Vitamin B12: Questions Answered

What is vitamin B12, what are the causes and prevalence of deficiencies, where is it found, and what is the best source?

Dr. Pineda Ochoa answers all of these questions and more in this short presentation.

The first part of the transcript is included below for reference, and the full transcript (which is too long to post here) is available on our website, along with sources and credits, here: http://meatyourfuture.com/2016/05/vit...

[The following transcript is an approximation of the audio in video. To hear the audio and see the accompanying visuals, please play the video.]

PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT:

More and more mainstream health authorities are promoting plant-based vegan diets – like Kaiser Permanente, one of the largest HMOs in the U.S. that wants to make plant-based diets “the new normal for [its] patients and employees”; or the president of the American College of Cardiology, Dr. Kim Williams, who vigorously promotes a vegan diet; or the chair of Harvard’s Department of Nutrition, Dr. Walter Willett, who recommends “choosing plant proteins over animal proteins.”

As we see this awareness about plant-based nutrition increase, concern is sometimes expressed about vegan diets and vitamin B12 deficiencies. Some might ask, “If a vegan diet really is healthy and natural, why do I need to watch my vitamin B12 levels or take vitamin B12 supplements?”

And this is a great question. So, let’s review the current information about vitamin B12, and the causes and prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiencies.

Vitamin B12, also called cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin. It is produced by bacteria, not animals or plants. So animals, including humans, must obtain vitamin B12 directly or indirectly from bacteria.

In the past, vitamin B12 from bacteria was naturally and more reliably present in plant foods. Today, however, with modern hygienic practices that more deeply clean and sanitize our produce, along with the soil being exposed to more antibiotics and pesticides, most plant foods are no longer reliable sources for vitamin B12. And, it’s probably not a good idea to go back and reverse sanitary practices just to get more of this bacterial product in our diet.

[Remainder of transcript, along with sources and credits, available here: http://meatyourfuture.com/2016/05/vit...]