Is vitamin B12 soluble or insoluble?
Even though the B-group vitamins are found in many foods, they are water soluble and are generally quite delicate. They are easily destroyed, particularly by alcohol and cooking.
Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin. Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water. After the body uses these vitamins, leftover amounts leave the body through the urine. The body can store vitamin B12 for years in the liver.
Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that's almost exclusively found in animal-sourced foods, such as fish, meat, dairy products, and eggs ( 1 ). Also known as cobalamin, it's a water-soluble nutrient involved in developing red blood cells and maintaining nerves and normal brain function.
Vitamins play a vital role in many biochemical functions in the human body and are essential components for maintaining optimal health. There are two main groups of vitamins – fat-soluble (easily stored in fat upon absorption) and water-soluble (washed out and not easily stored).
Part of liver B12 is excreted in bile, and undergoes an enterohepatic circulation. The main causes of B12 malabsorption include inherited disorders (Intrinsic factor deficiency, Imerslund-Gräsbeck disease, Addison's pernicious anemia, obesity, bariatric surgery and gastrectomies.
Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin, so any unused amount will exit the body through the urine. Generally, up to 1000 mcg a day of an oral tablet to treat a deficiency is considered safe.
Other side effects of vitamin B12 injections are more serious. Early on in treatment, these injections can cause pulmonary embolism (a blood clot that travels to one of your lungs from somewhere else in your body and blocks blood flow in the affected lung) and congestive heart failure.
The body may absorb cyanocobalamin better, while methylcobalamin has a higher retention rate. Both can prevent B12 deficiency, but methylcobalamin should be combined with adenosylcobalamin for best results.
When taken at appropriate doses, vitamin B-12 supplements are generally considered safe. While the recommended daily amount of vitamin B-12 for adults is 2.4 micrograms, higher doses have been found to be safe. Your body absorbs only as much as it needs, and any excess passes through your urine.
Vitamin B12 from plants is available from a variety of sources, including nutritional yeast, fortified foods, cereals, mushrooms, and some algae. These vegetarian sources of vitamin B12 are an excellent way for vegans to include the nutrient in their diets.
What plants have the most B12?
- #1: Nutritional Yeast. ...
- #2: Seaweeds and Sea Vegetables. ...
- #3: Mushrooms. ...
- #4: Tempeh. ...
- #5: Fermented Teas and Kombucha. ...
- #6: Kimchi (and Other Fermented Vegetables) ...
- #7: Barley Grass. ...
- #8: Fortified Foods.
The only reliable vegan sources of B12 are foods fortified with B12 (including some plant milks, some soy products and some breakfast cereals) and B12 supplements, such as our very own VEG 1. Vitamin B12, whether in supplements, fortified foods, or animal products, comes from micro-organisms.
B vitamins are useful in treating neuropathy since they support healthy nervous system function. Peripheral neuropathy is sometimes caused by a vitamin B deficiency. Supplementation should include vitamin B1 (thiamine and benfotiamine), B6, and B12.
Micronutrient deficiencies can cause several serious health issues. A lack of iron, folate and vitamins B12 and A can lead to anaemia. Anaemia is a condition in which there is a reduced number of red blood cells or haemoglobin concentration, causing fatigue, weakness, shortage of breath and dizziness.
Excess water-soluble vitamins are thought to be eliminated in the urine. We have reported a strong relationship between water-soluble vitamin intake and urinary excretion in females. The relationship, however, is not well understood in males.
Therefore it is important to maintain a clean and healthy gut for building the intrinsic factor which will help in the proper absorption of Vitamin B12. To attain this, ensure that you find the root cause and fix any gut-related issues such as acidity, constipation, bloating, gas, etc,” she explained.
Effectiveness of oral B12 sprays
This route of administration is particularly useful in patients who find it difficult to take B12 in liquid and tablet forms. In terms of effectiveness, research suggests that compared to tablet forms, sprays have a faster onset of action as they do not need to wait for dissolution.
Pernicious anaemia causes your immune system to attack the cells in your stomach that produce the intrinsic factor, which means your body is unable to absorb vitamin B12.
Don't take vitamin B-12 supplements if you have sensitivities or allergies to vitamin B-12, cobalt, and any other ingredients. Vitamin B-12 is safe to take in recommended dosages if you're pregnant or breastfeeding.
Vitamin B12 in dietary supplements isn't attached to protein and doesn't require the first step. However, B12 in supplements does need to combine with intrinsic factor to be absorbed. People with pernicious anemia, an autoimmune disease, can't make intrinsic factor.
What medications should not be taken with B12?
Other medications can also interfere with your uptake of vitamin B12, possibly raising your risk for deficiency. These medications include antacids and peptic ulcer medications, cholesterol-lowering drugs, antiseizure medications, chemotherapy medications, the diabetes treatment glucophage (Metformin) and others.
The common forms of vitamin B include vitamin B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6 (pyridoxine) and B12 (cyanocobalamin). Except for niacin (when given in high doses), there is no evidence that the other B vitamins, in physiologic or even super-physiologic high doses cause liver injury or jaundice.
Gastrointestinal issues. A B12 deficiency may also cause diarrhea, nausea, constipation, bloating, gas, and other gastrointestinal symptoms ( 2 , 19 ). These issues can affect both adults and children ( 2 , 20 ).
Though doses of up to 2,000 mcg of vitamin B12 are considered safe, it's best to speak with a doctor to find out whether taking a supplement is necessary. Most people can fulfill their B12 needs through a nutrient-rich diet.
We highly recommend Nature Made Vitamin B12 1000 mcg Softgels for seniors looking for a high-quality B12 supplement to support energy metabolism and overall health. These softgels help break down food into energy that your body can use all day long.
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