Vitamin B-12 is an essential nutrient that plays vital roles in a person's health and vitality. Vitamin B-12 helps prevent anemia, which is a deficiency of red blood cells. It also plays a key role in keeping homocysteine levels within normal range, according to Gropper's "Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism." Elevated homocysteine levels are associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease. The Recommended Dietary Allowance for vitamin B-12, established by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences, is 2.4 mcg for adults over age 18. Vitamin B-12 is found only in animal products including meat, fish and shellfish, dairy products, eggs and brewer's yeast.
Meat
All meats are sources of vitamin B-12, but beef and venison contain higher levels than poultry and pork. According to the USDA Food and Nutrient Database, a 3 oz. serving of beef boasts 2.3 mcg, while venison has 1.6 mcg of vitamin B12. Although other meats have lower levels of vitamin B-12, they do still contain significant amounts. Per 3 oz. serving, chicken and turkey contain 0.3 mcg, and pork contains 0.7 mcg of vitamin B-12.
Fish and Shellfish
Fish and shellfish also provide significant amounts of vitamin B-12. The best shellfish sources of vitamin B-12 include clams with 84 mcg, mussels with 20.4 mcg and king crab with 7.7 mcg per 3 oz. serving. Other especially good food sources of vitamin B-12 are salmon and tuna, which also provide more than 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance; salmon provides 2.8 mcg and tuna provides 2.5 mcg of vitamin B-12 per 3 oz. serving. Additionally, cod provides 2.0 mcg, shrimp has 1.4 mcg and tilapia has 1.6 mcg of B-12 per 3 oz. serving.
Dairy Products
Dairy products are also sources of vitamin B-12. Milk contains between 1.1 and 1.3 mcg of vitamin B-12 per 1 cup serving. Cottage cheese contains 1 mcg and yogurt contains 1.1 mcg of vitamin B-12 per 1 cup serving. A 1 oz. serving of cheese provides between 0.25 and 1 mcg of vitamin B-12 per serving.
Other Foods
Other than meat, fish, shellfish and dairy, eggs and yeast are two additional foods that contain significant levels of vitamin B-12. One egg contains 0.6 mcg of vitamin B12. Brewer's yeast contains 2 mcg of vitamin B12 in 1 heaping tbsp. Brewer's yeast can be sprinkled on popcorn or added to smoothies.
References
- "Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism"; Sareen Gropper, Jack Smith, James Groff; 2005
- USDA Food and Nutrient Database
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