What are the sources of vitamin B-12?
Vitamin B-12 is found in eggs, meat, poultry, shellfish, milk, and milk products, so it is fairly easy to obtain from your diet. Vegans and strict vegetarians are an exception, and cannot obtain adequate supplies of B-12 from diet alone. (Note: one vegetarian food that does contain B-12 is peanuts.) Even people who do eat a diet including meat and dairy may have a lack of B-12 due to absorption problems. Q: What can cause a vitamin B-12 deficiency? A: Poor eating habits, digestive disorders, alcohol use and drug intake are all factors that can influence the availability of vitamin B12 in the body. Additionally, the absorption of vitamin B-12 is a complex process that is easily interrupted. Here’s what happens. Acids in the stomach separate the B-12 from the protein source, at which point it must combine with “intrinsic factor”—a specific collection of cells in the stomach that are required for B-12 absorption in the small intestine. The vitamin B-12/intrinsic factor complex travels thr
