In this article, I’m going to talk about vitamin B12, and why it shouldn’t deter to you from going plant-based/vegan.

Research of B12

The study of patients with pernicious anaemia in the 19th century, prompted an early understanding of vitamin B12. This research allowed Nobel Prize winners George Richards Minot, George Hoyt Whipple and William P. Murphy, to uncover the cause behind their patient’s sickness. For context, pernicious anaemia is a deficiency in red blood cell production due to a lack of B12. Although the researchers weren’t the first to postulate that inadequate nutrition causes pernicious anaemia, their thorough clinical intervention, which saw patients eating a lot of liver, confirmed it. This led to a full recovery for their patients, most of whom remained on remission indefinitely.

The understanding that liver cured pernicious anaemia led many to start isolating the anaemia-preventing properties. Fast forward to 1947, Karl August Folkers and his team succeeded to isolate Vitamin B12 (cobalamin). This discovery allowed them to directly test the vitamin on a patient with pernicious anaemia, ultimately curing her. This research opened up the world for supplement development and commercialisation, in addition to a better understanding of cobalamin’s growth properties in animals.

Naturally Occurring B12

Vitamin B12 is involved in metabolism. It’s one of the eight B vitamins, and is the most complex one. It’s important for the functioning of a normal nervous and circulatory systems. Some bacteria and archaea produce the vitamin naturally. Certain gut microbiota in humans and other animals synthesise cobalamin into vitamin B12. However, because vitamin B12 is made in the colon and not in the small intestines, it’s believed that humans can’t absorb it. Ruminants for instance ferment plant foods in the rumen before going into their true stomach (abomasum), enabling them to absorb B12. Other animals have different ways of absorbing and producing B12 such as re-ingestion and bacterial fermentation in the forestomach.

Cobalt is a chemical found in the Earth’s crust, and is a constituent of cobalamin. Thus, an animal must consume enough cobalt for gut bacteria to produce vitamin B12. Cobalt presence in the soil improves the health of grazing animals. If the soil is deficient in cobalt, then it becomes difficult for the animal to meet their cobalt requirement. For instance, cobalt deficiency can happen if we over-lime a soil to neutralise its acidity from nitrogen fertilisers. This reduction limits the availability of cobalt that can turn into vitamin B12. As such, farmers will have to supplement their animals with cobalt in order to meet their dietary requirements.

B12 in a Vegan Context

When I was looking into veganism, I kept seeing that you can’t naturally get vitamin B12 on a plant-based diet. However, the internet exists, so I was able to quickly fact check this, and luckily for us, vitamin B12 supplements do exist. Dietary guidelines across Europe urge vegans and those who follow a plant-based diet to adhere to B12 supplementation. As mentioned previously, B12 is an essential vitamin for metabolism and synthesis of blood cells and nerve tissue. Additionally, B12 deficiency is higher in vegans than in other dietary groups, which means better planning in order to avoid serious health problems. It’s also important to note that it’s unknown when B12 deficiency starts, as early symptoms can be mistaken for something else.

I’ve been taking vitamin B12 supplements for 7 years now. I’ve found it to be an easy way to make sure that my health is on point. It’s something that you can easily control, as supplements are readily available and are very affordable. Further to that, I have done my blood work (which I need to do again) and my B12 results were positive. Matter of fact, I was above the threshold for vitamin B12 and as such I reduced my intake to 2 times per week. Nevertheless, this is anecdotal. Other people might not have the same experience as me. Some people might need higher dosages, or even B12 injections. Whatever the case may be, vegans will have to supplement their B12.

The B12 Argument

This brings me onto something that I noticed throughout my time as a vegan. Many people might see the need to supplement B12 as a flaw in a plant-based diet. Although this post isn’t about the diet’s health benefits, it does beg the question: Does vitamin B12 supplementation indicate a flaw in a vegan diet? My answer to this is no. The reason for this is simple – animals, including humans, don’t produce vitamin B12.

This is quite similar to fish and omega-3s. There is a misconception that fish produce omega-3s, notably DHA and EPA. (For context, EPA and DHA are important for our cardiovascular system, among other promising health benefits). In reality however, it’s the microalgae that produce these fatty acids via UV and environmental exposures. The fish then eat phytoplankton that originally consumed the microalgae, thus accumulating omega-3s in their tissues. When humans consume fish or fish capsules, they naturally absorb the omega-3s. As you can see, there is a clear pathway of getting nutrients from one organism to another. From a vegan perspective, I can have these nutrients cheaply and effectively by consuming the source, rather than the intermediary. As such, I take algae omega-3s to hit my daily requirements.

Nevertheless, one might say that eating animal products isn’t about getting one particular nutrient, but rather about the whole package. Sure, liver contains a lot of B12, as well as iron, folate, riboflavin, vitamin A and so on. However, this prompts the vegan argument, which states that paying for animal products isn’t justifiable. If we’re able to intake nutrients and stay healthy on a plant-based diet, then there is no need to pay for animal products. As such, animals become obsolete, proving that we don’t need them to survive, and we certainly don’t need to harm them either.

Final Remarks

If you are planning to go vegan, then vitamin B12 should not be a deterrent. Veganism can’t function properly if its adherents are sick. Aligning our moral values and health ensures that the message is loud and clear: we don’t need animals to survive. Supplements of any sort are there to ensure that we are getting our nutrients in. If this means that we can alleviate animal suffering, then this is ultimately a net positive. By leveraging plant-based sources of nutrition, we’re doing just that.

Having a well-balanced diet is key, not just for vegans, but for people in general. Heart disease is the number one killer of humans, which is heavily linked to what we eat. Health is a long-term investment, and doing research to better understand it pays dividends. Going vegan allowed me to dive deeper into the foods that I consume, and how that affects my health. I realised how much control I have over what I eat, and where my food comes from. And if we really think about it, our health is all we got. For me, if that means taking a vitamin B12 tablet twice a week, so be it. In the end, if I can stay healthy while keeping animals off my plate, then I know I’m doing something right.