Vitamin B12

Why Vitamin B12 is Important

This meaty vitamin is often the reason plant-based diets fail. Find out why B12 is so important and where you can find it by reading on.


Where Vitamin B12 is Found

Also known as Cobalamin, vitamin B12 is a tricky one to track down. It actually is produced by bacteria in the soil, where farms animals ingest it when chewing grass (1). So, by the time a meat-eater gets its cut of B12 from a juicy steak or pork belly, it is already a second-hand vitamin. That being said, these are the easiest sources of this important vitamin.

It is possible to be plant-based and still get enough B12 in your body. Look for fortified foods like marmite, plant milks, and nutritional yeast. Or, of course, you could supplement.


How Vitamin B12 Helps Boost Energy

There are several reasons why you need B12. As part of the B vitamin group, it is, of course, responsible for converting foods into energy. It focuses on the simple sugars within your foods and helps turn them into ATP (adenosine triphosphate). ATP is a molecule that then carries energy to the cells, which in turn, helps to make you feel more awake.

Hormones

Why Vitamin B12 Is Good for Your Blood

Vitamin B12 is also important in the formation of red blood cells and DNA. It is responsible for keeping the amount of homocysteine down (2). This protein causes chaos in the body, including forming blood clots. Consuming an adequate amount of B12 can reduce your risk of a serious clot.

Why Vitamin B12 is Good for the Brain and Hormones

Homocysteine also has a detrimental affect on the brain. Keeping levels down can help reduce your risk of cognitive decline (3). And that same pesky amino acid can throw your estrogen levels out of control, so B12 is considered important in hormone balance (4).




  1. https://news.mit.edu/2007/b12#:~:text=Vitamin%20B12%20is%20produced%20by,symbiotic%20relationships%20with%20plant%20roots.
  2. https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20001211/folic-acid-vitamin-b-12-helping-heart-disease
  3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7387066/#:~:text=In%20studies%20involving%20community%2Ddwelling,30%25%20slower%20cognitive%20decline%20rate. 
  4. https://www.womensinternational.com/blog/portfolio-items/vitamin-b12/#:~:text=Growing%20evidence%20supports%20the%20importance,is%20compromised%20in%20fundamental%20ways.