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Vitamin B12: What’s the deal?

Veganly vitamins Vitamins B12Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin that is critical for the proper functioning of your body, keeping the nerves and blood cells healthy. In turn, this will have a positive impact on your mood, hair, skin and overall health. Let’s take a look Vitamin B12 in more detail.

Vitamin B12 has numerous benefits that are critical to the body.

  • B12 is necessary for the digestive system to absorb carbohydrates. Moreover, it helps in the conversion of carbohydrates into glucose, thus providing you with energy.
  • It helps keep cholesterol levels in check and thus, prevents high blood pressure and heart disease.
  • Vitamin B12 helps in the prevention of major types of cancers including lung, breast, colon and prostate cancer.
  • It helps in the regeneration of cells throughout the body and thus, is crucial for healthy looking skin, nails and hair.

How do you get Vitamin B12? It is often gained through the consumption of meat, dairy and fish. For this reason, vegans and vegetarians often have to consciously make up for the lack of B12 in their diets by consuming plant-based sources that are rich in B12 or by taking supplements.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency

A Vitamin B12 deficiency may lead to chronic fatigue, body aches, depression, forgetfulness, dental issues, heart issues, digestive problems and difficulty breathing. In severe cases, a deficiency could lead to anemia, which can lead to amnesia and other serious illnesses. In the US, the Dietary Office of the National Institute of Health (NIH) reported that up to 15% of the country’s population suffers from a vitamin B12 deficiency. One study has shown that 52% of vegans and over 7% of vegetarians have a B12 deficiency.

What Vegans Need to Know About B12

Most vegans gain reasonable levels of B12 through their regular diet but many don’t have receive enough to enjoy the additional benefits gained through a B12 rich diet, such as improved resistance to heart disease and other ailments. According to studies, around 10gms of B12 per day is all that is necessary. Vegans can obtain B12 through certain fortified foods like spirulina, nori, tempeh, and barley grass or by consuming B12 supplements. In most cases, a B12 deficiency takes over 5 years to form but in others, it could take less than a year. Vegans are urged to monitor the diet to keep their B12 levels at optimum levels.

What Vegetarians Need to Know About B12

Vegetarians have significantly fewer dietary restrictions and are able to get their B12 from eggs and dairy (cheese is a good source of vitamin B12). While some vegetarians still suffer from a B12 deficiency, most get enough of the vitamin to remain healthy. Anemia, fatigue, and depression occur amongst patients who have a B12 deficiency.

Overall, a B12 deficiency can be treated easily with the help of supplements and dietary changes. If left untreated, it could cause serious damage.

 

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