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B12 is made by microorganisms in the soil and water. It is consumed in the diet and taken to every cell in the body, plants do not contain B12.
B12 from meat is bound to animal protein and so is more difficult to absorb than in its natural unbound form produced by bacteria. Not a bit of it. I tried nine different yeast extracts – not all supermarkets bother with copycats, but Lidl, Aldi, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Tesco came up trumps. Alongside these I tasted regular Marmite, low-salt Marmite, wholefood-shop favourite Meridian (good but too expensive to merit “thrifty” status) and a googly from Down Under: Vegemite. Tarry, quite malty, and milder than its Marmite counterpart. There’s a touch of a powdery, grainy texture, which you don’t notice on toast.
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B12 deficiency can be divided into four stages. First of all, levels of B12 in the blood drop, then levels of B12 in the cells fall, then a biochemical deficiency occurs whereby levels of B12-related compounds are disrupted and finally clinical deficiency (or megaloblastic anaemia) occurs (3). This condition is characterised by abnormally enlarged immature red blood cells that are unable to divide properly. The abnormal cells are unable to transport oxygen efficiently thus chronic vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to a range of problems from fatigue, tingling and numbness of the limbs (4) to damage to nerve cells (3), the spinal chord (5) and the brain (6). In extreme cases paralysis or death may result from vitamin B12 deficiency.
The ability to absorb B12 is important but it is not the only factor that determines B12 status. The bioavailability of the B12 in the diet is just as important as including B12 in the diet; it is pointless consuming lots of B12-rich food if it occurs in a form that the body cannot absorb. The bioavailability of B12 from different food sources has been shown to differ. It has been shown that B12 in fortified foods (such as breakfast cereals) is easier to absorb than the B12 in meat, poultry and fish sources; this seems to apply particularly to the elderly. Indeed, the National Academy of Sciences in the US advise that adults aged 50 and over obtain most of their B12 from supplements or fortified foods, this raises the question that maybe younger adults should consider using these sources as well (7). With Keith’s comments in mind, and in the interests of thoroughness, I included a few “doubles” in my tasting, specifically the Marmite, Asda and Tesco brands, choosing jars with different batch numbers. Marmite was indistinguishable from its twin, as was Asda’s, but I did detect a variation in the Tesco versions, one being slightly more savoury – and less runny – than the other.B12 deficiency tends to increase with age; up to 40 per cent of the UK’s meat-eating elderly population suffers from low B12 due to a reduction in their ability to absorb this vitamin. The association of vitamin B12 with animal foods such as fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk and dairy products has helped create the myth that this vitamin can only be obtained from these foods and that a vegetarian or vegan diet provides a substandard amount. Consequently B12 has become a contentious issue. Concerns that vegetarians, and especially vegans, are at risk of B12 deficiency prevail even though the evidence suggests the meat-eating elderly are by far the group most likely to be deficient in B12. Furthermore, research suggests that the B12 present in meat, poultry and fish is not as easily absorbed as the B12 present in fortified vegetarian foods. A well-planned and varied vegetarian or vegan diet including B12-fortified plant-based foods not only meets our requirements but provides a healthier and safer source of vitamin B12. B12 deficiency is rare; the most common cause is malabsorption which results from some condition of the stomach or of the small intestine. This type of deficiency usually requires treatment with B12 injections. This type of deficiency has nothing to do with the amount of B12 present in the diet – it arises from inadequate absorption due to a wide range of physiological or medical conditions. Furthermore, B12 absorption tends to decrease with age (7). For example, in the elderly a decline in the production of acid in the stomach may reduce B12 absorption, although this mainly affects B12 absorption from meat. The most common cause of B12 deficiency in the UK is the loss of intrinsic factor; this may result from a genetic predisposition and tends to be age-related (3). Herbert V. 1994. Staging vitamin B12 (cobalamin) status in vegetarians. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 59 (5) 1213S-1222S.
Plant-eating primates such as the gorilla (and our human ancestors and many people in developing countries) obtain a plentiful supply of B12 from their consumption of plants due to the presence of insects and bacterial contamination of their plant foods and water So, as the table shows, the EU recommended daily amount of B12 can be obtained for example from one slice of Meridian yeast extract on toast or one glass of B12–fortified soya milk.Matthews J.H. 1995. Cobalamin and folate deficiency in the elderly. Bailliere’s Clinical Haematology. 8 (3) 679-97. Wighton M.C., Manson J.I., Speed I., Robertson E. and Chapman E. 1979. Brain damage in infancy and dietary vitamin B12 deficiency. The Medical Journal of Australia. 14, 2 (1) 1-3. Grainy top, thinner than others, and medium dark. It has a slightly powdery texture and the salty flavour hits you before the savoury. Still enjoyable on toast.
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