Vitamin B12
The only vitamin that is genuinely missing from a 100 per cent plant-based diet. Essential if you do not eat meat, fish, eggs or dairy products.
Benefits
- Improves nerve function and reduces pain associated with diabetic neuropathy after one year (1,000 µg per day)
- Enhances the effect of an antidepressant in patients with low B12 levels
- In pregnant women, it increases the levels of vitamin B12 in the mother, the infant and breast milk
- Corrects low levels in older people, whose absorption decreases with age
Precautions
A long-standing deficiency damages the nervous system, sometimes irreversibly: it can be detected, but it is not something one expects. High doses of folic acid can mask a B12 deficiency in a blood test. It is also worth noting that, when levels are already normal, 16 combined trials found no effect on memory, mood or fatigue — B12 corrects a deficiency; it does not act as a performance-enhancing supplement for an organism that is not deficient. Furthermore, a long-term follow-up study has linked prolonged use of B12 alongside folic acid to an increased risk of colorectal cancer.
Recommended dosage
Vegan diet: approximately 25 µg per day, or 2,000 µg once a week. Absorption reaches a maximum with each dose, which explains why the weekly doses are so high.
What the studies say
Cette étude a examiné les effets d'une supplémentation quotidienne à long terme en acide folique et en vitamine B12 chez des personnes âgées ayant des taux d'homocystéine légèrement élevés. Après deux ans, la supplémentation a modifié la méthylation de l'ADN de plusieurs gènes, y compris ceux impliqués dans le développement. Ces changements épigénétiques ont été observés par rapport au groupe placebo.
Kok DE, Dhonukshe-Rutten RA, Lute C, Heil SG, Uitterlinden AG, van der Velde N, van Meurs JB, van Schoor NM, Hooiveld GJ, de Groot LC, Kampman E, Steegenga WT. — Clinical epigenetics (2015) — View the source study
For information only: not a substitute for medical advice. Dietary supplements are not a replacement for a varied, balanced diet. Learn more