Vitamin B12 FAQ

What is the difference in the two, and how will the amount of micrograms affect me?

Thanks

A: It depends a little on your age. But you don't really need more than the 1000 micrograms.

The difference between 1000 and 2000 is just how much is in them, by weight.

More than what you need just results in expensive pee! This particular vitamin is quite safe to take.

Q: what is the long term affect of getting the vitamin b12 shots?
I have low thyroid and my doctor suggested getting the
B12 shots to boost my energy, yet what are the affects of that on my organs in the future?

A: None that I know of. If you need them they're helpful.

Q: What happens if you overdose in Vitamin B12?
I'm just curious because I am supplementing alltogether about 190 milligrams or ug.
That is just from a multivitamin and a B12 supplement.
Is that too much and what will happen?

A: B12, is a water-soluable enzyme. Like Vitamin C, excess amounts of it is rapidly filtered out by the kidneys and excreted in the urine (which will be VERY yellow to orange looking while it's doing so)

In english= If your kidneys are working even 50% of what they should be, you cannot overdose on vitamin B12.

You literally piss it all away....so worst case scenario, you're just wasting your money.

Q: What happens if you overdose in Vitamin B12?
I'm just curious because I am supplementing alltogether about 190 milligrams or ug.
That is just from a multivitamin and a B12 supplement.
Is that too much and what will happen?

A: If you have healthy kidneys it is almost impossible to overdose on B12

Signs of over dose: numbness of any part of the body, itch, a feeling of burning pain or pricking.

Q: Is it safe to take 2 pills of Vitamin b12 a day?
If I get a bottle of Vitamin b12 where each pill has 1000 mcg would it be safe to take 2 of those a day? one in the morning and 1 at night or shoudl I just take 1 a day

A: are you that desperate for 2 pills? if they pprescribe you 1, drink 1 not 2. There may be a sideeffect but your not gonna die, im pretty shure of that

Q: Is a ton of vitamin B12 in energy drinks bad for you?
I just got an energy drink called Zipfizz (which is similar to 5 Hour Energy drink) and has 2,500 mg of B12 (41,000% daily value). Is that bad?

A: naw, the vitamins in it are good for you ...

the chromium and caffeine, on the other hand, should be taken in moderation, too much of those are unhealthy

Q: Is the vitamin B12 NEVER found in plants?
Occasionally I'll see erroneous claims of B12 being contained in certain highly nutrition plants- spirulina, alfalfa, comfrey, clover, other edible algae, etc. Many people have shot down this very sugestion, but I've seen other reports of their being links between B12 and other plant proteins.

The issue, of course, is not whether there is ever enough in plants to sustain you. I'm just wondering whether it is even possible for some strain of B12 to be found in a plant, protist, or fungi.

A: As the asker is using plants in a generic sense and actually mentions algae it is worth qualifying the previous answers.

Many algae however do contain B12, often at high levels due to a bacterial symbiosis.
Nature 438, 90-93 (3 November 2005) | doi:10.1038/nature04056

They may not make B12 but it can certainly be found in plants, naturally and not just via contamination.

Q: What is the best Vitamin B12 pill i can get at Wal-Mart? around about price?
i have Vitamin B12 Deficiency.

A: If you have laboratory documented B12 deficiency you want to take a very high dose B12 supplement (and, your doc needs to be working with you to determine WHY you are B12 deficient). You should be taking at least 1000 micrograms (mcg) of B12.

Wal-Mart probably only sells B12 as cyanocobolamin. Many nutritionally trained health care professionals recommend the active form of B12 for supplementation called methylcobalamin.

Best wishes and good luck.

p.s. some people will recommend a sublingual B12 supplement (a tablet you suck on) vs. a capsule or tablet you just swallow. The key for most people is the dosage (at least 1000 mcg) and not so much the manner of delivery.

Q: how many mg of vitamin b12 would provide a good amount of engery?
i need a jolt to get my up and going today and i dont wanna resort to energy drinks or coffee. i have a bottle of b12, 100 mg tabs. how many mg is a good amount for energy? my body handles medicine very well, as in i never have experienced any side effects before. this might be good or bad, depending if that means my body digests more of the pills than it is supposed to.

A: Vitamin b12 doesn't provide "energy" per say. It plays a role in cell metabolism which provides cellular energy, and it also affects DNA synthesis and regulation, and fatty acid synthesis. This cellular energy is needed for a healthy brain and nervous system, and for the formation of blood.

Dietary guidelines say you should get.
2 to 3 µg (micrograms) per day, which would be 100% of your daily value.

Q: Does anyone know if the Floradix Kindervital liquid multivitamin for kids has vitamin b12 in it?
I'm going vegan soon and I need multivitamins. I already got the Floradix Kindervital stuff but I don't know if it has B12 in it. I read the medicinal ingredients, and it doesn't say B12 anywhere, but maybe that's not where I should be looking? So anyway, does the floradix stuff have B12? Thanks:)

A: I know the adult formula has B12. I love Floradix!

It looks like the Kinderformula only has B6 in it:
http://www.amazon.com/Flora-Kinder-Childrens-Multivitamin-liquid/dp/B0006II800

You could supplement it with some brewer's yeast which is a good source of B12.

Why don't you just take the adult formula? I'm a pregnant vegetarian, and I was recently diagnosed as slightly anemic. My midwife recommends Floradix, and after a week on it, I feel better.

If you are concerned about Iron, Unsulphured Blackstrap Molasses is a great source, with 1 TBS providing 20% of iron, and it is cheap. You could just do Brewer's yeast flakes, and molasses daily and it would be almost the same as floradix.

Q: how to get more vitamin b12 in your system?
my great grandmother is 91 and her recent check-up test results said that she is low on b12. i was wondering if there are any specific foods, etc. that can help us to get her b12 count up. is there any specific sites that could help? also are there any specific side effects of being low? if so, do any sites also list these?

A: The Office of Dietary Supplements has a great site that offers many suggestions:

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitaminb12.asp

Being vegan, I understand the importance of vitamin b12. I turn to "nutritional yeast" (which can be found at your local health food store) and sprinkle it on many different foods. You can find great recipes that incorporate nutritional yeast on www.vegweb.com

And there are always just b12 supplements that you can find in your local grocery store in the vitamins aisle.

Good luck!

Q: What is Vitamin B12 and what does it have to do with energy drinks?
I personally don't understand scientific jargon, so a simple and clear answer would be awesome. Thanks!

A: Vitamin B12 helps maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood cells. It is also needed to help make DNA, the genetic material in all cells.

Its main role is to support the transfer of amino acids during energy production, which is why it is found in energy drinks.

Q: What is Vitamin B12 used for in ur body?
what is Vitamin B12?

A: vitamin B12 covers a variety of similar compounds called cobalamins. they are involved in DNA synthesis so deficiencies lead to insufficient DNA synthesis and cell maturation - particularly red blood cells. this is why vitamin B12 deficiencies cause anaemia (megaloblastic anaemia). the nuclei of the erythroblasts ('parent' cells of red blood cells) take longer to mature but the cytoplasm continues to grow so the cells produced are disproportional and larger than normal red blood cells. B12 deficiencies can also affect other rapidly growing cells in the body such as cells lining the gastrointestinal tract which can lead to gastroenteritis and related problems.

Q: what is vitamin b12 good for?
i need to know what vitamin b12 is good for? and whats the difference between folic acid and b12?

A: folic acid/folate is needed by women of childbearing age to prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida, 400micrograms/day is needed.
B12 is important for the intrinsic factor which is part of the digestive system and is needed for the absorption of nutrients, the most effective method is by injection once/month. All B vitamins are good for energy and stress.
AND they make your pee bright yellow, so it looks like you ate a highlighter pen :)

Q: Vitamin B12 is 4.34% cobalt. If there is only one atom of cobalt per molecule of B12, what is the molar mass?
When i ask the molar mass i mean the mass of vitamin B12.

A: One atom of Co per molecule of B12 means 1 mole Co per mole of B12.

1 mole Co weighs 58.933 grams. If this is 4.34% by mass, divide by 4.34 and multiply by 100.

(58.933/4.34) × 100 = 1357.903 = molecular mass of vitamin B12.