By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS We received an inquiry from a vegan who was considering taking injectable vitamin B-12 (cyanocobalamin). Before starting treatment she wanted to be sure that it was derived from a non-animal source and that no animal products had been involved in manufacture. The VRG contacted several suppliers and manufacturers of injectable vitamin B-12 in June and July 2013 to find out. An American Reagent pharmacist told us that the injectable vitamin B-12 that they carry “…is manufactured in China and put in vials in the United States.” She didn’t know how it was produced and stated that she could not find out. APP Pharmaceuticals also sells vitamin B-12. A clinical/technical support representative told us that their injectable vitamin B-12 is “… a fermentation product made using microorganisms…milk/egg is not present in the product as potential allergens…” After requesting more information from their vendor regarding genetic modifications and growth media, the same clinical/technical support representative called us back to say that their vendor replied by email stating that the injectable vitamin B-12 is “acceptable for vegan use…contains no milk/egg in final product.
Genetic engineering is used but the final product is GMO-free.” The medical information department at Sandoz Canada told The VRG by phone that their injectable vitamin B-12 is made by “a fermentation process without animal components.” The representative told us that she couldn’t access any more information. Canadian Cytex Pharmaceuticals stated that their injectable vitamin B-12 is a “fermentation product from bacteria…the bacteria have been genetically engineered…no dairy or egg is used in the growth media. [The vitamin B-12] is made in Italy.” The contents of this article, our website, and our other publications, including the Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company employees or company statements. Information does change and mistakes are always possible. Please use your own best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you.
Further research or confirmation may be warranted. For more information on vitamins, sweeteners, and other food ingredients as well as the processing methods used to make them, visit Answer: If your B-complex contains 50,000% of the Daily Value (DV), which is 6 mcg for adults, then it has 3,000 mcg of B-12. For people without a severe B-12 deficiency, this is certainly more than necessary. Taking some B-12 is advisable for people over the age of 50 (when you're less able to extract B-12 from food), as well as for those taking medications that interfere with B-12 absorption, strict vegetarians, alcohol and drug abusers, people recovering from surgery or burns, and those with bowel or pancreatic cancer. Although vitamin B-12 is generally considered to be safe, and no "Upper Tolerable Intake Level" has been established, there are some reports of doses of 20 mcg per day or higher causing outbreaks of acne and rosacea. There is also a study which showed that a high-dose B complex supplement (with 1,000 mcg of B-12) hurt, rather than helped, people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and advanced kidney disease, resulting in a worsening of kidney function and an increase in the risk of heart attack, stroke and death.
Be aware that sublingual and dissolvable B-12 supplements often contain sugar substitutes which can, in some people, cause gas, bloating, and diarrhea -- particularly if taking multiple pills. In women who are pregnant, excessive blood levels of vitamin B-12 have been associated with an increased risk of autism in their children. In general, it's best to avoid excessive doses of any vitamin if it is not needed. 's tests of popular products, in the B Vitamin Supplements Review >> You can check the recommended intakes of other vitamins and minerals here. Also see the CL Answer "Can taking too much vitamin B-6 be dangerous?" See other recent and popular questions >>We read all questions and try to answer those of popular interest. ‘Ride the Tiger’ — a Documentary About the Bipolar Brain Do Men Sweat More Than Women? Life Expectancy Projected to Soar — Except in the US How CDC Uses False Fears to Promote Vaccine Uptake Vitamin C May Be a Potent Adjunct to Cancer Treatment
Vitamin B-12 deficiency can be difficult to diagnose clinically, as its symptoms are often nonspecific including: Cognitive impairment that could be attributed to old age Moreover, symptoms vary and often don’t include the classic subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord Standard tests to assess vitamin B-12 concentrations are limited because the clinical severity of vitamin B-12 deficiency is unrelated to vitamin B-12 concentrations. Accurate identification of vitamin B-12 deficiency is important for a number of reasons. For example, macrocytic anemia, which can be a signal of vitamin B-12 deficiency, may also be caused by folateThe anemia may have different neurologic features dependingTherefore, inappropriately treating the condition with folic acid will correct the hematologic signs of vitamin B-12 deficiency but will not address the neurologic symptoms. Vitamin B-12 deficiency results in elevated serum concentrations
of methylmalonic acid (MMA); therefore elevated concentrations of MMA have been suggested to indicate vitamin B-12 deficiency. However, there is no consensus on cut-off levels of MMA to use to define vitamin B-12 deficiency among elderly people. group, impaired renal function can be an important confounding factor. Both vitamin B-12 deficiency and folate deficiency are common among In one study, MMA of less than 200 pmol/L was used to define individuals as being at high risk of vitamin B-12 deficiency. However, 15 percent to 30 percent of people with high vitamin B-12 concentrations also had elevated MMA concentrations, which indicates that elevated MMA is not always a reliable indicator. Instead, the ultimate indicator for vitamin B-12 deficiency may be the reduction in MMA concentrations and improvement in clinical symptoms after being treated with vitamin B-12. Researchers gave the following recommendation for a more reliable