B12

Question: How often should vitamin B12 supplements be taken by a strict vegetarian? I hear it takes a long time to run out of B12, so taking it every day(unless you're borderline deficient or trying to build up a large reserve) isn't necessary. So which is best for maintaining optimal levels of B12? Once a week? Once a month? Is sublingual B12 as effective as injections?

Answer: I have read and heard that 1ml Vitamin B12 injection once a month is a good dose. Vitamin B12 is a Water Soluble Vitamin. There is almost no risk of overdosing.

Question: Are vitamin B12 supplements derived from an animal, synthetic or plant source? I am a vegetarian that's considering going vegan. I realize I will need to take B12 but want to make sure that it's not from an animal source.

Answer: B12 is from bacteria, in B12 supplements I think it is a synthetic form, that can be from cyanocobalamin, there are oral supplements available for methylcobalamin, adenosylcobalamin (known in the supplement industry as dibencozide and coenzyme B12), and to a lesser extent, hydroxocobalamin. Captain Howdy: If you study the vegan diet and B12 you would see it is the most naturalist diet. You don't have to take any supplements as a vegan, some choose to for whatever reasons. Most supplements made are geared toward non-vegans (hence the animal products it contains). A lot of people non vegan and some vegan take supplements to be on the safe side. To be honest I have met more people who take supplement vitamins and feed their kids those Flintstone vitamin pills that where omnivores, than I have met a vegan take supplements. And some vegans (very few) believe we are omnivores, but the fact is, if any one would pay attention to evidence and evolution would know we are natural herbivores.

Question: What is the difference between Vitamin B12 and B Complex? What is the difference between Vitamin B12 & B complex? Do I need both?? I'm looking at the bottle of my B Complex and it doesn't list B12 but it lists B6. Should I take both a vitamin b12 and b complex every day? I'm a vegetarian woman and heard that Vitamin b12 is good to prevent anemia. I also take iron supplements.

Answer: yes you can take both but watch the b12 intake and take as directed..b12 if you take to much becomes a poison in the body due to the body cant release it in urine like most vitamin supplements

Question: How much vitamin b12 in pill form is given to people with b12 deficiency? I am always tired and think I may have this. I do not have a doctor appointment till dec 17 and was wondering if until then it would be safe to just eat a pill that is normally given to someone with b12 deficiency. Also is it safe to do the same thing for iron deficiency and how much of that is perscribed to patients?

Answer: b12 comes in all different values. From micrograms to miligrams. It is all over the counter. Look at the bottle.pp

Question: How long does it take for B12 vitamin to work? I just got the vitamin B12 supplement because I heard it helps with migraines (which I desperately need help with!) But how long should it take to work? I tend to get migraines rather often.

Answer: I haven't heard about B12 helping with migraines, but I have a feeling the supplement in pill form may not help you very much. Not everyone is able to absorb B12 well when taken orally. Some, like my husband, seem to, though. If you believe it might work you might want to talk to your dr. about B12 in injection form. It's easy to give yourself. Something you might want to consider for migraines (that seemed to help me) is high doses of Vit. C. If your migraines are caffeine triggered (or caffeine withdrawl triggered) it's a difficult balancing act to work up to a high enough dose of Vit. C while working your way down the caffeine ladder. I want to specify that I am NOT a doctor, and that any of this stuff needs to be checked out with your doctor before you do it. I am just speaking from my personal experience.

Question: What is the maximum amount of vitamin B12 that a person can take daily? I know I should see a doctor but I can't afford it right now. I have burning feet at night and they're usually sweaty during the day. I also don't feel like my circulation is right. I don't know if an irregular heart beat could be because of this. I'm very fatigued and never feel good. I heard that I might need vitamin B12 so I wanted to try that to see if there is a difference.

Answer: Hello, I'm sorry about this. Vitamin B12 is not always absorbed from the 'stomach' very well. There is nothing wrong with getting them to try, but if you are low on Vitamin B12 (as proved by a blood test), a doctor would certainly want to treat you by giving you Vitamin B12 Injections. Low Vitamin B12 is associated with damage to the nerves going to the legs, technically called 'peripheral neuritis.' It's usually just one part of a disease called 'Pernicious Anemia,' (I'm sorry, there is no common name). Pernicious Anemia is quite a serous disease. It mostly affects older people, you don't say how old you are. It might be low B12 like you say, but I don't think that would be causing the irregular heart beat or the circulation problem. You can try B12, like I say, but I don't quite see how you're going to get this fixed without a few blood tests and a medical opinion. I hope this is of some help. Best wishes, Belliger (retired uk gp)

Question: What are the benefits of B12? What kind of foods contain the highest percentage of B12? I saw on an info-mercial late one night that B12 can make you feel better. That it helps with memory loss, depression, lack of energy, and several other benefits. The Dr. also said that you could not take too much of it. Is there any truth to this? Also what is the best way to get this vitamin into your system?

Answer: Technically, yes, they're right. B-12 helps for energy and because of that, it can help support mood. When it's taken with Folic Acid and B-6, it can help to fight harmful levels of Homocysteine which helps with cardiovascular health. I haven't heard of it specifically supporting memory, but I suppose it could because it can help with energy in the whole body including the brain. As far as "could not take too much of it", that's partially true. It's a water-soluble vitamin, so if your body can't use it, it will excrete it from your system... but you can take too much of anything at once (like if you chugged a whole bottle of B-12 pills, that could be bad). As far as the best way to get it in your system, taking a daily dose is the best because your body won't store it. Some people prefer swallowing a capsule, some prefer sucking on a lozenge... a lot of that depends on each person and whether they can handle a lozenge in their mouth for half an hour or so. Typically, the lozenge will get the B-12 into your system the fastest, but any form of it that's taken daily will still get into your system. I would personally stay away from the shots because you're literally getting a super-dose once a week or so and your body tries to filter and process out the B-12. Since it's water-soluble, all of it is usually processed out before the week is up. I know quite a number of people that have gotten sick when they got a vitamin shot because it was too much for their bodies to handle... so they'd be sick for a day or two each time they got a dose. It's up to each person to decide which form they would like, but 500-1,000 mcg is a normal dose.

Question: What are some conditions that can reduce vitamin B12 absorption and lead to defiency? 1.What are the symptoms of this deficiency? What are the long term effects of a B12 deficiency?

Answer: lack of intrinsic factor. pernicious anemia

Question: How should I supplement my diet with vitamin b12? I am a partial vegetarian. I only eat seafood, no red meat or poultry. I do eat dairy products as well. After watching a show dealing with b12 deficiencies, I think I may have that problem. Before going to the doctor which I cannot afford I would like to try to supplement my diet with b12 to see if that helps. I do not want to overdose on b12 so how should I do this? Should I do vitamin pills or adition to my diet?

Answer: Ah, so you're Pescetarian? That's cool....as a vegetarian, I simply get enough b12 from eating plenty of Dark Green Veggies such as; Broccoli and Spinach. Check out my link below and scroll down on that page, it talks more about getting enough vitamins and minerals and what-not.

Question: Where does the B12 come from in vegan supplements and nutritional yeast? I've read articles that state that animals are the only natural source of B12 and that vegans need to take supplements, eat nutritional yeast, or eat soymilk,cereal,etc. thats fortified with B12. But, if it only comes from animals, where do they get the B12 to put in supplements? If they got it from animals, it wouldn't be a vegan supplement!

Answer: When it comes to the b12 source - if the product is vegan (such as VegLife vitamins), it Is vegan. Technically, neither plants nor animals create b12 - bacteria does; which is how we can have vegan b12 - we synthesize it via said bacteria. So, you are correct, vegan fortified foods & supplements do not come from animals. [1] As others mentioned, there is no reliable plant source of b12. The keyword is reliable. Seaweed, tempeh, and several other products have been shown from time to time to contain b12, but they have not been reliable sources. Meanwhile, you can not wash your hands or your produce - that will get you some b12 - but again, not always reliable. Like cows, we "create" b12 in our gut - but there is some debate over whether or not we can absorb what we create..And like other animals, we store extra b12 in our liver - but it's not wise to base your diet on relying on your reserves. So, given the importance of b12, I believe it's best to make sure and get it from external sources. Fortunately, the fortified foods are plentiful - there are fortified cereals, fortified nutritional yeast, fortified soy/rice/hemp/etc milk... And note - there are a LOT of non-vegan cereals that are fortified with b12 (and iron) as well, so it's not like it's a vegan-only thing. (Fortification has been going on for many years in an effort to alleviate deficiencies - even Frosted Flakes are fortified with b12.[2] ) Or we can take supplements - of which there are also a lot of options... Also note - we feed pigs and chickens b12 directly. We give cows in feedlots/CAFOs cobalt in their feed (which they require to make b12) - and we give it to some that are grazing due to cobalt disappearing from the soil (our topsoil is rapidly depleting and with it goes cobalt and many other trace nutrients).[3] So while some may go on about how 'unnatural' it is for us to supplement with b12, remember - a. the odds are VERY high that the cereal in their cupboard is fortified b. the reasons for widespread fortification was because despite eating animals/animal products, people were still becoming b12 deficient (and still are [4]). c. with our current methods of production, we either fortify the animals' food and then eat them And eat fortified foods, or we just fortify our own food.

Question: How do they put b12 in Soy Milk? I'm just wondering because it's not natural for clean vegetables to contain this stuff..Only in meat or dairy products. So how does commercialized Soy Milk get it's b12?

Answer: B12 is actually synthesized in bacteria. It is present in animal products because the animals are able to absorb the B12 from their digestive systems. So the B12 in vegan soy milk (or in B12 supplements, for that matter) is simply produced from bacteria in a lab.

Question: How long does vitamin B12 last if stored in a cabinet? Does it last longer in liquid form, or solid form? What about B12 as a spray? Is cyanocobalamin more shelf-stable than methylcobalamin? Would refrigeration help it last longer?

Answer: It depends on how it was processed, there shold be a use by date on the bottle.

Question: My girlfreind wants to purchase B12 injections. Can anyone recommend a website that she can go on to purchase? B12 injections? And also any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Answer: No, but tell her to B careful.

Question: Does anyone know how effective the B12 shot is for weight loss? How about depression medications? I am thinking about going to this clinic that starts you on water pills,appetite control medication and B12 injections but I am a little skeptical and worried.

Answer: Been there, it really does work until you stop going and go back to eating. It is only temporary and as soon as you fall back into the same routine the weight will come back on. Try making lifestyle changes one at a time like no more sodas, then no more fast food, then walking after dinner and keep moving that way. It is harder and slower but is permanent.

Question: What is the percent composition of all the elements in vitamin B12? What is the percent composition of all the elements in vitamin B12 (C63H88CoN14O14P)? Report answer to the proper number of significant figures. Chemistry teacher didn't explain this very well and I don't really get it. Help would be appreciated thank you!

Answer: Molar mass of cyanocobalamin B12 is 1355 So % compositions C = 756/1355 x100 = 55.8% H = 88/1355 x100 = 6.5 % Co = 59/1355 x100 = 4.4 % N = 14.5 % O = 16.53 % P = 2.3 % The Molar mass is taken from wiki

Question: Can vitamin B12 be orally ingested and still get the benefit? Energy drinks claim that their B12 content (3000%-5000%) will boost energy. I am under the impression that B12 can not be taken orally, that the digestive juices and enzymes in the stomach will destroy B12. Which is right?

Answer: If you have intrinsic factor to facilitate the absorption of vitamin B12 from your digestive tract, then the oral form will be utilized. Only people who don't produce intrinsic factor must receive B12 injections, and they are diagnosed with a condition called pernicious anemia.