Quote:
Originally Posted by Villages PL
Since I'm not a meat eater, I need to take a B12 supplement. But it's a problem trying to figure out how much. Articles I have read recommend 2.4 mcg daily. And I have a vitamin book that recommends the same amount. But when I go to a vitamin store, the smallest amount they have is 500 mcg. tablets.
I think 500mcg. is way too much. I bought some once and cut them in half and then cut them in half again so I ended up with 125mcg. That's still too much in my opinion, but you can't keep cutting them in half. They have it in liquid form but the instructions only say that one full eye dropper equals 1000 mcg. I don't think I would like that method. I would want to know how many mcg. are in one drop.
I know that some older people need a lot more if they are not producing enough stomach acid (hydrochloric acid). But that's not my problem and too much B12 could put other B vitamins out of balance, according to a pharmacist I asked. The vitamin companies used to make it in smaller doses but have decided they don't want to do that anymore.
Getting a blood test only tells if you are deficient or if you have enough. It doesn't tell you how much you should take on a daily basis. If you're not taking enough it could take years for a deficiency to show up.
As if it's not complicated enough, there are two forms of supplemental B12 and one of them (the one I have now) could cause eye problems if you happen to have a predisposition.
I'm not sure but I suspect that too much B12 can lower B6. It seems logical to me that in the process of getting rid of excess B12 your liver might mistakenly get rid of some of its B6 as well, not to mention other B vitamins.
Has anyone solved this problem?
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Eat some meat, problem solved.