Comparison of the quality and amount of Vitamin B12 in animal versus plant-based foods and whether the gut produces this nutrient in usable form.
Modern dietary propaganda consistently gets it wrong…very VERY wrong…when it comes to the critical nutrient Vitamin B12.
The false notions pertaining to proper food sources of B12 have resulted in epidemic numbers of people being deficient in this all-important nutrient. The health consequences of this can be nothing short of devastating over the long term.
Vitamin B12 Deficiency Signs
Deficiency of B12 is extremely dangerous to health and can lead to dementia and even death if not rectified.
Early symptoms include paleness and overall weakness and fatigue. As the anemia caused by B12 deficiency progresses, symptoms can mimic aging.
Thus, some physicians can easily dismiss these signs as a somehow natural or “normal” occurrence.
Later signs include shaky hands or spastic movement in general, sleeping disorders, unsteady gait, incontinence, and memory loss.
Easy bruising is one of the most visible signs. Personality disorders and anger issues can also sometimes manifest.
For those trying to lose weight and using fascia blasting devices to help reduce the appearance of fat, severe bruising can occur.
Nervous system, reproductive, and digestive problems such as depression, tingling hands/feet, stomach upset, constipation (or diarrhea), and difficulties getting pregnant are also warning signs of low B12 status.
Children with B12 deficiency are particularly at risk with permanent damage to development a very real possibility. Growth retardation, delay in motor skill development, and significantly reduced problem-solving, spatial ability, and overall ability to learn are the consequences of low B12 in the developing years.
The real culprit in the B12 deficiency epidemic (by some estimates, about 40% of people are deficient and most are completely unaware of the situation), is the demonization and consequent avoidance of B12 rich foods by a duped public.
B12 High in Animal Foods
The very foods highest in B12, particularly pastured organ meats and fresh eggs, are the very same ones erroneously labeled as unhealthy by conventional nutritional circles. These include:
- liver
- egg yolks
- kidney
- meat (cooking meat only destroys B12 on the surface, not the interior of the meat)
- fish
- shellfish
- dairy products. Note that raw dairy has more B12 than pasteurized. In addition, the milk enzymes that assist with absorbing this nutrient are present in unprocessed dairy.
Ironically, these very same foods were revered by Traditional Societies. The reason is that they imparted vibrant health, vitality, fertility, and healthy babies and children to those that consumed them:
Do Gut Bacteria Produce B12?
Because the original source of B12 in nature is bacteria, some nutritional sources confuse the issue by maintaining that beneficial B12 is synthesized by gut flora in the colon of humans.
While this may be true, the B12 that is produced this way is not in a usable form. The body is able to absorb very little if any bacteria-produced B12 across the walls of the large intestine or colon.
The reason is that the bacteria produced B12 in the gut is not attached to the “intrinsic factor” (IF). This is a special protein that is secreted in the stomach.
B12 must attach to an intrinsic factor protein to be absorbed effectively. This happens when B12 binds with the intrinsic factor that has been broken down by pancreatic enzymes in the small intestine.
The tightly bound B12-intrinsic factor complex then moves through the gut to the Ileum or lower portion of the small intestine. From there, it attaches to cell receptors for absorption.
B12 in Plant Foods
Contrary to claims by the vegan community, usable B12 is not available in algae like clean sources of spirulina or tempeh (a fermented soy product).
The B12 found in these foods is similar to true B12 but not exactly the same thing. The B12 in brewer’s yeast also called nutritional yeast, is due to factory fortification. In other words, it is a synthetic source and not naturally occurring.
Algae Contains B12 Imposter
Studies have indicated that these B12 analogs in algae and tempeh are not bioavailable. Blood levels of the nutrient did not change even after these plant-based foods were added to the diet.
Even worse, these B12 imposters can actually inhibit the absorption of true vitamin B12 as the result of a competitive situation in the digestive system. This puts those that avoid animal foods at an even greater risk for deficiency!
Hindu Vegans without B12 Deficiency
Proponents of the B12 in plant foods myth like to point out that Hindus from India do not seem to suffer from any B12 deficiency despite a diet that includes no animal foods.
However, the discussion conveniently omits that vegan Hindus that move to England quickly develop B12 deficiency symptoms. This is the case even if they continue to follow their Indian diet.
Why?
This is because, in India, the plant foods consumed by vegans include many insects and insect larvae via unprocessed grains.
In England, insects and their residues are completely removed from plant foods before they are consumed. This occurs due to more modern processing methods. This removes the tiny and yet plentiful animal foods serving to preserve the Hindu vegans’ health in their traditional homeland.
Can B12 Supplements Fill the Gap?
It is always best to seek critical nutrients like B12 from food. However, if absorption is not optimal due to digestive issues or restrictive food philosophy, supplementation can become necessary.
The best whole food supplement for B12 is desiccated liver tested to be glyphosate free.
For extremely low B12 status, this is an excellent brand to raise levels rapidly.
The pathways for the uptake of this critical nutrient are very complicated. In addition, common physical issues such as reduced stomach acid, compromised protein digestion, lack of pancreatic enzymes, and autoimmune disorders can cause disruption in the absorption process.
Preventatively, the best approach is plentiful servings of foods rich in B12. This liver and bacon pate recipe is a delicious way to get this sometimes difficult food into your family. This single dietary tweak can easily avoid this common nutrient deficiency by maintaining optimal levels for maximum vitality.
References
(1) Myths of Vegetarianism
(2) Vegetarian Myths
(3) Vitamin B12 Food Sources
(4) Vitamin B12 from Algae Appears Not to be Bioavailable
(5) Vitamin B12: Plant Sources, Requirements, and Assay
(6) B12 Deficiency
Now then…
I’m vegan.
I have Crohn’s disease and Colitis and am not deficient in Vitamin B12 – as many Crohn’s/Clitis sufferers are. I’m also anaemic – due to a blood disorder (Beta Thalassaemia) and my Vitamin B12 and D levels are exceedingly good. I use Spirulina. Have been supplementing my diet with Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica for over 7 years now and my blood count and iron levels have never been so good in all my life.
I agree with what Jess has to say: learn something about the human anatomy and physiology before scaremongering!
I have a degree in food science and nutrition and anatomy and physiology.
Yep. Looks like I should be dead, too. I cleared up all my health problems, and I don’t supplement. I’ve been vegan for almost four years and never eat fortified foods. I’m a goner. Oh, and so are my children! One of them has been vegan since conception…
Oh dear. I wouldn’t brag if I were you. The chickens haven’t yet come home to roost. You still have time to wake up. Dr. Mary Enig used to say “It’s fine to be vegan and raise your children vegan as long as you don’t wish for any grandchildren”. There is a reason no traditional cultures were vegan … third generation infertility.
The liver is the detoxification organ of an animal and is loaded with toxins. Anyone who eats it or feeds it to their children, OR RECOMMENDS OTHERS TO DO SO, really needs to learn a little about anatomy. I am quite disgusted with the inaccuracies and dangerous suggestions within this article, and I really hope people take their time to research and think for themselves before heeding any of this advice. I have been vegetarian for 15 years, vegan for 2 years, fruitarian for 6 months, and I only recently started, as insurance, taking a very small portion of a 7,000 microgram sublingual vegan B12 dot. There is no reason to scare people into thinking they need animal products~ which cause a host of illnesses and disease and is bad for the planet, the soul, the body, AND the animals~ just for B12.
Your disgust for liver is unwarranted. Liver from healthy animals living and grazing freely on unsprayed pastures and not subjected to antibiotics, steroids, or GMO feed is safe, healthy and clean. The color of healthy versus unhealthy, toxic liver is quite different and therefore healthy liver is easy to identify. Children in particular benefit greatly from regular consumption of liver which has nutrients, like B12, that are not available in any plant foods at all. The B12 analogues in kelp and tempeh are not true B12 and not usable by the body and the B12 synthesized by bacteria in the gut is not bioavailable. Unfortunately, vegans frequently find out that these myths they have fallen for are quite inaccurate far too late – after their health has been severely compromised.
I am a “Hindu”, but all my life I have not come across one “Hindu Vegan”. Milk and milk products have always been considered as important part of wholesome Hindu diet, as righty pointed out in some of the earlier comments. In fact Ayurveda, puts milk and ghee as pillars of good health. Here are some of the international ayurveda and yoga web sites containing articles on the same.
http://www.ayurvedtoronto.com/ghee.htm
http://www.yogajournal.com/health/56
http://www.mapi.com/ayurveda_health_care/newsletters/ayurveda_&_milk.html
You have a good web site, it can be better with more facts.
I prefer to have organic fruits and veggies, but always make sure to wash them first, not too fond of eating “bugs” 😉
Good grief, don’t they teach basic biology in school anymore?
1. Cows are ruminants. Google it. Their stomach has 4 parts. They rely on microbial fermentation to break down grass and produce their B12.
2. The major carbohydrate in grass is cellulose. This is a form of carbohydrate humans can’t digest.
So if you expect to eat grass to produce your B12 like a cow, you’ll need to get busy growing those other 3 stomachs.
In addition to biology, they should consider teaching courtesy and good manners.
P.S. Thanks for the lesson in basic biology, it’s very interesting.
Freaky, huh? Cows eat grass only (mostly carbs) and are made of meat! How do they do that? Its one of the miracles of life.
They also eat the bugs and larvae on the grass. They also eat grass seed – their natural allotment of grain. They also have 4 stomachs full of bacteria that digest the grass for them.
Let me ask you this, if cows which are loaded with B12 don’t eat meat where do they get their B12? ?????
The sun!
Vitamin D… although not a vitamin but a protein.
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf9010966
Here it states we can get vitamin b12 through these mushrooms. Please someone EXPLAIN! I reaaaally don’t want to eat animals. But I also don’t want to be deficient. HELP!
Thanks for the link Jovanna. There is really nothing to be explained. That article proves that B12 is found in these mushrooms. That publication alone shows us that vitamin b12 is not just found in animals. So, you don’t have to eat animals.
It doesn’t say that if you eat these mushrooms you will increase the level of usable B12 in your blood. Best way to find out would be to test your B12 levels now. Eat these mushrooms for a few months and see if it goes up. If it doesn’t try some liver and then test it. You could also drink raw milk or eat egg yolks.
Shani, she said she really didnt want to eat animals. And, you want her to try liver if the mushrooms dont work. I am sure there are other plant based sources besides mushrooms if that doesnt help. I know God didnt leave out one vitamin B12 out of all the vitamins and said we need to get that one from animals. That just doesn’t make any sense. We all should know better than this.
Jesus ate fish.
Liver doesn’t like me. I’ve tried it cooked various ways, both calf and beef liver and it won’t stay down. It’s down about two minutes then it’s coming back up. I don’t think the smell is triggering this. And I’m the only one with 4 siblings who has this problem. I do eat canned salmon. Does that help with B12?
I’d like to add to your list of problems that can occur if you are deficient in B12. I’ve suffered with one very long continual headache for 20yrs. Of course I have tried all sorts of medical and natural means of healing this issue. But it wasn’t until recently that I discovered that I have Pernicious Anemia, which is the bodies inability to make the IFP, and started taking B12 in shots that I have finally experienced relief from these headaches. I also had the shaky hand thing, easy brusing (which my husband use to always tease me about because he’d touch me and I’d say, “Ouch! That’s going to bruise.”) and gut issues.
Only if you are diagnosed with a deficiency, and probably better get tests run and find out the health issues resulting in this deficiency, as more then likely, there is more issues going on, then a plant-based diet being the reason … Go see a doctor …