properly. If the deficiency is not corrected at this point, it can progress to severe and permanent nerve damage.
- Good Sources of B12: 2 cups of fortified soy milk, 2 tbsp Red Star Nutritional Yeast, 1 daily supplement such as Twinlab Vegetarian Formula B12 Dots.
For more information, check out What Every Vegan Should Know about Vitamin B12 by Jack Norris
Source
Davis, B. Melina, V. Becoming Vegan. 2000. Book Publishing Company; Summertown, TN.
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