Vitamin B12 is an important essential nutrient required for normal metabolic function. Most vitamin B12 in foods are in those of animal origin, and as a result vegans and vegetarians have much lower intakes. Studies generally show that vegans have lower blood levels of vitamin B12 compared to omnivores. Current recommendations are for vegans to take foods fortified with vitamin B12 such as breakfast cereals, plant-based milks, soy products and yeast extract, or to supplement with a vitamin B12 tablet. Vegetarians tend to fit in between vegans and omnivores in terms of their vitamin B12 blood levels as they have access to more animal foods that may contain vitamin B12, compared to vegans. However, as plant foods contain higher amounts of other nutrients such as folate, vegans and vegetarians tend to have higher levels of these more plant based nutrients. A healthy mixed diet containing plant and animal foods is therefore probably the optimal way to obtain the greatest intake of the essential nutrients.
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