Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin that the human body cannot produce itself and must therefore be obtained from food or in the form of supplements. Strictly speaking, vitamin B12 is not a vitamin, but a group of compounds known as cobalamins, which are enzymatically converted in the body into the active form of vitamin B12 called cyanocobalamin. We use three different cobalamins in our Vitamin B12 Complex to ensure optimal absorption and utilisation.
Vitamin B12 is required for a whole range of vital bodily processes, including cell division, energy metabolism, nervous system function, DNA synthesis, haematopoiesis, the synthesis of numerous important hormones and neurotransmitters, fat metabolism and the breakdown of homocysteine, which is associated with arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. As you can see, vitamin B12 is also essential for a whole range of important processes for athletes and bodybuilders (without cell division there is no muscle growth, if blood formation is impaired, the supply of oxygen and nutrients to your muscles is impaired, if your energy metabolism is impaired, you will lack training energy, etc.)
What are the consequences of a vitamin B12 deficiency?
Although it is often claimed that a vitamin B12 deficiency is unlikely in the typical Western diet, some studies show the exact opposite (1). Even though a "true" deficiency appears to be present in only about 10% of the population, almost 40% have very low vitamin B12 levels in the lower normal range, which is far from optimal.
Initial symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency can be quite non-specific and include things like fatigue, tiredness, reduced physical performance, sleep problems, poor concentration and declining memory (2). In advanced stages, vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to anaemia, damage to the central nervous system, neuropathy (sensory disturbances) and dementia. The tricky thing about a vitamin B12 deficiency is that it sometimes only becomes noticeable after years of inadequate vitamin B12 intake, as the body can store large amounts of vitamin B12 in the liver and serious consequences only become noticeable once these stores are exhausted.
Which groups of people have an increased need for vitamin B12?
- Athletes who need more vitamin B12 due to intensive physical exertion
- Older people, as vitamin B12 absorption decreases with increasing age
- Pregnant and breastfeeding women, whose vitamin B12 requirement is increased and in whom a deficiency can have a negative effect on the development of the child
- Smokers and people who consume a lot of alcohol, as both impair the absorption and utilisation of vitamin B12
- People with impaired intestinal health, as the absorption of vitamin B12 via the intestine can be severely restricted here
Why vegans are dependent on vitamin B12 supplementation
As vitamin B12 is practically only found in foods of animal origin, it is practically impossible for vegans to meet their requirements through food (3), which makes supplementation necessary. Although it is often claimed that certain algae such as spirulina contain vitamin B12, this is primarily pseudovitamin B12, which is not bioavailable to humans (4). Fermented soya products, sauerkraut and other fermented foods do contain vitamin B12, but these amounts are so small that it is not possible to cover the daily requirement. What is particularly tricky in this scenario is that a vitamin B12 deficiency only becomes noticeable years later and is therefore often not associated with the switch to a vegan diet.
Why vitamin B12 and folate should be used in combination
Vitamin B12 and folate interact very closely in the human metabolism. They are both required for the breakdown of harmful homocysteine, which is associated with arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. As vitamin B12 is responsible for converting folic acid - the inactive form of folate - back into active folate, a vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to a functional folic acid deficiency even with a sufficient intake of folate (5, 6). In turn, a lack of folate means that vitamin B12 cannot fulfil some of its tasks. In other words, this means that these two vitamins are urgently dependent on each other.
This problem is further exacerbated by the fact that around 25% of the population suffer from a genetic mutation known as the MTHFR mutation (10), which impairs the interaction of folate and vitamin B12 in the breakdown of harmful homocysteine (11) and increases the need for both vitamins.
Folate
Folate is a vitamin from the group of B vitamins which, apart from the aforementioned breakdown of homocysteine, is required for cell division, haematopoiesis, protein and fat metabolism and DNA synthesis, among other things. As the inactive folic acid often used in supplements must first be enzymatically converted into active folate in the body (7), we use folate directly in our vitamin B12 to avoid this unnecessary step.
A folate deficiency can lead to respiratory problems, inflammation of the mucous membranes, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, weight loss, depression, anaemia and cardiovascular disease. Studies have come to the conclusion that around 80% of the population do not consume sufficient amounts of folate (8, 9), which is probably partly due to the fact that 40 to 70% of folate and folic acid is destroyed during cooking.
