we need to put it in the drinking water. :)
I take a b12 sublingual lozenge because I’m on a medication (metformin) that interferes with absorbing b12 through the gut.
I was apparently already wicked low on b12 when I started metformin because I got weird nerve symptoms almost immediately. Those symptoms resolved almost instantly when I started taking the b12. Two days later I was able to see my doctor, who told me I did the right thing.
We are vegan and our B12 was actually too high when we last got checked out at the doctor, lol.
Same here ! last check was low on iron but high on B12 ! Doctor said it wasn’t to high so it’s ok, but I’m actually pretty stoked when I tell my uncle who loves to barbecue that I have too much B12 and that I don’t take supplements
How on Earth did you manage that??? I know there’s a theoretical maximum on how much B12 you should have, but I’d thought it too high to be practically achievable.
Nooch, vegan milk, cheese and ‘butter’ with added B12, supplements and this
Edit: To be clear it was just above the normal range.
With modern diet, vegan or otherwise, it’s just good sense to take a multivitamin everyday. The difference between the daily dose and the deadly dose is night and day, so it can’t harm.
There were news stories in Australia last year about vitamin toxicity from taking daily supplements.
B6 in this case. It does pay to be careful.
While your warning is fair, the product in the article you linked has more than 10 times the vitamin B6 in a single dose than any of the four most common daily mulitivitamin supplements I’ve used.
I like putting nooch on a lot of stuff so it’s harder for me to avoid getting too much of it than too little.
Yeast by itself has no B12. You must be getting the fortified stuff.
Yeah, it’s Bragg brand.
Cambridgeshire area coroner Elizabeth Gray said Owen’s family noted in August 2019 she had not been taking her supplements for at least six months.
Gray said Owen “reported to her family that she had bought an organic B12 supplement from Canada” and would take a daily dosage of 1mg.
Dear God, why did she stop??? My B12 supplement is this tiny little dissolvable that tastes like cherries. It is not only incredibly easy to take, but actively enjoyable. I usually pop it below my tongue for maximum absorption but it works pretty well as a chewable too. And I get even more from my nighttime multivitamin, and then further eat plenty of foods which are fortified with B12.
Why get a B12 supplement from Canada specifically if you’re in Britain? Is it harder to find there? Are there fewer fortified foods? Clearly she must have been made aware of how important it was, so why just stop? Was there some other issue at play that led to her discontinuing it? Did she think she was getting it from another source but it didn’t have enough?
What an awful tragedy. I can’t wrap my head around it. What her family and friends must be going through right now…my heart really goes out to them.
Take your B12, friends. Don’t trust it to naturally occur in mushrooms or fermented foods, that is just not a reliable source.
is there a way to know if you’re getting enough?
Blood tests can show the amount of B12 in your blood, which reflects the combined effect of your intake and how well your system is processing it. In general, keeping an eye on your intake vs. the recommended daily value will work most of the time. (I tend to go well over the RDV because I’m unconvinced that it’s accurate in the specific case of B12, as the body can store B12 for long periods, which can make it seem like you need less than you do in testing.) Just popping a daily B12 supplement is fairly cost efficient and painless, so I recommend that unless you have a real reason not to.
Some people will experience absorption issues with B12, meaning that even if they’re eating enough, their system may not actually be processing it. Some things can boost absorption, like using sublingual tablets or B12 drops, but some people will end up getting B12 shots at regular intervals. This is rare (and can affect non-vegans as well), but if you’re taking supplements and feel like you may be experiencing a B12 deficiency, it’s worth having a doctor run a blood test to evaluate.
Common symptoms of B12 deficiency (c/ped from here):
- difficulty thinking and remembering
- fatigue
- heart palpitations
- pale skin
- weight loss
- infertility
- numbness and tingling in the hands and feet
Also keep in mind that supplements in the US are not well regulated, so look for supplements which come from reputable sources with true external third party audits of their claims. When in doubt, ask a doctor for a blood test.
Also keep in mind that supplements in the US are not well regulated, so look for supplements which come from reputable sources with true external third party audits of their claims.
Costco has a nice affordable B-complex Kirkland brand supplement, for those with a membership.
Enough B12? No, there is no easy way to know. The symptoms of deficiency are many and very diverse and overlap with symptoms of other health problems, and the blood test for vitamin B12 is not a reliable indicator. The most reliable test is urinary methylmalonic acid. If you have a B12 deficiency, the body’s ability to break down methylmalonic acid will be impaired, and the amount of that substance in your urine will be higher than normal.
The monster energy drink i had today had 500% of the daily recommended intake of B12, and the ones without dairy are vegan.
