How essential is B12 to your diet?

Question

What ways can you get it besides through meat?

Answer 1

It is extremely essential - you die without it. But it is NOT true that you only get it from meat! Dairy products and eggs are great sources - no need to worry if you include those in your diet. Strict vegans need to take yeast fortified with B12 or supplements.

There is, however, a condition called pernicious anemia that is fairly common, especially in older people, where you lose the ability to absorb B12 in your stomach. You can eat meat, take supplements, and still have a disabling lack of B12 in your system. In that case the B12 must be given in a way that bypasses the stomach, usually as injections, but one can also use tiny tablets that are absorbed under the tongue. There is no way to get enough B12 through your diet if you have this condition.

Answer 2

B12 is very essential to your diet. Actually b1, b2, b5,b6 and b12 play a significant role in helping to alleviate and suppress stress. Also, it aids in the production of more red blood cells which help to increase oxygen levels in the body. If you are deficient in b12 you can risk having neuroligical problems (depression is the most common sign of b12 deficiency, due to it being a major contribution to relive stress), respiratory and digestive problems. Also, just a reminder if you are on any form of antibiotics make sure that you are taking friendly bacteria supplements 50 billion preferably. Antibiotics wipe out all of your good and bad bacteria killing out all of you b vitamins(B12 is produced in the stomach).

I buy vitamins from a company called invitehealth, it is based in New York and New Jersey. You can always order online at invitehealth.com Their vitamins are excellent and absorb into the body very well. They also contain high percentages for optimum health. Hope this helps!

Answer 3

I wanted to answer your question but yahoo went on break.
Here it is.
Its very important for your diet and you can only get it through meat product. We had a debate on it in nursing class.

Functions
Vitamin B12's primary functions are in the formation of red blood cells and the maintenence of a healthy nervous system. B12 is necessary for the rapid synthesis of DNA during cell division. This is especially important in tissues where cells are dividing rapidly, particularly the bone marrow tissues responsible for red blood cell formation. If B12 deficiency occurs, DNA production is disrupted and abnormal cells called megaloblasts occur. This results in anaemia. Symptoms include excessive tiredness, breathlessness, listlessness, pallor, and poor resistance to infection. Other symptoms can include a smooth, sore tongue and menstrual disorders. Anaemia may also be due to folic acid deficiency, folic acid also being necessary for DNA synthesis.

B12 is also important in maintaining the nervous system. Nerves are surrounded by an insulating fatty sheath comprised of a complex protein called myelin. B12 plays a vital role in the metabolism of fatty acids essential for the maintainence of myelin. Prolonged B12 deficiency can lead to nerve degeneration and irreversible neurological damage.

When deficiency occurs, it is more commonly linked to a failure to effectively absorb B12 from the intestine rather than a dietary deficiency. Absorption of B12 requires the secretion from the cells lining the stomach of a glycoprotein, known as intrinsic factor. The B12-intrinsic factor complex is then absorbed in the ileum (part of the small intestine) in the presence of calcium. Certain people are unable to produce intrinsic factor and the subsequent pernicious anaemia is treated with injections of B12.

Vitamin B12 can be stored in small amounts by the body. Total body store is 2-5mg in adults. Around 80% of this is stored in the liver.

Vitamin B12 is excreted in the bile and is effectively reabsorbed. This is known as enterohepatic circulation. The amount of B12 excreted in the bile can vary from 1 to 10ug (micrograms) a day. People on diets low in B12, including vegans and some vegetarians, may be obtaining more B12 from reabsorption than from dietary sources. Reabsorption is the reason it can take over 20 years for deficiency disease to develop in people changing to diets absent in B12. In comparison, if B12 deficiency is due to a failure in absorption it can take only 3 years for deficiency disease to occur.

Answer 4

Well this is what happens if you dont have it:
Classical deficiency: symptoms and timing B12, folate and homocysteine in vegetarians
Homocysteine and mortality
Observed vegetarian mortality
Homocysteine and birth defects and other health issues
Intervention trials with B vitamins

Link is below

Hope that helps ;)

Answer 5

B12 is necessary to prevent anemia. Your body makes it and supplements usually aren't necessary. If you need a supplement, it is usually a injection because it is difficult to absorb through ingestion.

Answer 6

It's "supposed" to help with our energy level. I don't eat red meat, only chicken & fish. I take a vitamin B-50 every morning with my
multi-vitamin, and I'm good to go. Energy, that's all I know about B.

Answer 7

Go to www.webmd.com to read more about why B12 is important.

Answer 8

multivitamin tablets, calcium-rich fiid like milk and soya aid adsorption too:)