Vitamin B-12: Jack Norris Debunks Douglas Graham's Opinion

[beforewisdom]

Comments on Doug Graham’s B12 Statements
http://jacknorrisrd.com/?p=1391&cpage=1#comment-5013

For the record I take a daily vitamin b-12 sublingual lozenge. I buy a supply for an entire year at a time. It costs me slightly less than $25 and that price includes shipping.

It is kind of amazing when you think about it. So many people arguing so hard against doing something that can prevent a stroke, a heart attack or neurological damage. Something that costs less than 50 cents a week.

FWIW, Jack Norris is a registered dietitian (R.D.) and cofounder of Vegan Outreach has written one of the best articles on why someone would want to supplement vitamin b-12 and how to do it. You can read it for free at the URL below. If you care about staying vegan I recommend you read everything he has to write at all 3 links at the URL below:

http://veganhealth.org/articles/vitaminb12

[VeganFromHell]

ZOMG, TAKE YOUR B12. It's omni scaremongering. Plain and simple. Many vegans day in, day out do not take supplemental tablets, injections etc for b12 yet amazingly aren't suffering from the deficiency (including myself)? I wonder why that is? Because if we really suffered from the crap omni's claim we do, the supplement market would cater for mainly vegans, but no, most supplementation products aren't even vegetarian so clearly we're not super unhealthy enough to provide the demand.

Worrying about every little vitamin and mineral you intake just reeks of health nut to me. Exercise and eat right, don't smoke or drink heavily, etc you'll be fine, unless you're unlucky and get popped off by real life (traffic, crazy gunmen, second hand smoke, pollution, accident, etc).

[flagvegan]

A b-12 deficiency can take years to develop. It is very important that you take this supplement because a deficiency can irreversible damage to the nervous system.

[beforewisdom]

ZOMG, TAKE YOUR B12. It's omni scaremongering. Plain and simple. Many vegans day in, day out do not take supplemental tablets, injections etc for b12 yet amazingly aren't suffering from the deficiency (including myself)? I wonder why that is?

Because people do not eat as "pure" as they think. They buy packaged foods and many packaged foods are fortified with vitamin b-12, though that fortification is not prominent on the label.

Omnivores and vegetarians fall short on vitamin b-12 too. You can read about it in the links I provided.

A vitamin b-12 deficiency can take years to develop. Some people develop chronic fatigue first, but you can feel fine one moment and have permanent neurological damage the next.

[VegeTexan]

I agree, B-12 and Omega -3 supplementation is important.
BW, where do you get B-12 for such a low price?

[beforewisdom]

I agree, B-12 and Omega -3 supplementation is important.
BW, where do you get B-12 for such a low price?

I get the 50 mcg lozenges, which according to the Norris article is more than enough if you do it daily. I get them from Freeda Vitamins

http://www.freedavitamins.com/index....d=198&parent=7

[Miso Vegan]

ZOMG, TAKE YOUR B12. It's omni scaremongering. Plain and simple.

No.... this info linked above is from vegans, with studies done on vegans, for vegans who want to stay vegan and stay healthy.

Many vegans day in, day out do not take supplemental tablets, injections etc for b12 yet amazingly aren't suffering from the deficiency (including myself)?

How do you know this? Because I run across a lot of vegans who are deficient in B12. They come to me to buy B12 because they got tested and were found to be low. And not just low, but showing deficiency symptoms - exhaustion, shaky hands, etc.

Because if we really suffered from the crap omni's claim we do, the supplement market would cater for mainly vegans, but no, most supplementation products aren't even vegetarian so clearly we're not super unhealthy enough to provide the demand.

Because we're <1% of the population, and often stubbornly clinging to the myth that we can get all we need from plants, we do not rate. However, there are actually plenty of supplements that are designed specifically for vegans.

Worrying about every little vitamin and mineral you intake just reeks of health nut to me. Exercise and eat right, don't smoke or drink heavily, etc you'll be fine, unless you're unlucky and get popped off by real life (traffic, crazy gunmen, second hand smoke, pollution, accident, etc).

You may be fine, or you may not. And if you're not fine, then you'll be every omnivore's excuse to never go vegan. "I knew this one vegan who got so sickly...."

[beforewisdom]

*APPLAUSE*

[vegematic]

beforewisdom, what does that b12 lozenge taste like? I've been having a hard time finding either a pill that isn't so large that it gags me or a sublingual that doesn't taste so bad it makes me dry heave.
-vegematic

[Miso Vegan]

Wow, I've never had such bad-tasting sublinguals. Most are cherry-ish flavored.

[vegematic]

The one I tried was a liquid, definitely not cherry. Very chemical-tasting, kind of like New Jersey.
-vegematic

[beforewisdom]

beforewisdom, what does that b12 lozenge taste like?

fairly neutral. I don't know what to compare it too. Taste isn't a problem

[shananigans]

I tested low side of normal for B12 about a year ago. I've been taking a daily b-complex supplement with 50 mcg B12 per tablet. Just got my blood drawn yesterday to do all the usual stuff (cholesterol, thyroid, etc.) and I asked them to test B12 again. Hopefully the supplements have made an improvement. They're not terribly costly, about $9 for 100 tablets.

[beforewisdom]

I tested low side of normal for B12 about a year ago. I've been taking a daily b-complex supplement with 50 mcg B12 per tablet. Just got my blood drawn yesterday to do all the usual stuff (cholesterol, thyroid, etc.) and I asked them to test B12 again. Hopefully the supplements have made an improvement. They're not terribly costly, about $9 for 100 tablets.

At the sight above I paid $5 for 100 tablets ( just b-12, same dose ).

I read that taking b-12, by itself, in its own pill increased absorption.

[vegankitty]

I'm still doing the shots. I definitely have increased energy after doing one.