Vitamin B12 Recommendations for Vegans

by Jack Norris, RD
President, Vegan Outreach

(Taken from Table 1 of Vitamin B12: Are You Getting It?)

In foods, B12 is measured in micrograms (aka µg or mcg.). 1,000 µg = 1 mg.

Step 1. If you have not had a regular source of B12 for some time, buy a bottle of sublingual B12. The following are vegan:

Solgar Sublingual 1,000 mcg nuggets
Veg Life Sublingual 1,000 mcg lozenges
Sold in stores (website has a store locator).
Freeda Vitamins 500 mcg lozenges
Nature's Bounty Sublingual 2500 mcg

Place 2,000 µg under your tongue until the tablet(s) has dissolved, once a day, for 2 weeks. Then follow the advice under Step #2. (Note: you can break the remaining tablets in half or quarters for Step #2. It's okay to take more than recommended.)

Step 2. If you have had a regular source of B12, skip Step 1. One of the following daily recommendations should maximize B12 status:

fortified foods (in at least 2 servings, spaced 6 hours apart): 3-5 µg^A
1 supplement: 10-100 µg^A,B
2 supplements spaced at least 6 hours apart: 5 µg

^ALower limit based on minimum recommendations in What Every Vegan Should Know about Vitamin B12.
^BIn a single dose, B12 absorption drops to 1-1.5% for the amounts above 5 µg.

Notes

Fortified foods: Amounts listed on a nutrition label are based on 6 µg/day.
For example, 25% of the Daily Value = .25 * 6 µg = 1.5 µg.

Do Not rely on any seaweed (e.g., algae, nori, spirulina), brewer's yeast, tempeh, or “living” vitamin supplement that uses plants as a source of B12. Do not rely solely on one type of fortified food such as Red Star Nutritional Yeast.

Vegan Infants: The Institute of Medicine recommends that infants of vegan mothers be supplemented with B12 from birth because their stores at birth and their mother's milk supply may be low.

Exceptions: People with digestive or malabsorption diseases (such as pernicious anemia), B12 metabolism defects, kidney failure, or cyanide metabolism defects should consult a bona fide health professional. See Appendix M of Vitamin B12: Are You Getting It?

Cigarette smokers should consider a non-cyanocobalamin source of B12. See Appendix O of Vitamin B12: Are You Getting It?

More Information about Vitamin B12 and the Vegan Diet:

1. What Every Vegan Should Know about Vitamin B12
An Open Letter from Health Professionals and Vegan Organizations.

2. Vitamin B12: Are You Getting It? 1MB pdf
A review of the scientific literature on vegans and B12.