Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient. Let's look at best Vitamin B12 sources, pitfalls, Vitamin B12 requirements and how to secure them. we need external vitamin b12 sources. we actually make B12 in our gut. B12 is produced by some bacteria in our colon but it’s past absorption 3 reliable sources of vitamin b12: Animal products, fortified foods and B12 supplements liver: concentrated source of vitamin b12. Fish: salmon exceeds daily needs of b12. limits on B12 absorption: if you get your b12 from foods, it’s recommended you eat something with b12 a couple times a day. absorption: it requires 4 cups of cow milk to cover daily b12 requirements. eggs have vitamin b12 but not very absorbable, low bioavailability. some animal sources have more b12, some less, with a variety of those foods b12 adds up some animal products are more effective b12 sources, some less are b12 supplements a vegan thing? milk and eggs are not the best sources. in animal products, b12 is bound to protein, stomach acid breaks B12 apart so you can absorb it; b12 in fortified foods and supplements is in free form With age, stomach acidity goes down, people can't absorb enough vitamin B12 from animal foods and turn to fortified foods or B12 supplements. if you rely on animal products for vitamin b12 keep an eye on those factors fortified foods have b12 added: breakfast cereals, plant milks, nutritional yeast, imitation meats. can cover b12 needs in 1 serving. e.g. cup of cereal or fortified plant milk americans get more vitamin b12 from cereal than any other food those foods contain a ton of B12 but there’s the absorption issue, our gut can’t absorb all the b12 we eat. whether you rely on animal foods or fortified foods, eat a b12 source 2-3x a day. e.g. for B12-fortified foods: bowl of cereal for breakfast, cup of plant milk later vitamin B12 supplements: B12 seems like a given but some studies indicate over 60% of vegetarians are b12 deficient omnivores have surprisingly high rates of b12 deficiency too! b12 stores last years so it can take a while for a B12 deficiency to set in. B12 is critical for red blood cell production, brain function and cardiovascular health. symptoms of b12 deficiency: fatigue, weakness, pale skin, tongue swelling b12 test kits for sale online. it’s possible to have b12 deficiency and have normal b12 levels. a more sensitive test of b12 status is methylmalonic acid whatever you choose to eat, make sure to get b12. there’s a B12 pill and a sublingual tablet. Both work. b12 shots: for most people the oral route is fine most B12 supplements contain a form of b12 called cyanocobalamin, if you have kidney issues methylcobalamin may be better recommended dietary allowance or RDA: 2.4ug of b12 daily some animal foods and B12-fortified foods cover B12 RDA but we don’t absorb all the b12 we take in, so it’s safer to eat b12-containing foods more than once a day supplements: people used to recommend B12 daily supplements with hundreds of ugs but 50ug daily supplement is enough. 2000ug B12 once a week covered it already b12 deficient? you may benefit from higher dosages daily vitamin B12 supplements: are supplements unnatural? factory farmed animals given b12 supplements. so b12 in animal products often come from supplements all 3 sources are effective for getting enough b12 if you plan accordingly B12 has been detected in mushrooms, algae, duckweed etc but they have low b12 amounts and human activity is uncertain. inactive b12 forms. b12 must be functional with current evidence, they’re not your safest B12 source you can get b12 from animal products, daily supplements, B12-fortified foods or weekly supplements more on supplements: video on omegas and healthy fats. tired of supplements? here’s 7 nutrition facts I wish someone told me about long ago Connect with me: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrGilCarvalho/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/NutritionMadeS3 Animations: Even Topland @toplandmedia References: https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/73/2/106/1820655 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jhn.12035 https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/131/2/291/4687022 https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/71/2/110/1940320 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1884303/ https://www.clinicalnutritionjournal.com/article/S0261-5614(18)30071-2/fulltext Disclaimer: The contents of this video are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, nor to replace medical care. The information presented herein is accurate and conforms to the available scientific evidence to the best of the author's knowledge as of the time of posting. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions regarding any medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of information contained in Nutrition Made Simple!. #NutritionMadeSimple #GilCarvalho