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How do vegans obtain sufficient B12 in their diets? Can they obtain enough without fortification and/or supplementation?
My comment said "vegetarian sources"....not vegan. There are a lot of unknowns in the case of vegans and B12, for example how much is produced by gut fermentation, but until things are settled vegans can take a supplement for insurance. Also, B12 is present in the natural environment (fresh waters, soils, etc) but its removed by modern sanitization. So B12 is the only known nutrient that vegans (not vegetarians) may have an issue with....and its trivial to supplement with it. In fact, the supplements are a better source than animal products and as such anybody over the age of 50 is recommended to take a b12 supplement since they have limited absorption from animal products.
So vegetarian diets contains every known essential nutrient and a vegan diet + b12 supplement does as well.
The cheapest and quickest way is to simply take a B12 supplement once a week.
I take a multi-vitamin that has 100% USRDA of B-12 every day regardless, simply because B vitamins help metabolism in general. I also take a B-complex that does not have B-12 every day, to ensure I get enough B-6. (Too much B-12 gives me jitters and heart palpitations, something that only started after menopause. Other women may notice it, too, especially if they were borderline anemic during their child-bearing years, like I was even though I ate meat at the time.)
Plus, once you get diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, your risk of malabsorption goes up. If you have Crohn's, rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, etc., taking a supplement is like insurance: You may not need it every day, but it's good to have in case you do.
I take a multi-vitamin that has 100% USRDA of B-12 every day regardless, simply because B vitamins help metabolism in general. I also take a B-complex that does not have B-12 every day, to ensure I get enough B-6. (Too much B-12 gives me jitters and heart palpitations, something that only started after menopause. Other women may notice it, too, especially if they were borderline anemic during their child-bearing years, like I was even though I ate meat at the time.)
Plus, once you get diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, your risk of malabsorption goes up. If you have Crohn's, rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, etc., taking a supplement is like insurance: You may not need it every day, but it's good to have in case you do.
I don't take those extreme supplements that provide ridiculous amounts, though. I take the lowest percentage I can find over 100%.
That makes sense, because some people take a smaller daily dosage of B12, but others find it more convenient to just take a larger one once a week.
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