24
votes
Accepted
Where does the B12 in vitamin supplements come from?
The B12 in supplements is made from bacteria and sourced from bacteria cultures. It is not from animal products.
However, some supplements can contain gelatin in the capsule, which you should look ...
- 2,410
19
votes
Where does the B12 in vitamin supplements come from?
Artificial vitamin B12, also known as Cyanocobalamin is produced by bacterial fermentation, as indicated here.
Technically, bacteria are far from being considered animals, so this method should be ...
- 3,680
15
votes
Where does the B12 in vitamin supplements come from?
The vegan society states the following:
In choosing to use fortified foods or B12 supplements, vegans are taking their B12 from the same source as every other animal on the planet - micro-organisms ...
13
votes
Accepted
Different types of B12?
They are essentially the same molecule, but for one bond: cyanocobalamin has a CN- (cyanide) tied to the cobalt atom, while methylcobalamin has a CH3- (methyl). There are also adenosylcobalamin (also ...
- 1,862
11
votes
Accepted
When taking B12 supplements, is it a viable strategy to take higher dose every few days as opposed to lower dose every day?
From the Vegan Society:
To get the full benefit of a vegan diet, vegans should do one of the
following:
Eat fortified foods two or three times a day to get at least three
micrograms (...
- 2,394
9
votes
Accepted
Should vitamin B12 supplement be taken at a specific time of day?
I'm not a doctor or another health professional, this is what I remember from my research when starting to take B12.
The most important thing is to take them regularly. B12 builds over time and is ...
- 381
8
votes
Accepted
Are there vegan Omega 3 pills?
Vegan omega 3 supplements are widely available. In the UK they can be found in any "health food" type store, for example.
Typically these supplements are flaxseed oil or linseed oil in non-gelatine ...
- 11.6k
7
votes
Accepted
Are (plant-based) vitamin D₂ supplements as effective as vitamin D₃?
Vitamin D is often treated generically, sometimes even not specifying the index. According to this article, there are five Ds (D1, D2, D3, D4 & D5) and only D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (...
- 3,680
6
votes
Accepted
Can too much B12 be harmful?
As you said, B12 is highly soluble in water and unused quantity is easily excreted from the body as urine. Therefore, it is nearly impossible to get an overdose of B12, even if you exceed the ...
- 2,471
6
votes
How to identify a vegan supplement?
If you're just buying at the supermarket, you really can't know. There are lots of hidden animal products, especially in supplements.
My advice would be to purchase them online from an all vegan ...
- 959
6
votes
Accepted
What nutrients should vegetarians supplement while weight training?
I hope you've read the closely related answer (here).
Intensive sport training, and therefore weightlifting, demands higher levels of nutrient intake. The nutrient that is most likely to be ...
- 5,739
6
votes
Accepted
Why do vegan doctors recommend B12 every day/week?
The UK Vegan Society provide an info page on B12 where they state (emphasis added):
To get the full benefit of a vegan diet, vegans should do one of the following:
Eat fortified foods two ...
- 11.6k
5
votes
Accepted
What is the ecological impact of producing vegan supplements?
I found one study that addresses the production of Vitamin D3:
Life cycle assessment of vitamin D3 synthesis: from batch to photo-high p,T (Springer Link HTML, data table HTML, DOI).
The functional ...
- 6,957
5
votes
Accepted
Is iron supplementation necessary?
No, iron supplementation is not necessary for all vegans.
Furthermore, iron supplementation can be dangerous if it isn't a medical requirement. Any person considering adding iron supplements to their ...
- 6,957
5
votes
How to identify a vegan supplement?
The answer to the question would be largely the same as for identifying vegan anything.
First, look for the vegan label on the package. Usually this is either a nice green V, even nicer animal ...
- 6,050
5
votes
Accepted
Is there a protocol to help vegetarians/vegan chose the right concentration for B12 supplements?
One basic thing to know is that B12 supplement absorption rate decrease with the total amount of B12 provided by the supplement (check here). In other words if you get your supplement daily then 1-2 ...
- 5,739
5
votes
How common is it for the livestock industry to supplement B12?
There are a lot of interesting questions you pose and some are addressed in the article Do carnivores need Vitamin B12 supplements?.
Let's first look at the claim that vegetarianism must be unhealthy ...
- 959
5
votes
Accepted
What are creatine supplements made of?
Reference: https://www.maximuscle.com/nutrition/ingredients/creatine/How-Is-Creatine-Made/
How is creatine manufactured synthetically?
Creatine monohydrate supplements are manufactured outside the ...
- 280
5
votes
Cyanocobalamin and Methylcobalamin
There's no need to worry about this.
Methylcobalamin is a natural form of B12 (found in animals including humans), whereas cyanocobalamin is a synthetic form which is cheaper to produce and considered ...
- 11.6k
4
votes
Is it necessary to take supplements when starting with vegetarianism?
I would like please to know from experienced vegetarians if you take any supplements or not and which ones if any
I've lost count how long ago it was that I transitioned to vegetarianism. I ...
- 385
4
votes
Are calcium supplements harmful compared to calcium in whole foods?
There is a PDF here Meeting Calcium Recommendations on a Vegan Diet
There are many plant-based sources of calcium including certain leafy
green vegetables, broccoli, some types of tofu, almonds, ...
- 421
4
votes
Are there vegan Omega 3 pills?
Nordic Naturals algae oil gelcaps are vegan.
Many assume that omega-3s have to come from fish oil. That is why we created Algae Omega. Nordic Naturals Algae Omega is the ideal vegetarian ...
- 231
4
votes
Why do vegan doctors recommend B12 every day/week?
It is basically because we no longer drink untreated water and we no longer eat fruits and vegetables without washing them. B12 is produced by a bacteria in the soil.
It is hard to absorb 1 month ...
- 41
4
votes
In order to prevent thrombosis, what supplements should vegans take?
In order to prevent thrombosis, what supplements should vegans take?
Thrombosis is defined as: The formation or presence of a blood clot in a blood vessel.
If you are worried that you may be at risk ...
- 318
4
votes
Does nutritional yeast count as a food or supplement?
I asked the National Institute of Health Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)...
ODS's page on B12, it says under the "food" section:
fortified nutritional yeasts are readily available ...
- 725
3
votes
Why do vegan doctors recommend B12 every day/week?
Dr. John A. McDougall himself recommends:
If you follow the McDougall Diet for more than 3 years, or if you are pregnant or nursing, then take a minimum of 5 micrograms of supplemental vitamin B12 ...
- 6,957
3
votes
Why do vegan doctors recommend B12 every day/week?
B12 is a stored vitamin. You can take high doses on a less regular basis and doctors do prescribe injections of vitamin B12 for patients with severe deficiency. Most vegans aren’t severely deficient, ...
- 1,532
3
votes
Are there vegan Omega 3 pills?
This kind of questions will always be a bit subjective but I believe one can call themselves vegan if they are doing as much as possible* to avoid animal abuse. For instance, I wouldn't judge for not ...
- 721
3
votes
Is there a protocol to help vegetarians/vegan chose the right concentration for B12 supplements?
While vegetarianism is a consideration in testing for B12 deficiency (as you are at higher risk). B12 supplementation is usually advised based on monitoring levels in the blood rather than your ...
- 1,532
3
votes
Accepted
Are vegan supplements truly vegan?
Many vegans make efforts to avoid consuming any animal products at all, including in the form of food supplements. It is very common to find food supplements being labelled vegan (or vegetarian). For ...
- 11.6k
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