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
Great blogpost … after being influenced by the low fat guru Dr John mcdougall , who I used to love n was a fan of …. I went on. A no oil diet n I also quit sugar a100% because of my gout attacks ..at that time (around 2013) I thought that sugar makes you fat.. I did not properly recognise that sugar :FrUCKtose causes gout, now I experienced that FrUCKtose n protien cause gout.. so after 1.7 years of starch diet .. I became lean but almost like a girl ..very weak n also pale, tgen I cane across Dr Mercola n group .. Tim Ferriss , David wolfe ,DrDaniel Amen …so now I m on a ketogenic diet, much better n now I am looking at ways to increase my cholesterol because it makes you a man n makes all your vital hormones including vit d n testestorone , so I just saw on Wikipedia that ghee has 0 b 12 , by the way after the starch diet my b 12 n d 3 were very very low, so egg yolks have vit b 12 n ghee ..are you really sure that ghee has b 12? Coz i dont eat meat but i m big on ghee n eggs , i want to stop the b12 supplements, thanks
Vegans are a hostile bunch of people.
Raw Kristina does take B 12 supplements but don’t fret check out the Shaolin monk vegetarian diet and where they get their source of vitamin B 12 shaolin-world.net/chan_nutrition/tofu_bokchoy_mushrooms
First of all, the tofu that has B12 that they are eating is synthetically fortified. And, the black mushrooms may very well have B12 like nori and other seaweeds do, but it is not the analog that is usable by the human body. The article above provides more info on this.
Really, I don’t recall 1 single instance where it says Jesus ate fish. Caused it to multiply along with a whole lot of loaves of bread, yes, but actually eat it?
I’m ready to be corrected on this though, but I don’t recall any instance in the Bible that states that he sat and ate fish.
Jesus not only ate fish, but lamb too as this was the common meat sacrificed and eaten at Passover. “Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for US TO EAT the Passover.” (Luke 22:7-8, NIV)
Fact Sarah, the liver is the filtration of toxic byproducts of the digestive system. Therefore liver is polluted with those toxins and cannot be neutralised by cooking. At. All!
The liver does not store toxins. That said, it is important to always source clean meats from grassfed farms that don’t use drugs, antibiotics and other chemicals with their animals or on their farm.
“The liver is not a storage organ for toxins but it is a storage organ for many important nutrients (vitamins A, D, E, K, B12 and folic acid, and minerals such as copper and iron).” westonaprice.org/health-topics/food-features/the-liver-files/
For your info about vegetarian Hindus (living in india) is due to the fact that when they consume ghee; they are or can never be b12 deficient.
Little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
Learn about ayurveda – a thousands of years old science from India.
Yes, ghee is a very healthy food loaded with B12. Thanks for sharing.
Just wait about 5 or 6 years. Then you will start to notice signs of a B-12 deficiency. That’s what happened to me. I went vegan when I was 18, then blissfully lived my vegan life for about 5-6 years, then I hit a brick wall when I was about 25 (actually the signs of deficiency were showing before then, I just hadn’t noticed yet). After researching it a bit, I found that I wasn’t alone. Website after website, forum after forum, I found stories of former vegans who after about 5 or 6 years, despite their iron will remain vegan, just started craving meat and eggs and dairy. Why 5 or 6 years? Because that’s how long your body can recycle B-12. Now, what about vegans like Fully Raw Kristina who gets her blood tested twice a year and she’s not B-12 deficient AND she doesn’t take supplements? AND she’s been doing it for 11+ years. This is my theory: People like her have such perfectly immaculate guts, I mean like the most happy, thriving, diverse ecosystem of gut flora that they are able to create their own B-12 like how cows do. But those types of vegans literally make their livilood being vegans. But being vegan is their full-time job. Not everyone can spend $800 a month on fruits and veggies. “Normal” vegans, like how I was in college (spending $30/wk on groceries, mostly beans and grains) end up with less than ideal gut flora, thus becoming severely b-12 deficicent within a few years. That’s my thoery (I’m sure Sarah’s gonna hate it, but explain to me how all those 1st world vegans who’ve been at it for 10, 20, 30 years are vibrantly healthy with no b-12 deficiency, and no, it’s not bc they unwittingly injest bugs on their greens).
If the bacteria in a cows stomachs creates B12 and the cows feces is used to fertilize crops, do the minerals and the B12 not become mixed in with the soils and, if not absorbed by the crop directly, is it present on the skin of root crops?
Soil is fecal matter so if ‘poo’ has B12, shouldn’t soils?
You say that nearly 40% of the United states population is B12 deficient because they avoid foods such as meat, dairy, and eggs, while animal products (mainly meat, dairy, and eggs) actually make up more than a third of the countries caloric intake. How is it that 2/5 american people eating more than 1200 calories from the apparently only source of B12 are still deficient while an Indian man apparently gets all of his B12 from a few bugs that he apparently did not notice on his apple?
Even if every vegan (<3% of your population) WAS B12 deficient, it wouldn't be an epidemic meaning that maybe this isn't a vegan problem but a whole country problem. An article you referenced states that the following factors also effect B12 intake; Smoking, Targamet/zanta/losec lead to serious deficiencies, Thimersole and mercury in vaccines, contraceptive pills, diabetes meds, stomach acid neutralizers, some molds, and more so are maybe those factors a larger issue than a vegan diet?
Animal foods are also the only source of dietary cholesterol and knowing that high cholesterol is a large contributing factor to Atherosclerosis/heart conditions and that it kills about 610 000 Americans a year (1/4 deaths), maybe you should move your focus to a less easily-cured illness than B12 deficiency and stop trying to disclaim veganism with omnivorous issues.
Yes it is a country-wide problem, but vegans suffer from it much more seriously than those that consume animal foods.
Why not eat dog’s liver?
What a strange comment! They do in some parts of the world actually.