Comments on: B12 And Reality

By: Kelly Crawford

Kelly Crawford — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 04:05:04 +0000

So what's the best vitamin b12 supplement to take? I'm planning to switch to a different brand. Some of my friends want me to try http://products.mercola.com/vitamin-b12-spray/ What do you think about it?

By: ardeth

ardeth — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:31:56 +0000

“B12 comes from a bacteria, not from animals.”

And cobalt.

By: Eccentric Vegan

Eccentric Vegan — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 01:53:45 +0000

Dr. McDougall wrote a piece about B12:
http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/nov/b12.htm
He says:

“If you follow the McDougall Diet [low fat, starch-based vegan] for more than 3 years, or if you are pregnant or nursing, then take a minimum of 5 micrograms of supplemental vitamin B12 each day.”

I even asked him in person about this and that’s what he told me, with a bit of an eye roll. I bet he gets that question a lot.

He asks

“How many vegans have you met with B12 deficiency anemia or nervous system damage? I bet not one! Furthermore, you have never even heard of such a problem unless you have read the attention-seeking headlines of newspapers or medical journals.”

I’ve known exactly one. And hers was caused by the same thing that causes B12 deficiencies in omnivores: an intestinal disorder. She had a parasite, which has been destroyed and now she’s back to good health.

By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:09:20 +0000

I very much like how Prof. Francione recently framed this issue: "For those who claim that a vegan diet is not “natural” because vegans have to be concerned about B-12, please remember that everyone has to be concerned about B-12 and must consume some food to get that B-12. I consume nutritional yeast; carnivores consume meat. To say that yeast is less “natural” than meat begs the question." ~ Recent blog post: Behind the Myth: ‘Happy Cows’ ~