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A nutrient found primarily in animal foods, vitamin B12 is essential for healthy nerves and blood cells.
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a Deficiencies can go unnoticed because they can cause symptoms that are common with other conditions.
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Vegans can get vitamin B12 from fortified plant milks, nutritional yeast flakes, and supplements.
Nutritionists say vitamin B12 deficiency can go unnoticed and cause a variety of symptoms, including numbness in the hands and feet and yellowing of the skin and eyes, but can be prevented by eating certain foods.
Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient for healthy nerves and red blood cells that carry oxygen around the body.
According to data from the National Institutes of Health, most people in the United States get enough of this nutrient.
But Brad Kamitaki, Ph.D., an assistant professor of neurology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine, previously said that symptoms like fatigue, tongue swelling, heart palpitations, and arm pain can be nonspecific, so vitamins B12 deficiency may be undiagnosed or underdiagnosed, he told Insider.
Vitamin B12 deficiency usually has two causes: malabsorption or inadequate intake due to conditions such as celiac disease.
Because the body can store it, it can take years for symptoms to appear despite inadequate intake.
An insider recently shared the story of a woman who woke up due to a severe vitamin B12 deficiency.
You don’t need to track your vitamin B12 intake if you eat animal foods
Vitamins are found naturally in meat, eggs and dairy products.
Priya Tew, a registered dietitian and founder of Nutritionist UK, told Insider that most people don’t need to count or track their daily intake.
You don’t have to eat a lot of these foods, just incorporate a few of them into your overall diet.
The NIH recommends that the average US adult consumes 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12 daily. For example, 3 ounces of cooked salmon or pan-fried beef has all of your daily need for vitamin B12, and a glass of 2% fat milk has half that amount.
Pregnancy may require up to 2.6 micrograms and breastfeeding may require up to 2.8 micrograms of the vitamin, which puts a high demand on the body and a deficiency can cause harm to the baby, including growth retardation and anemia.
Vegans should check their vitamin B12 status
According to the British Dietetic Association (BDA), vegans and those who haven’t eaten eggs, dairy or meat in five years or more should have their status checked as they are at risk of vitamin B12 deficiency.
People who don’t eat animal products can get vitamin B12 from fortified breakfast cereals, nutritional yeast flakes, and marmite, says Tew.
She said it was “really important” for non-milk drinkers to consume plant-based milks fortified with vitamin B12.
The BDA recommends that long-term vegetarians and vegans take approximately 10 micrograms of supplements per day as needed.
Since vitamin B12 is water-soluble, taking more than your daily allowance will cause your body to pee.
According to Tew, people should consult a doctor or nutritionist before starting supplements to make sure they don’t have an underlying medical condition that would cause a deficiency and to avoid interactions with other medications.
Read the original article on Insider
