That’s right. Before i was a vegetarian and when i started to get depressed and weak, i asked my friend about my condition and she says that i was lack in vitamin b12 which i wasn’t aware of. i tried to search over the internet and i found this spray http://products.mercola.com/vitamin-b12-spray/ and as of now it’s pretty amazing, i ‘m back to normal.

Hi Becky,
We’re not worried, but we do try to present a balance view of veganism, both the good and the bad.
And we know plenty of people (omni and veggie) who don’t apply common sense to their eating. So this post will hopefully serve as a wakeup call to some people.

Hi Anna,
I don’t feel I’m in a position to recommend a particular supplement. Jane and I do take supplements, but we probably haven’t done enough research to recommend a brand. This is one of the reasons we suggest visiting a doctor or nutritionist… They’re better suited to suggest an appropriate supplement regemine. (Note: not all doctors are well versed in nutrition, and, as Gary notes, many doctors do not have adequate knowledge of vegan dietary issues.)

Hi Daniela,
Actually the study was done on people 61-87. 65 is the W.H.O. defined beginning of “elderly” so not all of the participants were elderly. Regardless, I hope to be elderly one day.
Yes, omnivores should be concerned with what they’re consuming as well as vegans. I write about that on occasion. But this is a vegan blog and I think it’s important to point out things that may be of concern to vegans. If taking a simple supplement can help stave off alzheimers, I’m all for it, especially since there seem to be no ill effects to taking excess B12.

Hi Doug,
Peronally, I’d rather err on the side of caution and take a daily supplement, especially since there are no ill effects to taking excess B12.
As for healthy organic soil, I’m not confident that all of my produce is grown in that manner.
And, thanks for your answer to Caela!

Hi Caela,
Doug has answered the question about as well as I can… (I would have cited the same source.) It’s simple enough to get your hands on a B12 supplement – many mulitvitamins provide B12, and fortified cereals, etc.

“Vitamin B-12 cannot be made by plants or animals[5] as only bacteria have the enzymes required for its synthesis. The total synthesis of B-12 was reported by Robert Burns Woodward[6] and Albert Eschenmoser,[7][8] and remains one of the classic feats of organic synthesis.

Species from the following genera are known to synthesize B-12: Aerobacter, Agrobacterium, Alcaligenes, Azotobacter, Bacillus, Clostridium, Corynebacterium, Flavobacterium, Micromonospora, Mycobacterium, Nocardia, Propionibacterium, Protaminobacter, Proteus, Pseudomonas, Rhizobium, Salmonella, Serratia, Streptomyces, Streptococcus and Xanthomonas. Industrial production of B-12 is through fermentation of selected microorganisms.[9] The species most often used, Pseudomonas denitrificans and Propionibacterium shermanii, are frequently genetically engineered and grown under special conditions to enhance yield.”

Animals and plants do NOT synthesize vitamin B12, it is the microorganisms that exist in healthy soil and also inside the digestive systems of healthy animals, including humans.

The reason that we, as vegans, don’t get enough B12 in our diets is because of the reckless use of herbicides and pesticides and other “scientific agricultural advances” which have killed all the soil we have to grow our food in.

At least, this is my understanding.

Based on Oxford’s study that was done on elderly people only, I don’t think this is safe to conclude. The study did say the people weren’t even Vitamin B-12 deficient, they had low levels of B-12. And vegetarians and vegans certainly aren’t the only population at risk for lower levels of B-12.

You do raise a good point though that vegans, just as anyone who is concerned about their health, should think about nutrition.

People who eat meat should be very concerned about the effects of eating mercury-tainted fish and hormone-filled milk as well. And the fact that most animal foods are not given adequate food safety oversight, the thought of food borne illness should get many people to consider vegetarianism/veganism.

don’t worry so much. veganism isn’t hard, it just takes a little common sense.

Some people do not absorb B12 well, and even a large percentage of people who eat dairy and meat regularly are deficient in B12.

FWIW, as an interesting anecdote the illness I have (CFS/ME) is often treated with large dose vitamin B12 in injections or orally. 1 mg sublingual tablets helped me a great deal in the beginning, even though blood tests had showed I was far from deficient (I take a daily multivitamin with 3 mcg), but then stopped working. However, many people I know have had the same experience (even some healthy ones, and most of them omnivores), that B12 initially acts as an energy booster and then stops working. But injections could still help. Some people with CFS/ME have daily injections of up to 20 mg of B12… that’s about 7,000-20,000 times the RDA depending on where you live (and perhaps your age)!

IMO all vegans should take supplemental B12 – and all omnivores should all have their blood levels tested, because they have about 1/4 chances of being deficient. But taking supplemental vitamin D (2,000-4,000 IU in the winter, less in the summer) is even more important, and goes for vegs and omnivores alike.