Do Vegans need B12?
What about other B vitamins?
At a glance
- B12 plays a protective role in the nervous system. Many vegans have developed serious complications from long term B12 deficiency.
- Seaweed contains an inactive pseudovitamin B12 which can mask deficiencies in a blood test. Supplementation is essential for vegans.
What is the role of b12 and do vegans get enough
Vitamin B12 plays an essential role in protecting the nervous system. Deficiencies can result in decreased energy in the short term and ultimately permenant damage to the nervous system in the long run.
B12 contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, normal function of the immune system, normal red blood cell formation, normal psychological function, normal homocysteine metabolism, normal functioning of the nervous system, normal energy-yielding metabolism and has a role in the process of cell division.2
There are no reliable sources of B12 in plant foods. Some seaweeds contain an inactive pseudovitamin B121 which can give a false positive on a blood test, (where it makes you seem you have good levels of B12 but actually you are short).
Whilst historically, it may have been possible to get B12 from drinking river water and eating soil (a bit of unwashed veggie action), these aren’t reliable sources in our polluted world.
Unfortunately there are many recorded incidences of vegans developing serious complications from B12 deficiency.3
For that reason, it really is essential for vegans to supplement B12, and why we provide a generous dose in our formula.
If you believe you are deficient in B12, you can raise your levels further by spacing your intake of pills out throughout the day, as this will multiply your bodies ability to absorb it.
Whilst B12 is the only essential B vitamin supplement for vegans, we are including a B complex with other B vitamins. This is to help you maintain optimal performance without having to consider the other B vitamins in your meal planning.
What’s the difference between the types of supplemental b12
B12 is a very safe supplement, and toxicity from over use is generally not a concern.4 However very high levels of a form known as cyanocobalamin could potentialy be toxic to people with kidney disease as metabolism could produce very low levels of cyanide, which a healthy body can easily remove. (Vegan Powah currently contains Methylcobalamin which is more bioavailable, but less stable than cyanocobalamin – we may include a small amount of cyancobalamin in later products which should still be safe for people with kidney issues. The maker of vegan powah is a living kidney donor so this safety issue will always be addressed, however having both forms of B12 may more reliably boost b12 levels due to stability and bioavailability.)
(1) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17959839/
(2) EU authorised health claims
(3) https://veganhealth.org/individual-cases-of-b12-deficiency-in-vegans/