Forums: January 2011 Kickstart Forum: vitamin B12 confusion
Created on: 02/14/11 01:14 PM Views: 2442 Replies: 8
LisaPunk Joined: 01/06/11 Posts: 42	vitamin B12 confusion Posted Monday, February 14, 2011 at 1:14 PM hello all, i am a new member, ive been a vegetarian for 15ish years and i completely the January kickstart program and have continued being a vegan and am really enjoying it. however i am confused on the vitamin B12 issue. ive been reading that vitamin B12 is the only vitamin not naturally found in a modern vegan diet and that recommended daily dosages are 5-10 mcg a day. my multivitamin that i take ahs 6 mcg in it but i figured maybe taking a little more wouldnt be so bad since my diet is so limited and also i had major surgery in October and still have some nerves recovering from it so i thought the extra vitamin B12 would help. so i went to target to get some vitamin B12 and the lowest dosage i could find was 500 mcg. a tad bit more than the recommended 5-10 mcg. on the bottle it even said it was 8000% of your daily recommended dosage. if your recommended daily dosage is 5-10 mcg why on earth do they sell the pills in dosages this large? im very confused now. i split them into quarters and take a quarter a day which is still way more than you need but my mom is a nurse and said that much should be ok.
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Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2072	RE: vitamin B12 confusion Posted Monday, February 14, 2011 at 1:30 PM LisaPunk wrote: hello all, i am a new member, ive been a vegetarian for 15ish years and i completely the January kickstart program and have continued being a vegan and am really enjoying it. however i am confused on the vitamin B12 issue. ive been reading that vitamin B12 is the only vitamin not naturally found in a modern vegan diet and that recommended daily dosages are 5-10 mcg a day. my multivitamin that i take ahs 6 mcg in it but i figured maybe taking a little more wouldnt be so bad since my diet is so limited and also i had major surgery in October and still have some nerves recovering from it so i thought the extra vitamin B12 would help. so i went to target to get some vitamin B12 and the lowest dosage i could find was 500 mcg. a tad bit more than the recommended 5-10 mcg. on the bottle it even said it was 8000% of your daily recommended dosage. if your recommended daily dosage is 5-10 mcg why on earth do they sell the pills in dosages this large? im very confused now. i split them into quarters and take a quarter a day which is still way more than you need but my mom is a nurse and said that much should be ok. B12 is produced by bacteria in the guts of animals that eat plants (Like cows that eat grass). It doesn't occur in the plants themselves. So, yes, getting B12 in a vegan diet usually includes supplementing (although I think nutritional yeast contains some level of B12). Typically, the high dose B12 supplements (the ones that are just B12 by itself) are designed for weekly use, not daily. Your body stores up B12 to some extent and uses it as needed, so people often take it as a once a week supplement. Others use a smaller dose (like 6 mcg) in a daily multi vitamin. Both work okay in most cases. As far as I know, having extra B12 will just cause it to be stored up. I don't think it will be a problem, the way some supplements might be (like too much iron). --Deb R
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Susan Levin Joined: 12/26/09 Posts: 1191	RE: vitamin B12 confusion Posted Monday, February 14, 2011 at 4:39 PM Too true. It's hard to find supplements that don't pile in the B12. It won't hurt you though. For people over the age of 50 or for those who have a compromised gut, this helps to ensure that the very little amount needed (2.4 micrograms per day) can be absorbed. What you do not need will be excreted (Ever notice that really bright yellow color of urine post-vitamin?). Because I have an aversion to taking anything in high amounts day after day after day, unless prescribed, I would take a supplement such as you described maybe every other day, or 3 times a week. Susan Levin, MS, RD PCRM Director of Nutrition Education
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Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2072	RE: vitamin B12 confusion Posted Monday, February 14, 2011 at 4:42 PM Susan Levin wrote: Too true. It's hard to find supplements that don't pile in the B12. It won't hurt you though. For people over the age of 50 or for those who have a compromised gut, this helps to ensure that the very little amount needed (2.4 micrograms per day) can be absorbed. What you do not need will be excreted (Ever notice that really bright yellow color of urine post-vitamin?). Because I have an aversion to taking anything in high amounts day after day after day, unless prescribed, I would take a supplement such as you described maybe every other day, or 3 times a week. I thought that yellow was the vitamin C being excreted... So, B12 is a water soluble like C? I thought it was stored until needed (at least up to a point). Learn something new every day. --Deb R
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Susan Levin Joined: 12/26/09 Posts: 1191	RE: vitamin B12 confusion Posted Monday, February 14, 2011 at 4:43 PM The Institute of Medicine (IOM) - the folks who set dietary recommendations - say, "No adverse effects have been associated with excess B12 intake from food or supplements in healthy individuals." That being said, if there is an upper limit, some supplement company will certainly discover it, and I don't want to be the case study talked about in the IOM's recommendations. Susan Levin, MS, RD PCRM Director of Nutrition Education
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Susan Levin Joined: 12/26/09 Posts: 1191	RE: vitamin B12 confusion Posted Monday, February 14, 2011 at 4:48 PM B vitamins are water soluble just like C. They both contribute to the fun yellow shades or urine. So you are correct too! Susan Levin, MS, RD PCRM Director of Nutrition Education
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Wild4Stars Joined: 12/27/09 Location: Florida Posts: 832	RE: vitamin B12 confusion Posted Monday, February 14, 2011 at 7:20 PM Next time you have any blood work done ask them to test for B12. That will tell you where you are in comparison to what is recommended. ALSO a good idea to ask to be checked for vit D. I was very low on both when I went last year. Vikki ~ Wild4Stars@gmail.com
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cch22 Joined: 09/08/10 Location: New York State Posts: 1000	RE: vitamin B12 confusion Posted Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 11:39 AM i checked my b12 bottle. It is a b-complex time release, from natures bounty. Most is only 250%.. a far cry from yours. So there are ones out there with less.. i agree with you, i don't take these super vitamins that are out there. From reading i have found that it is a waste of $ for time release.. but i still feel a little better. there are days i take my b complex, and don't see the bright yellow.. i guess those are the days my body needed it...? Cynthia
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LisaPunk Joined: 01/06/11 Posts: 42	RE: vitamin B12 confusion Posted Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 12:23 PM thanks for all the responses and info. i guess i feel better taking it now. for now i will stick with a quarter a day until my nerves are more healed from my surgery and then ill do a quarter every few days!! thanks again!
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