What is the normal range for Vitamin B12?

Vitamin B12 is essential for our bodies. It protects our nerve functions, helps the healthy production of blood cells, and promotes brain functions. Making sure you are getting enough B12 into your system will ensure that your body is functioning at its best, allowing you to focus on achieving your goals and leading a healthier lifestyle!

It’s important to check that your vitamin B12 levels are within the normal range. If you have a B12 deficiency, this can be extremely damaging for your vital organs – particularly in the long run.

You can read up on the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency in our article B12 deficiency. If you’re experiencing tingling sensations in your extremities (hands, legs, toes, fingers – there’s a song in here somewhere…), confusion, a rapid heartbeat or changes in your mood, it’s best to contact your doctor and consider being tested for B12 deficiency.

Be careful to watch for symptoms, however minor they are. Detecting vitamin

Accurately Testing for Vitamin B12 Deficiency can be Complicated

The conclusions scientific studies are bringing to light is that many people suffer from the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency and are not properly diagnosed and treated for their deficiencies. The main reasons for this are that the tests ordered by doctors are often not thorough enough to properly conclude whether a person is suffering from a B12 deficiency. For unknown reasons, many doctors do not take their patients complaints seriously enough to rule out vitamin B12 deficiency as the root cause of their signs and symptoms.

Yes, your test can show normal vitamin B12 levels but you can still be deficient and suffering from the symptoms. Regarding this I will briefly touch on the tests and reasons this occurs.

Issues Diagnosing Vitamin B12 Deficiencies

Some Main Reasons B12 Deficiencies Go Undiagnosed

1. Serum B12 is a commonly used test but often delivers false results.
2. Doctors often don’t take their patient’s complaints

Vegetarians and Vegans and Vitamin B12 - Part 2

 “How do Vegans and Vegetarians Get Enough B12?”

Vitamin B12 cannot be obtained from plants because they do not use B12 or store it. It has been discovered that plants containing vitamin B12 actually have what are known as B12 analogs named cobamides. These B12 analog cobamides prohibit B12 absorption therefore increasing the need for the real vitamin B12. Consuming these foods contributes to vegans and vegetarians B12 deficiencies.

Quite a bit of research is available about plants that were thought to provide adequate B12 but then were discovered instead to contain cobamides. Fermented soy, seaweed and spirulina are examples of foods containing these cobamides.

Vegans and vegetarians have to navigate a bit more difficult road to intake the proper amount of B vitamins and vegans more so than vegetarians do. Vegans eating a raw or macrobiotic diet that neglects fortified foods are at an especially high risk.

Wait, it gets trickier. Milk is

What Should all Vegetarians and Vegans Know About Vitamin B12

Choosing a meatless diet or a diet void of meat and animal products can open the door to vitamin deficiency. Even when well fed and well read, sometimes it simply comes down to scientific fact. Vitamin B12 can only be found in meats and animal products.

If you are a vegan or vegetarian, you might notice the signs and symptoms of B12 deficiency and not been correctly diagnosed. The reason for your sluggishness, memory lapses and sub-par cognitive abilities could be that you are deficient of one of the most important vitamins humans need.

Even if you test in the normal American acceptable range (200 – 350 pg/mL) you can still suffer the effects of B12 deficiency. Further MMA testing can help identify a more accurate B12 level but there are some things to watch out. Excessive folate can potentially disrupt test results. Just because you do not suffer from anemia does not mean you can’t feel the other effects of low B12 levels. Mental