The Vegan Diet and Supplemental B12: Are You Deficient?
Are you currently following a vegan diet? Do you focus on hitting your daily micronutrient intake such as B12? Probably not, right? And don’t worry, you’re not alone. Most people have no idea what their micronutrient intake is let alone even care to find out or read up on the subject. In fact, many don’t even take a daily multivitamin that contains supplemental B12. Unfortunately, being deficient can lead to some negative consequences.
If people were to track anything when it came to their nutrition, it tends to be their calories and macronutrients. For those who follow a vegan diet, micronutrients are of utmost importance as vegans can become deficient in key nutrients such as vitamin B12. For that reason, it’s important for those who follow a vegan diet to ensure they get enough of this nutrient by utilizing supplemental B12.
Should You Focus on Supplemental B12?
Following a vegan diet is a lifestyle decision. Many do it either for the health benefits or their own beliefs on the way their food is raised and even slaughtered. Ultimately, it’s a personal preference. The one downside is that the nutrients commonly found in the foods they are abstaining from are void from their diet.
Related Article: Why Do Vegans Need to Supplement with DHA?
When it comes to B12, according to the Mayo Clinic, adults need around 2.4 micrograms (mcg) per day. This nutrient is found in various foods such as meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products. While many assume it’s “just a vitamin,” becoming deficient in B12 can have some adverse effects. Should you become deficient in B12, it could lead to anemia, a change in mood and behavior, digestive issues, muscle soreness, fatigue, and even nerve damage. While it can take years to hit such a point where things can start affecting the nerves, once the damage is done, it could become irreversible and change your quality of life.
Supplemental B12 is important in a vegan diet because those who follow it do not tend to consume many of the foods containing B12. Therefore, those following a vegan diet would need to consume fortified foods containing this vitamin or consider supplemental B12.
What Are the Benefits of B12?
Consuming enough food containing B12 or leveraging supplemental B12 has many health benefits. Below is a list containing some of these benefits.
1. Boost Energy
It seems everyone these days could use a little more energy throughout the day. Whether it’s getting out of bed or making it through the workday or workout, we need energy to function. Even a little boost is enough to allow us to perform optimally all day long. Getting enough B12 through the vegan diet or through supplemental B12 can be incredibly important to boost energy levels and allow you to stay productive throughout the day.
2. Support a Healthy Nervous System
Should you find you’re having the sensation of pins and needles in your hands and feet, it could be a sign of a B12 deficiency. B12 is incredibly important when it comes to the health of the nervous system and helping to keep it functioning properly. It’s the role of B12 to help protect your nerves by helping the body produce myelin – a fatty sheath that covers the nerves.
3. Improve Hearth Health
Not consuming enough B12 from your vegan diet or through proper supplementation can put your heart at risk. B12 has the ability to reduce homocysteine. Homocysteine is essentially an amino acid that can form and build up along the arterial walls and cause heart disease. Utilizing supplemental B12, if you aren’t consuming enough through your diet, can help prevent the risk of heart disease.
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