1. What is Vitamin B12, and Why is it Important?<\/a>
2. Signs of Vitamin B12 Deficiency<\/a>
3. How to Get Enough B12: Supplementation Options for Vegans<\/a>
4. Keep Your Genetics in Mind<\/a>
5. Foods Fortified with B12 for Vegans<\/a>
6. Natural Sources of B12 for Vegans<\/a>
7. Can Certain Organic Foods Help Vegans Get Enough B12?<\/a>
8. Staying Healthy on a Vegan Diet<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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The popularity of the vegan diet is not without reason, but it\u2019s important to understand how to get enough B12 on a vegan diet, as it\u2019s such an important vitamin. The vegan diet offers a number of ethical, economic, and nutritional benefits, and a vegan lifestyle<\/a> appeals to people from all walks of life. Getting enough protein and understanding how to get enough B12 are just some of the dietary concerns vegans have to be cognizant of.<\/p>\n According to some studies, there were around 79 million vegans<\/a> as of January 2021, and in the next 10 years, experts predict 1 in 10 people will be vegans. However, as fantastic as veganism can be, it does have its challenges. Any diet which restricts access to a specific food group can naturally increase your chances of suffering from certain deficiencies.<\/p>\n How to get enough B12 into their diet is one of the most important concerns for a vegan, but why is that? Let\u2019s discuss why vitamin B12 is so important, as well as how to get enough B12 on this diet.<\/p>\n Vitamin B12, or \u2018cobalamin\u2019 is an essential vitamin. \u2018Essential\u2019 nutrients are the ones our bodies need to thrive, but cannot produce internally. In other words, your body cannot make vitamin B12 on it\u2019s own, so you must figure out how to get enough B12 via food or via supplements.<\/p>\n Vitamin B12 contributes to good health in a multitude of different ways. It supports the normal and healthy functioning of nerve cells, assists with DNA synthesis and red blood cell formation, and fights against anemia.<\/p>\n Benefits of Vitamin B12 also include:<\/strong><\/p>\n Unfortunately, vegans frequently struggle with consuming enough vitamin B12, because vitamin B12 is primarily found in animal products.<\/p>\n According to one study<\/a> published by the American Journal of Nutrition, 92% of the vegans studied had a vitamin B12 deficiency, compared to only 5% of meat eaters having this deficiency.<\/p>\n Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient we all need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The average recommended daily intake of vitamin B12 for most adults is 2.4 mcg<\/a>. However, it is recommended pregnant women get more B12, because a deficiency can contribute to a higher risk of birth defects and miscarriages<\/a>.<\/p>\n When vegans don\u2019t get enough B12 into their diet, the result can be a number of uncomfortable, and potentially dangerous deficiency symptoms. It\u2019s important to be aware of these symptoms if you\u2019re following a plant-based diet, so you can seek help from a medical professional.<\/p>\n Common signs of vitamin B12 deficiency include:<\/strong><\/p>\n Very low intake of B12 can also cause significant problems, including nervous system damage, when it isn\u2019t addressed correctly. It may be helpful to speak to a doctor about how to get enough B12 so that you can avoid potential B12 deficiency issues on a vegan diet.<\/p>\n Perhaps the easiest way for vegans to ensure they\u2019re getting the right amount of B12 into their system is via supplementation. While there are some plant-based foods which naturally contain vitamin B12, research is still ongoing into how effective these food sources of B12 are for humans.<\/p>\n There are various ways to supplement with vitamin B12. The most common option is to simply take a daily B12 capsule recommended by your doctor. Generally, a daily supplement should contain around 25-100 mcg of cyanocobalamin to ensure you\u2019re meeting your daily recommended intake.<\/p>\n Another option could be vitamin B12 injections. Research indicates<\/a> only around half of an orally consumed B12 tablet may be absorbed in the body. Injections and shots allow vegans to bypass bacterial symbiosis, and boost their absorption levels. However, it\u2019s best to seek advice from your medical practitioner to determine whether B12 injections are right for you.<\/p>\n When supplementing with vitamin B12, it\u2019s also worth remembering the standard daily recommended intake might not be suitable for your needs. Your ability to absorb B12 decreases with age, which means you may need to take more supplements, or eat a larger number of fortified foods.<\/p>\n If you are planning on using supplementation to meet your B12 needs on a vegan diet, it\u2019s also worth thinking about your genetics, and if that impacts how to get enough B12. The FUT2 gene, located on chromosome 19 is associated with the synthesis of a certain enzyme, known to attach to the bacterium \u201cHelicobacter pylori\u201d.<\/p>\n This is the form of bacteria most likely to affect the absorption of vitamin B12. People with a certain variant of the gene (variant A) appear to have an increased secretion of the FUT2 enzyme, which can increase their risk of infections. People with the \u201cG variant\u201d of this gene generally have much lower plasma-based vitamin B12 levels.<\/p>\n If you have a genetic predisposition for vitamin B12 deficiency, you may need to consume more than the recommended daily allowance of 2.4mcg.<\/p>\n You can find out more about the optimal diet plan for you, based on your genetic makeup, and whether you have higher needs for certain vitamins because of your DNA, via a CircleDNA test<\/a>.<\/p>\n Outside of supplemental vitamins and B12 injections, fortified foods are the most commonly recommended way to avoid B12 deficiencies for vegans.<\/p>\n If you want to master how to get enough B12 on a vegan diet, you\u2019ll want to look for foods at the grocery store that are fortified with B12.<\/p>\n A fortified food are foods like cereals, dairy-free yogurts, juices or nut milks, which contain added vitamins and minerals. Research has shown<\/a> that eating fortified cereals does effectively increase vitamin B12 concentrations in people on a plant-based diet.<\/p>\n One report found<\/a> when participants consumed 240ml of fortified cereal containing approximately 200% of the recommended B12 daily intake every day for 14 weeks, their B12 levels were significantly increased.<\/p>\n Fortified foods are excellent for increasing your B12 intake because they\u2019re easy for the body to digest, and relatively simple to find at the grocery store. However, it\u2019s best to avoid any foods which may contain large amounts of added ingredients, such as sugar.<\/p>\n Limited research into plant-based sources of vitamin B12 have led most doctors to champion supplementation and fortified foods as the best ways to get the right dose in a vegan diet<\/a>. However, there are some vegan foods which do show some potential for increasing B12 intake.<\/p>\n The most common vegan or plant-based foods that contain some B12 include:<\/strong><\/p>\n Notably, plant-based meats<\/a> can also be a decent source of vitamin B12, as they\u2019re often fortified with additional minerals and vitamins. The amount of vitamin B12 in a plant-based meat product will vary depending on the brand, so check the label for that information.<\/p>\n Some advocates of plant-based diets<\/a> believe organic, and unwashed fresh produce is also a good source of vitamin B12. This belief comes from the fact vitamin B12 is created by bacteria, which can form in the soil of organic farms.<\/p>\n Opting for organic food is usually much better for your health than going non-organic, as it allows you to avoid many dangerous additives, and access a wider range of vitamins.<\/p>\n However, there isn\u2019t sufficient evidence (yet) to suggest simply eating organic, or unwashed produce can help you meet your B12 requirements. The limited research available<\/a> into this concept suggests fortified foods and supplements are a better alternative.<\/p>\n This means that if you\u2019re figuring out how to get enough B12, you can\u2019t rely on organic produce.<\/p>\n It\u2019s entirely possible to live a healthy lifestyle on a vegan diet. However, it is important to be aware of the additional risks you face for certain nutritional deficiencies. There\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ll struggle to get the right level of B12 into your system on a plant-based diet alone. What\u2019s more, your absorption of B12 could be further affected by your genetics, depending on whether you have genetically higher needs of B12.<\/p>\n Working with your doctor or a nutritional expert to create a plan for B12 supplementation should help you to avoid the various health concerns associated with B12 deficiencies. It is possible to get enough vitamin B12 on a vegan diet, it simply requires some organization and planning.<\/p>\n Table of Contents1. What is Vitamin B12, and Why is it Important?2. Signs of Vitamin B12 Deficiency3. How to Get Enough B12: Supplementation Options for Vegans4. Keep… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[690,726,948,697,589,54,49],"class_list":["post-505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-wellness","tag-air-conditioning","tag-fluids","tag-gluten-intolerance","tag-popsicle","tag-qualities-of-creative-people","tag-skincare-en","tag-teeth-grinding-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.circledna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.circledna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.circledna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.circledna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.circledna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=505"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.circledna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.circledna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.circledna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.circledna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What is Vitamin B12, and Why is it Important?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/figure>\nSigns of Vitamin B12 Deficiency<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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How to Get Enough B12: Supplementation Options for Vegans<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Keep Your Genetics in Mind<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/figure>\nFoods Fortified with B12 for Vegans<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Natural Sources of B12 for Vegans<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/figure>\nCan Certain Organic Foods Help Vegans Get Enough B12?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Staying Healthy on a Vegan Diet<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nReferences<\/h3>\n
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