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Vitamin B12
Cobalamin, or vitamin B12, is a chemical compound that is also known as
cyanocobalamine. It is needed for nerve cells and red blood cells, and to
make DNA. It is an organometallic compound with a trivalent cobalt
ion bound inside a corrin ring. Its chemical structure was determined by Dorothy
Crowfoot Hodgkin (1910-1994) who started work on B12 in 1948.
In nature, B12 is solely produced by bacteria found in animals (including humans),
so that dirt could actually be considered a natural source of B12. While
vegetarians usually get enough B12 through dairy products or eggs, it can
sometimes be lacking in those following vegan diet who do not make an effort
to find B12 enriched foodstuffs, like enriched cereals, soya based products or
yeast extract. Claimed sources of B12 that have been shown through direct studies
of vegans to be inadequate include spirulina (an algae), nori (a seaweed), barley
grass, and human gut bacteria. Several studies of vegans on raw food diets show
that raw food offers no special protection against B12 deficiency either.
The popularity of vegetarian diets has risen along with an interest in avoiding
meat and meat products for environmental, philosophical, and health reasons.
However, the term vegetarianism is subject to a wide range of interpretations. Some
people consider themselves to be vegetarian when they avoid red meat. Others believe
that vegetarianism requires avoidance of all animal products, including meat, poultry,
fish, eggs, and dairy foods. The most commonly described forms of vegetarianism include:
"Lacto-ovo vegetarians", who avoid meat, poultry, and fish products but
consume eggs and dairy foods
"Strict vegetarians", who avoid meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy foods
"Vegans", who avoid meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy foods but also do not
use animal products such as honey, leather, fur, silk, and wool
Vitamin B12 Article about Weight Loss
For another article about vitamin B12, please
click here.
The following websites provided some of the above information on vitamin B12:
ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitaminb12.asp
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobalamin
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