Deficiency Diseases and Good Nutrition
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin)
This is the vitamin everyone gets concerned about when vegetarianism is discussed. Actually, you can even be a vegan and still get enough of this vitamin through foods. It is true though that most sources of this vitamin are in meat products.
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Foods High in Vitamin B12 Liver, beef, 3 oz. 95 micrograms Clams, canned, 1/2 cup 80 micrograms Oysters, raw, Pacific, 1/2 cup 20 micrograms Crab, Dungeness, 3/4 cup 10 micrograms Tuna, canned, 3 oz. 2.8 micrograms Beef, hamburger, 3 oz. 1.77 micrograms Milk, 2%, 1 cup 0.89 micrograms Yogurt, low fat, plain, 1/2 cup 0.64 micrograms Egg, 1 0.59 micrograms Cheese, Edam, 1 oz. 0.44 micrograms Ice cream, 1/2 cup 0.31 micrograms
as much B12 as that found in beef liver.Your body has very high stores of B12, about 2000 micrograms. It is mainly stored in the liver, and a little in the kidneys. Because there are such abundant amounts in your body, and your body recycles it so well, you may not see signs of a deficiency for 5-8 years. And don't forget some of the Arab nations who never eat meat. They've had their religion for thousands of years and most of them are healthier than we are in the U.S. You have to remember though, that their bodies have gotten used to it and adapted somehow. If you tried to stop your intake of B12 completely, you would get sick.
B12 is no exception to the rest of the B complex, and it too helps in the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Cobalamin is also needed in the production of red blood cells and keeps abnormally large red blood cells from forming. B12 aids in the prevention of cirrhosis, by lowering the amount of fatty deposits that accumulate there.
It also plays a large role in the nervous system. It protects the nerves of the nervous system. This is so important because the "nerve" is the smallest building block of the nervous system. This helps to prevent spinal cord lesions, mental disturbances, mood swings, and even visual problems.
The RDA for adults is 2.0 micrograms. This is plenty of B12 to sustain you daily. It also adds to your stores for later years when you need more. Americans get more than enough B12, though. The average man gets 7.8 micrograms; the average woman, 4.8 micrograms; and the average child, 3.8 micrograms.
Alcohol and drugs interfere with the absorption of B12. Heavy drinkers' bodies also cannot direct the little B12 they do absorb, to where it's supposed to go. B12 is also poorly absorbed without the intrinsic factor. B12 is released from the food you eat by the hydrochloric acid in your stomach. Then it binds to the intrinsic factor, a specific protein, and the whole compound is absorbed in the small intestine. Calcium is also needed for this transfer. You should also try to eat folic acid with B12, because B12 is the only thing that activates folic acid. Make sure you don't eat too much folic acid though, because it can mask the outside symptoms of B12 deficiency, while the internal neural damage continues.
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Revised: 14 Sep 99