10/06/2013
How to Get Your Daily Dose of Vitamin B12
Most meat-eaters will get all the vitamin B12 they need from their food, since the most abundant sources are found naturally in eggs, milk, cheese, shellfish, fish, and offal like liver. Vegetarians and vegans may have more of a problem keeping their levels up, but supplements are an easy and convenient solution, and thoroughly advisable to anyone who doesn’t include any of the foods listed above in their diet.
How to Recognise a Deficiency:
As we have mentioned, vegans and vegetarians are likely to be the most at risk from a deficiency. But the elderly are also at risk, as are those with any illness that could hinder the absorption of the vitamin. You can spot a deficiency from a number of symptoms. These include:
Low energy
Weakness
Low moods
Confusion
Loss of balance
Poor Memory
What Could Have Interactions with Vitamin B12?
Drinking and Smoking:
Any extended periods of heavy drinking- lasting longer than a fortnight- will lower the body’s ability to absorb B12 from food, and could result in a deficiency. Similarly, ni****ne seems to lower levels of vitamin B12 in the blood; research is currently being conducted into whether smokers would benefit from B12 supplements. Of course, the best solution is to stop smoking!
Antibiotics:
These seem to actually improve B12 levels! Bacteria in the gut bind with B12, and prevent it from being absorbed. In normal bacterial-populations, this binding doesn’t affect the body’s vitamin B12 levels over all. But when the population explodes, as in the case of an infection, the body is simply unable to absorb enough of the vitamin. Antibiotics get the bacteria numbers back under control, and the body can once again happily absorb B12, without the bacteria binding to every trace of it!
What Are the Side Effects of Vitamin B12?
It’s very unlikely that you’ll suffer any negative side effects from taking too much vitamin B12, since your body is very effective at absorbing what it needs, and disposing of the rest through your urine. You are more likely to suffer negative side effects from too little B12, so make sure to keep on top of your levels.
That said, if you are supplementing your diet with additional vitamin B12, we would always recommend sticking to the daily recommended dosage.