B12 deficiency and vegetarianism

turnikett1

If one ate eggs daily, and cheese almost daily, would they be getting sufficient amounts of B12? I bought some supplements, because I thought I needed them. I've been vegetarian for 3 and a half years, but I have noticed I often have a cold. Usually it's just a blocked/runny nose, but every now and then coughing and sore throat too. I suspect that may be more linked to my asthma but regardless after a vegan friend of mine told me she started taking B12 supplements and felt great, I figured I'd do the same.

It was only after I bought them that I had the sense to do some research, and apparently, only vegans are at risk of not getting enough B12... Though everywhere I've looked gives conflicting views on how much dairy is needed daily to get enough B12. I do eat a lot of dairy and eggs.

Is it worth continuing taking these supplements or should I give them to my vegan friend!?

seamus

Only way really, if you're concerned about your levels is to go and get blood tests done by your GP. Guessing the state of your health by the fact that you keep picking up colds doesn't really tell you any more about your B12 levels than it does about whether you have some kind of autoimmune disorder.

There are many reasons why someone may seem to be continually getting colds, some are environmental, some are medical, some are just pure luck.

Blood tests will tell you whether you're deficient in anything and then you can target that appropriately.

Web Graphic Designer

Read somewhere B12 deficiently is one of the 1st signs of Gluten intolerance, give up the bread also for a few weeks/months to see how it goes. If you fingernails have no half-moons at the bottom this may also point to a deficiency.

seamus

Web Graphic Designer wrote: »

Read somewhere B12 deficiently is one of the 1st signs of Gluten intolerance, give up the bread also for a few weeks/months to see how it goes. If you fingernails have no half-moons at the bottom this may also point to a deficiency.

No offence, but this is all junk science.

OP, a blood test will get you results back in five days and tell you what you need to know, rather than needlessly cutting out gluten for a month and still not having any firm answers.

Web Graphic Designer

Junk science perhaps, but physical traits from fingernails, eyes, skin etc can be useful to indicate health conditions/issues and have around long before modern GP offices. A blood test is also the way to go, will will give results but not always causation.

Cutting modern gluten out of your diet can be beneficial even if not needed, the world's 1&2 ranked tennis players seem to think so anyway.

Dandelion6

Answer to OP's question is there is no reason a vegetarian who eats lots of dairy and eggs should be any more at risk of B12 deficiency than an omnivore.

Tar.Aldarion

As a matter of course you should get blood tests done checking how youa re getting on anyway, perhaps treat this question as a kick start to doing that. I try to go yearly now.

human 19

Some notes from this online course for your information:

Nutrition and Health Part 2: Micronutrients and Malnutrition

 Dietary deficiency of vitamin B12 only occurs among strict vegans, but deficiency as a result of impaired absorption is not uncommon, especially among elderly people with chronic inflammation of the stomach. Vitamin B12 and folate are closely related: they depend on each other for activation.

Vitamin B12 is naturally found in animal products, including fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, and milk products. Vitamin B12 is not present in plant foods, but fortified breakfast cereals and soy milk are a readily available source of vitamin B12, with high bioavailability for vegetarians.

1 hardboiled eg g - 10% daily requirement
Milk, low-fat, 1 cup - 18%
Cheese, Swiss, 1 ounce - 15%
Breakfast cereals, fortified with 25% of the DV for vitamin B12, 1 serving -25%

In dietary supplements, vitamin B12 is usually present as cyanocobalamin, a form that the body readily converts to the active forms of vitamin B12.

Maxthedm

I would suggest going to the doctor to get blood tests if you're worried, it's the only way to know if you need to take B12. There's no benefit to taking supplements you don't need.

Even as an omnivore, I needed to take B12 injections as I just don't absorb it very well, though I suspect that is a genetic thing as a lot of my family need the injections as well.