Why Are Vegetarians At Risk Of Developing Vitamin B-12 Deficiency?

Due to the limits of the vegetarian diet, you should take special care to get all the essential vitamins and minerals you need. One of the vitamins of particular concern for vegetarians, especially vegans who consume no animal products at all, is vitamin B-12.

Vitamin B-12 Function

Your body needs vitamin B-12 to form DNA, nerve cells and red blood cells and for proper brain function. The reactions necessary for converting fat and protein to energy, and for forming fats, proteins, RNA and some hormones also require sufficient amounts of vitamin B-12.

Sources

Animal products, such as eggs, fish, poultry, milk and meat are the main sources for vitamin B-12. If you're a vegan, you can get small amounts of vitamin B-12 from nutritional yeast, but you will need to get most of the recommended dietary intake from breakfast cereals that are fortified with vitamin B-12 or supplements.

Significance

Because vegetarians do not eat many of the foods that are rich in vitamin B-12, they will have a harder time getting the recommended amount through diet alone. Even many non-vegetarians have trouble consuming enough vitamin B-12 to meet their needs. Vitamin B-12 is one of the most common vitamin deficiencies, according to Harvard Medical School, and strict vegetarians, along with the elderly and those with gastrointestinal illnesses, are among those most likely to be deficient.

Solution

You should consume at least the recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, of vitamin B-12. For those 14 and older the RDA is 2.4mcg per day, increasing to 2.6mcg per day for pregnant women and 2.8mcg per day for women who are nursing. Because some foods contain an inactive version of vitamin B-12, Health Services at Columbia University recommends aiming for 5mcg per day of vitamin B-12, and getting this vitamin from a variety of sources.

Expert Insight

Vegetarians can get all of the essential nutrients through a well-planned diet, according to the American Dietetic Association, including vitamin B-12. However, you may need to consume fortified foods or supplements. The ADA recommends you get your diet assessed for dietary adequacy by a registered dietitian to make sure you are getting enough of these vitamins if you are vegetarian, because vegetarian diets vary greatly from person to person.