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B12 deficiency shown in blood work

eechoeecho Raw Newbie

Has anyone here ever received results from their blood work showing that you were deficient in B12? What did you do?

Comments

  • veghealthcoachveghealthcoach Raw Newbie

    I'm not deficient, but adding spirulina, leafy greens, and wild edibles can help raise your levels. Vegan sublingual B12 vitamins are also widely available.

  • bittbitt Raw Newbie

    my results were low, because i had not really been supplementing after several years vegan. i started getting shots because once you are low it's hard to get it up with just sublinguals.

  • I would highly recommend taking a B12 supplement and retesting in a couple months. If you wish to buy a high quality supplement, you can buy B12 in the form of methylcobalamin or hydroxycobalamin, which has higher bioavailability, but the most common and affordable B12 supplement in the form of cyanocobalamin should be more than adequate.

    Plant food does not provide enough B12 and I just read in a scientific journal today that they tested most of the spirulinas sold in health food stores as sources of B12 and found that there was practically no B-12 in them.

    Several years ago, I developed very bad anemia due to B12 deficiency, but I was able to correct my deficiency by supplementing B12.

  • KristensRawKristensRaw Raw Newbie

    I use a sublingual B12. One of the brands I like is: http://www.vitacost.com/Jarrow-Formulas-Methyl-B12

    I've read that the methyl version is better assimilated.

    Regarding Spirulina and Algae forms of B12.... this is from wikipedia:

    "...So-called Pseudo-B12 refers to B12-like substances which are found in certain organisms, including Spirulina (a cyanobacterium) and some algae. These substances are active in tests of B12 activity by highly sensitive antibody-binding serum assay tests, which measure levels of B12 and B12-like compounds in blood. However, these substances do not have B12 biological activity for humans, a fact which may pose a danger to vegans and others on limited diets who do not ingest B12 producing bacteria, but who nevertheless may show normal "B12" levels in the standard immunoassay which has become the normal medical method for testing for B12 deficiency."

    Cheers,

    Kristen Suzanne

     

  • eechoeecho Raw Newbie

    I don't like the use of the word "limited" in that article, haha... but yeah I've read that about those products. But that makes me think - is someone who has OK numbers on the B12 test eating foods that are really bio available, or is the test slanted towards picking up false traces altogether?

  • Another good form of Raw & Vegan B-12 is called Vitamin Code Raw B-12. There is more information about it here: Vitamin Code Raw B12.

  • Pro biotics (and fermented food) and a high-fiber diet will provide you with the intestinal flora you need to keep your b12 up.

  • RawEverythingRawEverything Raw Newbie

    "They" say B12 is product by bacteria in the last pieces of your bowel and is not taken in your blood stream anymore. For a vegan life style you need to eat really disgusting things for a good source of B12 (and I don't mean meat). Of course "they" say things, but there are vegan animals that also eat those things (rabbits I know for sure).

  • SuasoriaSuasoria Raw Newbie

    I advise everyone to get B12 through a simple supplement. The risks of deficiency are serious. This is a gamble I would not take. There are so many myths about B12's availability in sea vegetables, tempeh, unwashed produce, mushrooms, etc. The older you are the more important it is to get sufficient quantities - whether you're vegan or not.

    I highly recommend Veganhealth.org for the most reliable, unimpeachable information on the topic -

    http://veganhealth.org/b12/plant

    The site is run by a nutritionist and is a side project of Vegan Outreach, the people who leaflet at college campuses and concerts. There is absolutely no one profiting from the site, unlike many health sites that push products.

  • eechoeecho Raw Newbie

    Yes, I've read that site it seems very reliable.

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