From cell division to blood formation: Vitamin B12 is involved in essential processes and is therefore vital. Learn now how to meet your daily B12 requirements.
Table of contents
1. What is vitamin B12?
Vitamin B12 is an organic compound that your body—like any other vitamin—needs for vital functions, but cannot produce itself . Therefore, you must obtain vitamin B12 through your diet.
Strictly speaking, vitamin B12 is not a single substance , but rather an entire vitamin B12 group . Due to its chemical component cobalt, this group is also called the cobalamin group, or vitamin B12, cobalamin .
Cobalamin plays an important role in several essential processes in your body, particularly cell division , DNA synthesis , blood formation , and the nervous system . Therefore, vitamin B12 can support nerve regeneration after injuries or overuse of nerve cells.
2. Daily Vitamin B12 Requirements
There is no ideal vitamin B12 level that applies equally to everyone. Depending on your age and stage of life , your body needs a different dosage of vitamin B12. The rule of thumb is: the older you get, the higher your appropriate daily cobalamin requirement [1].
The ideal daily vitamin B12 intake for children between the ages of 0 and 12 months is between 0.5 and 1.4 µg, while for adolescents up to 19 years of age, it is approximately 4.0 µg. The appropriate daily vitamin B12 intake for adults is also 4.0 µg , but this can increase further for seniors.
Likewise, women during pregnancy and while breastfeeding should aim for a higher vitamin B12 norm : a daily requirement of up to 5.5 µg is recommended.
Daily vitamin B12 requirements at a glance:
- Infants: up to 1.4 µg
- Children up to 13: up to 3.5 µg
- Adolescents up to 19: 4.0 µg
- Adults: 4.0 µg
- Pregnant women: 4.5 µg
- Breastfeeding women: 5.5 µg
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3. What types of vitamin B12 are there?
When we talk about vitamin B12 in everyday life, we're referring to a whole range of different types of vitamin B12 from a chemical perspective. The individual members of the cobalamin group, in turn, have different functions and characteristics. The only thing they have in common is that they contain the trace element cobalt.
The most important member of the cobalamin group is coenzyme B12 . It is involved in the metabolism of amino acids—and thus largely responsible for your DNA.
For the production of vitamin B12 supplements, medicine typically uses the cobalamin types cyanocobalamin and hydroxocobalamin . They occur in your body as precursors of biologically active coenzymes.
4. What vitamin B12 foods are there?
It's a dilemma: Although your body urgently needs vitamin B12 for many vital processes, it can't produce it itself. Therefore, you rely on cobalamin sources to reach the recommended daily vitamin B12 intake.
There are several foods with a high vitamin B12 content. Animal foods such as fish , dairy products , eggs , and especially meat contain a lot of B12. Other natural vitamin B12 foods include beef liver , trout , duck , and mussels .
As you may have already noticed, vegans and vegetarians don't have a very wide selection of vitamin B12-rich foods. Vegetarian foods with high to medium cobalamin levels include cheese (Camembert, Edam, Gouda, and mozzarella) and chicken eggs . Milk , yogurt , and quark also contain B12, but in comparatively small amounts .
Vegans face an even smaller selection. If you follow a vegan diet, fermented foods are almost exclusively a possible source of vitamin B12. Fermentation creates (completely harmless) fungal cultures that provide you with B12. Vegan vitamin B12 foods include sauerkraut and—don't laugh— beer [2].
Algae and algae-containing products are also said to be high in vitamin B12 [3]. However, the amounts of B12 are so small that you would have to consume large amounts to meet your daily needs . Therefore, it is advisable to take vitamin B12 supplements for both vegans and vegetarians .
You can find a clear list of foods and their vitamin B12 content here.
Discover Vitamin B12 Food List
5. When you should supplement vitamin B12
Supplementing with vitamin B12 is an option for you if you can't meet your ideal vitamin B12 levels through your diet in the long term , or if you want to compensate for short-term deficiencies . Vitamin B12 supplements can also help if you feel weak and irritable for long periods.
As already mentioned in the previous section, people who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet for an extended period of time are particularly at risk of insufficient B12 intake through their diet. However, people who eat meat can also have insufficient B12 intake. This risk is particularly high in children and the elderly [4].
You can find out about the causes and consequences of a persistent vitamin B12 deficiency here.
Vitamin B12 deficiency and consequences
If you want to avoid animal products to replenish your vitamin B12 levels , there are various supplements available . The most common are vitamin B12 drops and vitamin B12 capsules or tablets.
6. The correct dosage of vitamin B12
Most supplements contain high doses of vitamin B12. However, you don't need to worry about a vitamin B12 overdose. No side effects are known so far.
In addition, excess B12 is not stored in your body but is excreted through urine. We recommend starting with a higher dosage and reducing the amount if you take vitamin B12 supplements regularly.
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7. Conclusion
Vitamin B12, also called cobalamin, supports cell division, blood formation, and strengthens the nerves. Since vitamin B12 is primarily supplied through animal products, vegans and vegetarians are at risk of not getting enough B12.
8. Sources
[1] German Nutrition Society (2018). Estimates for adequate intake. [ https://www.dge.de/wissenschaft/referenzwerte/vitamin-b12/ ]
[2] Mozafar A. (1994). Plant & Soil. Issue 167. Enrichment of some B vitamins in plants with application of organic fertilizers.
[3] Dagnelie PC, van Staveren WA, van den Berg H (1991). At J Clin Nutr. Issue 53. Vitamin B-12 from algae appears not to be bioavailable. [ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2000824 ]
[4] McBride J (2000). United States Department of Agriculture. In: Agricultural Research Service. B12 Deficiency May Be More Widespread Than Thought. [ https://www.legistorm.com/stormfeed/view_rss/268437/organization/87412/title/b12-deficiency-may-be-more-widespread-than-thought.html ]
