I have been hammering vegetarians for years on how following a vegetarian diet could lead to a b-12 deficiency. I was especially emphatic about this with women because they menstruate and the loss of blood means this is more of an issue. Well, I decided to look into it and research now shows that if the average human takes a 500mcg supplement of B-12 they will absorb approximately 10mcg of that into their body which is 3 times the average intake of B-12. So it turns out that this is not an issue at all and for that I am sorry. I should get credit for looking into it at least because most of my fellow docs usually go on what they were told years ago in school and that you cannot get B-12 from supplements is what I was told.
Another good news item for vegetarians is that cereal grains fortified with B-12 are also a good source, but not when heated because the B-12 levels drop off quickly when the grains are cooked. So no more acting like a carnivore and going out and downing a dozen clams (the king of b-12 foods at 1500mcg/clam0. I APOLOGIZE.
