I have railed repeatedly against folks taking vitamin supplements. Because they generally don’t provide the vitamins the way the body needs them. The exceptions that actually make sense?  Vitamin D when folks live in the northern climes and Vitamin B12 for those who are pregnant and a few other cases.

Together with folic acid, vitamin B12 is critical for our red blood cell function and for DNA synthesis.  It’s also necessary for maintaining that protective myelin sheath around our nerves- and for the actual conduction of nerve signals, as well.

However, what is changing the recommendations for VB12 supplementation is that more and more folks are adopting a vegan lifestyle (and some vegetarian diets, too).  That situation creates a real problem.

The symptoms that accompany such changes can be pretty severe- shortage of breath, fatigue, forgetfulness (and the possibility of dementia and Alzheimer’s) are now becoming a common consequence. Because the foods that can provide sufficient vitamin B12 in a balanced meal have been removed when the vegan (and some vegetarian) diets are chosen.

You see the highest concentrations of vitamin B12 [VB12] are found in beef liver and sardines. Tuna, lamb, beef, raw cheese, cottage cheese, and salmon possess dramatically lower VB12 content, but 3 ounces of these foods can provide at least 25% of the daily needs. Milk and eggs have some vitamin B12, but those are a step lower than the other foods i just mentioned.

As you can see, those with a vegan diet would never eat any of these VB12 laden foods. And, those who maintain certain vegetarian lifestyles will also find severely deficient VB12 levels. Which explains why we now are finding that at least 15% of all Americans lack sufficient cobalamin. (Did you ever notice the pale skin of vegans? That’s because they lack the vitamin!)

And, then we have the issue of the greying of America. As we age, our digestive system begins to atrophy in performance, and gastritis becomes more prevalent. Excessive alcohol consumption also works to restrict vitamin B12 absorption by the body. Add to that those folks who suffer from acid reflux. Not only is reflux a problem, but the drugs taken to counteract the symptoms exacerbate the ability of the body to absorb cobalamin. So, it won’t be surprising to hear that some 40% of the older population now possesses a cobalamin deficiency.

(The testing of blood often fails to discern the low-normal range clearly, so even testing may not be the answer; in the US, we consider levels of 200-350 pg/mL to be low normal, but the normal level really should be about twice that. [It’s what other countries consider to be minimally sufficient.] So, many folks are often not told they manifest the deficiency and seek out other reasons for their symptoms.)

This means those over the age of 50, pregnant women, those with vegetarian and vegan diets, and heavy drinkers need to consider how they will supplement their diet. Whether it’s a shot, a lozenge, or food additives, the addition of cobalamin [VB12] is becoming necessary.

The good thing- cobalamin is a water-soluble vitamin. We can’t overdose, because levels beyond those we can use get flushed out of our body.

Unless, of course, we have a kidney deficiency…

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