Just About Everyone Needs Vitamin B12 Supplements

By Dr. Mercola

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), nearly 40 percent of the U.S. population have marginal vitamin B12 status and 9 percent are deficient.¹ Vitamin B12 insufficiency and deficiency increase your risk of serious health problems, many of which mimic more serious neurological diseases and can easily lead to misdiagnosis and improper treatment.

Neurological problems, in particular, are a possibility even at the “low normal” range at or just below 258 picomoles per liter (pmol/L). A level of 148 pmol/L or less is considered a deficiency state. As noted by the USDA:²

“Deficiency can cause a type of anemia marked by fewer but larger red blood cells. It can also cause walking and balance disturbances, a loss of vibration sensation, confusion and, in advanced cases, dementia. The body requires B12 to make the protective coating surrounding the nerves. So, inadequate B12 can expose nerves to damage.”

Indeed, vitamin B12³ is vital for many functions throughout your body. B12 is required for:

If you’re frequently beset by fatigue and general lack of energy, you may be experiencing the onset of B12 deficiency. Other seemingly unrelated symptoms such as poor memory, shortness of breath, loss of taste and smell, depression and tingling in your extremities, can be indicative of low B12.

Anxiousness and depression may occur because a B12 shortage depresses the brain chemical serotonin, a neurotransmitter linked to your brain’s pleasure centers, and dopamine, the mood regulator registering memory and mood. Unless there’s an intervention, low B12 levels may even lead to paranoia, delusions and hallucinations. Other signs and symptoms include:²¹

Most People Are at Risk for B12 Deficiency

There are a number of key reasons for a B12 deficiency, including the following. Unfortunately, doctors frequently overlook these common contributing causes, and B12 deficiency is frequently misdiagnosed as something far more serious.

Needless to say, when a deficiency is misdiagnosed as depression, Alzheimer’s, autism or other serious disease, the root cause remains unaddressed, and no amount of treatment will be significantly effective. So, if any of these situations apply to you, be particularly mindful of your B12 status, especially if you have symptoms associated with deficiency.

How Much Vitamin B12 Do You Need and Which Type Is Best?

The recommended dietary allowance for vitamin B12 is:²⁷

• 0.4 to 1.8 micrograms (mcg) for newborns and children up to 13, depending on their exact age
• 2.4 mcg for people age 14 and older
• 2.6 mcg for pregnant women
• 2.8 mcg for breastfeeding women

Fortunately, you don’t need to worry about overdosing on B12 because it’s water soluble, so your body will simply flush out any excess. The type of B12 you use, however, is a factor worthy of consideration. While cyanocobalamin is the form of B12 found in most supplements, this form is far from ideal and does not occur naturally in foods. As explained by Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo:²⁸

“As the name implies, cyanocobalamin contains a cyanide molecule. Most people are familiar with cyanide as a poisonous substance. Although the amount of cyanide in a normal B12 supplement is small and from a toxicology point, viewed as insignificant, your body will still need to remove and eliminate this compound. This removal is accomplished through your detoxification systems with substances like glutathione being very important for the elimination of the cyanide.”

A far better form of B12 — especially for the support of nervous system health and healthy vision — is methylcobalamin, which is the naturally occurring form found in food. It’s more absorbable and your body retains it in greater amounts than cyanocobalamin.²⁹Considering the many health risks associated with B12 deficiency, and the fact that CAFO animal products — which is what most people eat — tend to be low in B12, it may be wise for most people to take a high-quality methylcobalamin supplement.

Sources and References

• ^1, 2 USDA, Vitamin B12 Deficiency
• ³ Eating Our Future, Vitamin B12 Deficiency
• ⁴ Cell Metabolism November 4, 2014; 20(5): 769–778
• ⁵ PNAS February 14, 2017; 114(7): E1205-E1214
• ⁶ B12awareness.org
• ⁷ Health.com March 27, 2018
• ⁸ The Nutrition Almanac, 3rd ed. p. 32-33; Garrison, R. & Somer, E. The Nutrition Desk Reference, 3rd ed., (Keats Publishing; CT), p. 126
• ⁹ European Journal of Nutrition 2017 Feb;56(1):283-29
• ¹⁰ USDA, Vitamin B12 Deficiency
• ¹¹ Baltimore Post-Examiner October 30, 2013
• ¹²  Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline, Estimation of the
• ¹³ Science Daily November 7, 2016
• ¹⁴ NIH.gov, Vitamin B12 Fact Sheet
• ¹⁵ British Medical Journal 956 Dec 15; 2(5006): 1394–1398
• ¹⁶ British Medical Journal 956 Dec 15; 2(5006): 1394–1398 (Full article, PDF)
• ¹⁷ Psychological Medicine February 16, 2017, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291717000022
• ¹⁸ Medical News Today February 16, 2017
• ¹⁹ PeerJ Journal 3:e1140
• ²⁰ Pharmacogenet Genomics. 2009 Jun;19(6):422-8
• ²¹ Harvard, Vitamin B12
• ²² Clinical Chemistry August 2008
• ²³ American Family Physician 2017 Sep 15;96(6):384-389
• ²⁴ JAMA 2013;310(22):2435-2442
• ²⁵ Health.com March 27, 2018
• ²⁶ Effects of Antibiotic-Induced Vitamin B12 Deficiency With and Without Oral Administration of Vitamin B12 (PDF)
• ²⁷ NIH.gov, Vitamin B12 Fact Sheet
• ²⁸ DaDamo.com, Cyanocobalamin versus Methylcobalamin
• ²⁹ Just Vitamins, Cyanocobalamin versus Methylcobalamin

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