Actually, the question is: when was the "herb of the field" created?

On day three. Next?

The question is not relevant to this vitamin B-12 discussion.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Ge 1:11-13 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day.

Next: What were we to eat?


(As far as relevancy, you were the one who brought it up)

Vitamin B12: Are You Getting It?

by Jack Norris, Registered Dietitian

Introduction

For the last few months, I was feeling sluggish, had to lie down a couple of times a day, found it difficult to work evenings and to exercise for long periods. Under Michael Klaper, MD's guidance, I was taking protein powder, creatine, testosterone, nystatin, etc., all to no avail. I was taking nutritional yeast every day, so I knew it wasn't B12 deficiency. Then, one day, I came across your B12 article by sheer accident. I wasn't going to read the whole thing, but I glanced through it and was struck by your insistence that none of the usual sources are adequate. I still didn't believe it, but I had some old B12 pills in the fridge, so I popped one. The effect was almost immediate and remarkable. I have been taking them almost every day, my stamina and energy level are up, and I feel middle-aged again instead of a tired old man.

- Alex Hershaft, PhD, President of FARM

Background

Vitamin B12 is a complicated vitamin with a unique absorption mechanism and a number of inactive analogues (molecules that appear to be active B12, but actually are not) that possibly interfere with its function. Vitamin B12 is generally found in all animal foods (except honey). Contrary to the many rumors, there are no reliable, unfortified plant sources of vitamin B12, including tempeh, seaweeds, and organic produce. One of the earliest studies conducted on vegans, from the U.K. in 1955, described significant vitamin B12 deficiency in the vegans with some suffering from nerve damage and dementia. This, as well as many case studies since then of vitamin B12 deficiency in vegans, and a great deal of other evidence detailed here, has led to the overwhelming consensus in the mainstream nutrition community, as well as among vegan health professionals, that vitamin B12 fortified foods or supplements are necessary for the optimal health of vegans, and even vegetarians in many cases. Luckily, vitamin B12 is made by bacteria such that it does not need to be obtained from animal products.

Despite the overwhelming evidence that vegans without a reliable source of vitamin B12 are likely harming their health, some vegan advocates still believe that "plant foods provide all the nutrients necessary for optimal health," and do not address vitamin B12 when promoting the vegan diet. Other advocates acknowledge the need for B12, but only as an afterthought. And still others emphasize that humans need only small amounts of B12 and that it can be stored in the body for years.

While true that, at the time they become vegan, some people have enough B12 stored in their liver to prevent overt B12 deficiency for many years, people often misinterpret this to mean that you only need to consume a tiny amount once every few years. Actually, to build up such stores, it takes years of consuming B12 beyond one's daily needs (unless you are using supplements which can build up stores more quickly). Some people do not have large enough stores of B12 to be relied upon for optimal health even for short periods.

This article is a thorough review of the scientific literature about vitamin B12 and the vegan diet, including every relevant study on vegans and vitamin B12 published since 1980. Vegan advocates who may otherwise not be interested in the details of vitamin B12 are encouraged to read the Recommendations and Can a Natural Diet Require Supplements?

Overt B12 Deficiency

B12 protects the nervous system. Without it, permanent damage can result (e.g., blindness, deafness, dementia). Fatigue, and tingling in the hands or feet, can be early signs of deficiency.

Vitamin B12, like folate (aka folic acid), is needed to help red blood cells divide. In some cases, vegans may get so much folate that even with B12 deficiency, their blood cells continue to divide properly. In other cases, their blood cells will fail to divide properly and they will become fatigued and suffer from macrocytic (aka megaloblastic) anemia.

Mild B12 Deficiency

Homocysteine is a byproduct of protein metabolism. Elevated homocysteine levels are linked with increased risks of heart disease and stroke. From 1999 to 2003, there were many studies comparing the homocysteine levels of vegans and vegetarians who do not supplement their diet with vitamin B12 to those of non-vegetarians (more info). In every study, the vegans or vegetarians had higher homocysteine levels than the meat-eaters and in the range associated with heart disease and stroke.

In contrast, one study compared vegans who supplemented with vitamin B12 (an average of 5.6 mcg/day) and their homocysteine levels were well within the healthy range.

If you have been a typical meat eater for most of your life, your body should have stored enough B12 to prevent overt deficiency for a number of years. However, B12 stores cannot be relied on to keep homocysteine levels in check for very long.

Open Letter from Health Professionals & Vegan Organizations

Other opinions by vegan movement leaders and health professionals on the need for vitamin B12:

What Every Vegan Should Know about Vitamin B12

Table of Contents

1. Vitamin B12 Recommendations
2. Vegan Sources
3. Can a Natural Diet Require Supplements?

Deficiency

4. Overt B12 Deficiency - Nerve Damage and Anemia
5. Mild B12 Deficiency - Cardiovascular Disease | Dementia | Birth Defects | Bone Mineral Density
6. Small Amounts of Animal Products Do Not Cure B12 Deficiency

The B12 Molecule

8. Analogues
9. Digestion, Absorption, and Transport
10. Coenzyme Functions

Measuring

11. Blood B12 Levels: Not Reliable
12. Should I Get My B12 Status Tested?

B12 Status

13. Vegans Infants & Toddlers
    • Vegan Infants & Toddlers with B12 Deficiency
14. Vegan Children & Teenagers
15. Vegan Adults
16. Elderly Vegetarians
17. Raw Foodist Vegans
18. Macrobiotics
19. Lacto-Ovo Vegetarians
20. Individual Cases of Deficiency
21. Immerman - The Exception

Plant & Intestinal Sources

22. Measuring B12: Why the Confusion?
23. B12 in Plant Foods
24. Are Intestinal Bacteria a Reliable Source of B12?
25. B12 and Non-Human Animals

Appendices

1. How Recommendations were Formulated
2. Side Effects of Vitamin B12 Supplements
3. People Over Age 50
4. People Who Should Not Take the Cyanocobalamin Form of B12
5. Smokers and Cyanocobalamin
6. Methylcobalamin & Adenosylcobalamin
7. S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe)
8. Ways to Get B12 Deficiency
9. Elevated Serum B12 and Increased Risk of Disease
10. Conditions That Increase B12 Levels
11. B12-Related Laboratory Values
12. Plant Sources of Folate
13. Figure: Methionine-Homocysteine-Folate-B12 Cycle

Reference: http://veganhealth.org/articles/vitaminb12

Is it true that the human body has more than one way to create Vitamin B-12?

Also, if you wait an hour or more after lunch to brush your teeth, will your body be able to make enough B-12?

The human body can no more make vitamin B12 than it can make vitamin C. In fact, no animal makes vitamin B12 so far as we know. It is only produced by bacteria.

Yeast does not produce it. Because some companies marketing yeast as a good source of B-vitamins add a quantity of cyanocobalamin (an almost inabsorbable form of B12) to make it more complete, some people, including some vegans, have wrongly believed that food yeast provides B12. It does not.

Neither does seaweed of any type provide vitamin B12. Some seaweeds do provide a B12 analogue, which, in place of helping us like the real B12 would, occupies the place of B12 in the body without providing the benefits of it. It is much like the difference between CO2 and CO--the first is a relatively harmless waste, while the second is a lethal poison which occupies the place of oxygen in the red blood cells, thus preventing real oxygen from circulating in the blood.

In our bodies, potentially any place harboring bacterial flora might see some production of B12. The primary places for such are the mouth and the colon. Because B12 is not absorbed in the colon, only in the small intestine, none of the bacteria in the colon is understood to provide the body with B12. This generally leaves the plaque on the teeth as the only likely source of beneficial B12 in the body. Scientists have little evidence to support the actual dosage levels of B12 that the plaque might provide--it is more a theoretical source than a proven one. Those who regularly brush, floss, and rinse/spit the washings out likely lose most all of any B12 they might have had, regardless of the time they brushed. Those who choose to scrape and eat their plaque have the highest chance of getting B12 from it.

All of the above speaks only to the issue of the B12 itself. The truth is, without intrinsic factor, no B12 will be absorbed, regardless of how much B12 one manages to consume. It is possible, these days, to purchase pure intrinsic factor for supplementation purposes. It costs an arm and a leg. Many porcine (from pigs) sources of intrinsic factor exist on the market as already combined with B12 and sometimes folate. They are more reasonably priced--but I'm not sure I could stomach something that had originated in a swine's gut!

Spinach, any of the yellow such as squash, melons. there is always something around with some in it. You do not need B12 every day.

Are you talking about Vitamin A or folate? B12 does not come from plants. There's some poppycock out there published by ignorant folk on the topic: reader beware. Where I am, doctors think a vegan can get every necessary vitamin, including B12, just from the plants. But doctors here are also known to prescribe smoking for a bad cough!

Education is important.

How much B12 do you get from eggs?

According to internet sources, one large egg will provide from 0.6 to 0.8 micrograms of B12. Given that an adult is said to require 2.4 micrograms per day, this means 3-4 eggs per day would satisfy the B12 requirement. A cup of milk, however, will provide as much B12 as two eggs, and a 3/4 cup of yogurt provides an equal amount to an egg. So a typical lacto-ovo vegetarian who consumes about a cup of milk a day might need only 7-10 eggs per week to satisfy their requirement for B12. However, many factors are involved beyond actual B12 content. Most vegans in America who consume refined foods are getting some B12 from fortified grains, cereals, food yeast, soy milk, etc., because manufacturers put the B12 in them. In the case of fortification, the FDA establishes a 6.0 microgram/day RDA, so when a food says 10% on the label for B12, that will translate to 0.6 mcg of it.

The truth is that because intrinsic factor is so intricately involved in the absorption of B12, the actual amounts absorbed will vary widely from person to person. Some may even eat meat that is high in B12 and yet become deficient.

Mrs. White recommended raw egg mixed with grape juice. There may be a connection between the iron content of the juice and the bioavailability of B12 in the eggs--no research on this combination has been done to my knowledge. What God revealed does not always come packaged with the answers to the "why" questions. We are not told why we should mix eggs with grape juice, only that it will help to make good blood. And B12 is important for good blood.