Vitamin B12 – everything you need to know at a glance!

So that we can start the day fit and in a good mood every morning, our body needs a number of different micronutrients. Vitamin B12 is very important for us and is even essential for survival. This belongs to the group of so-called semi-essential vitamins. This means that the body cannot produce it itself and that it is not possible without regular intake.to maintain our health. What effect does it have on us, the symptoms and causes of a vitamin B12 deficiency, what foods it is in? You can find the answers to these and other important questions in our article!

What is Vitamin B12?

Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin with multiple functions and many different tasks. A deficiency can therefore have very serious health consequences. Since it cannot be produced by our body, it is one of the essential nutrients that we can only get from our food. The human liver can store between 50% and 90% of it as a reserve and release it again when needed. Most of the time, this storage can contain supplies for several years. However, the vitamin can only be found in animal foods. Vegans and vegetarians are therefore particularly at risk of suffering from a vitamin B12 deficiency.

Although our body only needs small amounts of vitamin B12, it still has a major effect on key aspects of our health. As an important coenzyme, it is used by all cells in the body and is involved in the structure of the entire nervous system. It also takes on many different functions and tasks in metabolism as well as in detoxification and blood formation. It is also essential for the following processes in our body.

• Cell division
• Synthesis of DNA
• Breakdown of harmful homocysteine, thereby preventing diseases such as arteriosclerosis
• Formation of red blood cells
• Synthesis of hormones and neurotransmitters

In addition, vitamin B12 is also extremely important for our brain. Many scientific studies show that people with a deficiency have a significantly higher risk of later developing dementia.

Vitamin B12 dosage and daily requirement

How much vitamin B12 you need daily varies from person to person and depends on many factors. However, according to the German Nutrition Society, the recommended daily dose for young people aged 15 and over and adults is between 3 and 5 micrograms. Since only a fraction of the vitamin from our food is actually absorbed, you should consume several times as much to meet your daily requirement. Unfortunately, this is often not possible with a diet containing fish, meat and eggs. It is therefore recommended that the daily dose be taken over several meals. Lifestyle, diet and the environment can have a negative impact on absorption and increase your daily requirement. This is the case in the following situations:

• During pregnancy and breastfeeding –If there is a vitamin B12 deficiency during this time, it can have a negative impact on the baby's development.

• The absorption capacity leaves with thatincreasing ageafter.
• Leads without a doubtthe stressalso to an increased daily requirement.
• If you constantly put your body ontrain high performance,put him under a lot of stress too.
• Alcohol Consumption –Of course, too much alcohol is never good. But even small amounts can damage the intestines, stomach and...strain the liverand in this way impair vitamin absorption.
• The regular intake of variousmedicationaffects the mucous membrane in the gastrointestinal tract.

Measuring vitamin B12 levels – the different methods

There are many different options available to you to determine the concentration. Normal blood levels are between 200 and 900 pg/ml.

• Determination of vitamin B12 in blood serum –Many doctors still determine the total level in the blood serum. Unfortunately, this isn't particularly useful since the inactive B12, which cannot be used by our body, is also measured. It may be that your overall value is still perfectly fine, but in reality you already have a vitamin B12 deficiency.
• The simplest method is thisurine test,which you can order online and easily do yourself at home.

• Holo-TC test in blood –This test only measures the active vitamin B12, so that a deficiency can be detected in its early stages and not only when the body's stores have already been more or less emptied.

Vitamin B12 deficiency causes

A deficiency is widespread and can affect anyone – not just vegetarians or vegans. According to statistics, one in ten people in Germany is affected by this. A vitamin B12 deficiency can actually go undetected for years before significant physical symptoms begin. Accordingly, cardiovascular diseases, anemia or even symptoms associated with a disturbed nervous system could develop. These include irritability, depression, fatigue and difficulty sleeping. The only external sign is mild sores in the mouth. It requires much more healthy intestinal flora than other minerals and vitamins in order to be optimally absorbed. Intrinsic factor is produced in the stomach mucosa. This is a protein to which the vitamin attaches and can thus be transported to the small intestine.

Many people actually have a sore stomach, especially omnivores rather than vegans. It doesn't have to be about a stomach disease, such as gastritis, which can also lead to a vitamin B12 deficiency. Just one heartburn is enough - it is precisely the many acid blockers that promote the development of a deficiency. And again the most common causes at a glance:

• chronic gastrointestinal inflammation
• Mangel des Proteins Intrinsic Factor
• regular alcohol consumption
• Taking medication for diabetes or having too much stomach acid

Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms

The symptoms of a deficiency usually only become apparent after many years, as so much B12 is stored in the liver that the requirement is covered for around 3 years.

• The most well-known symptoms include:Paleness, tiredness and difficulty concentrating.These are the result of anemia, which is also called pernicious anemia. If the production of white blood cells is too low, an increased susceptibility to infections and a weakened immune system are also possible.
• A deficiency can also lead to disorders in the central nervous system. These are caused by abnormal sensations such asTingling and trembling in the feet and hands, restricted movement and sensory disturbancesnoticeable. If the deficiency is very advanced, paralysis can even occur.

• A burning tongue or a smooth red tongueand frequent injuries to the mucous membranes could also be signs of a vitamin B12 deficiency.

Other symptoms that are typical of a B12 deficiency are:

• Weight loss and loss of appetite
• Gastrointestinal problems
• dizziness

Foods high in vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is now produced by special microorganisms and is almost only found in animal foods - i.eMeat, fish, eggs and dairy products. The largest amounts are found primarily in the innards, especially in the intestines, where it is produced, and in the liver, where it is stored. Here is an overview of the best B12 suppliers per 100 grams:

• Leber –60-80 micrograms
• Oysters –14 micrograms
• Rabbit meat– 10 micrograms
• mackerel– 9 micrograms
• Hering– 8.5 micrograms
• beef– 5 micrograms
• trout– 4.5 micrograms
• Camembert– 3 micrograms
• Emmental– 2.3 micrograms
• Grainy cream cheese– 2 micrograms

The heat and long storage times are real poison for vitamin B12. Since between 10 and 40% of it can be lost if prepared incorrectly, you should treat your food accordingly. Your dishes should therefore neither be fried too hot nor cooked with too much water. All meat eaters who eat mainly low-quality, cheap meat could also have a deficiency. The reason for this is factory farming: the pigs and cattle that are kept in stables no longer absorb any vitamin B12 from the processed food. This has to be fed to them artificially and unfortunately this is not always guaranteed with cheap meat.

Vitamin B12 in vegans and vegetarians

If you are a vegetarian, you should eat foods like cheese and eggs every day to get enough vitamin B12. Yogurt and other dairy products also contain it, but in very small amounts. Therefore, most vegetarians rarely experience a deficiency.

Unfortunately, things are completely different for vegans. Since the vitamin is only contained in animal foods, we recommend that you have your B12 levels checked regularly by your doctor. To prevent a possible deficiency, you should take B12 supplements and consume foods to which the vitamin has been added - soy milk, for example.

More and more often you can find information on various websites or in some books about plant-based foods that are supposed to be able to cover the daily requirements of vegans. Some of them are:

• Mushrooms
• Algen (Nori, Spirulina, Chlorella)
• Unpeeled and unwashed root vegetables such as carrots and beets
• Lactic acid vegetables like sauerkraut
• Wild plants
• Fermented soy products like miso and tempeh

There is still no clear evidence - neither about the actual B12 content nor about the type of vitamin B12 contained (analogues or active B12). In addition, it is often assumed that the vitamin contained does not come from the food in question, but from the impurities that got into the product during the manufacturing or processing process.

Are algae a plant-based source of vitamin B12?

Some algae speciesshould supposedly contain vitamin B12, but there is a lot of misinformation circulating. Old measuring methods were used for the determination, which also correspond to the so-called analogues. B12 analogues, also called pseudo vitamin B12, are molecules that are so chemically similar to the real vitamin that they bind to the same transport molecules. Not only are these totally ineffective, but they could make a deficiency even worse. Therefore, many researchers generally advise against relying on plant sources. Natural vitamin B12 preparations are a much safer option!

Vitamin B12 preparations

If you eat a healthy, balanced diet and meet your daily requirements, there is no reason to also take vitamin B12 supplements. But if that's not the case, there are now many different ways to top up your storage.

• Vitamin B12 tabletsare the most common form of administration. The active ingredient enters our body via the small intestine. Some products are available in the form of capsules, which have the advantage that they do not contain any other substances apart from the active ingredient and cellulose. Some people simply use a little organic rice flour as an additional filler, as the entire capsule cannot be filled with the vitamin. There are also lozenges, which are absorbed through the oral mucosa. The only downside to them is that they are flavored with very strong fruit flavors, which is of course a matter of taste.
• Vitamin B12 dropsare dropped under the tongue and left there for a few minutes and often contain fewer additives than the tablets. However, some manufacturers use glycerin of animal origin, which makes these products unsuitable for vegans and vegetarians.

• Vitamin B12 injectionsis a good alternative for anyone whose body cannot utilize the vitamin taken orally. These are given into the muscle and are hardly noticeable, making them easy to tolerate even for people who don't like injections. Vitamin B12 injections are usually used for very low levels that can no longer be improved or can only be improved very slowly with tablets.
• There are now also on the marketOil-based vitamin B12 nasal drops.