Vegetarians and B12 deficiency - Pernicious Anaemi...

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Vegetarians and B12 deficiency

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4 years ago•5 Replies

Is it often true that vegetarians are more likely to have vitB12 deficiency and can I make a difference by changing my diet ?

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Vitamin and mineral deficiencies

5 Replies

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wedgewood4 years ago

If vegetarians are very strict , it could lead to a vitamin B12 deficiency . But eggs , milk and other dairy products can supply enough adequate B12 . But just to be sure , take a B12 tablet daily. Also bear in mind that as one ages , stomach acid supply becomes depleted , which can lead to a poorer breakdown and therefore somewhat deleted absorption of B12 .

PointOfReference4 years ago

Don't take any risks with B12 and a low or no meat diet. You can stay vegetarian but you must take a B12 supplement to cover off the lack of red meat.

There are other sources of B12 than red meat but without a regular supply you will drive down your levels over time.

Nackapan4 years ago

Often following a vegetarian diet that has kept you well fir years is not the problem. If its a case of absorbing less from the same trusted diet its worth trying a b12 oral supplement.

This works for alot I know.

You could try having more eggs ,yoghurt ect

Vegans need to take supplements regularly as its far harder to get the essential amino acids ,iron and many nutrients includibg b12

If its a cases of PA then the diet irrelevant as far as b12 is concerned as injections are needed.

I trued changing my diet to see if I ate more I coukd absorb more but it didn't work.

Just raised my cholesterol instead!

fbirder4 years ago

Yes, a vegetarian diet will make you more likely to become deficient is B12. But it will take many years for the deficiency to manifest.

You need about 2.5 mcg of B12 a day. To get this you need to eat a 2-egg cheese omelette, washed down with 200 mL of milk, or the equivalent.

It's extremely unlikely that any vegetarian will be eating that much eggs/dairy so they will be in a B12 deficit. But the human body stores enough B12 to last about 4 years (if you don't have an absorption problem). So even if you only eat half of the daily amount, you'll be noticing symptoms of a deficiency after 10 years, or thereabouts.

The best thing for vegetarians to do is to take a low-dose B12 supplement every day. That way you can be sure of not becoming deficient through inadequate intake.

Gambit62Administrator4 years ago

Please note B12 deficiency from dietary deficiency is off topic for this forum. Treatment is very different.Vegans are particularly at risk from B12 deficiency and should supplement.

Healthy diets such as the Iwo Jima and Mediterranean diet actually contain very little meat.

Vegetarians will be at risk if they eat very little egg or dairy. If you include fish that also reduces the risks. There are also foods that are fortified with B12 (eg a lot of breakfast cereals, marmite/vegemite).

Dietary requirements for B12 as a micronutrient are actually very small.

Please note that being vegetarian or vegan does not make you immune to developing B12 absorption problems.

As this post is off topic I am closing it to further replies.