blood test

[Twizelby]

So I got a blood test since I have always been curious and wanted to satisfy the small doubt I have had about my diet. well the results are in...and well... I'm sorry but my blood tests are.....perfect. Thats right! perfect I was within the normal range if not better for everything including the issues commonly raised by meat eaters. Calcium above average, Creatine above average, B12 normal range, D lookin' good vitamin D, everything looks great. I have never been more confident in my health and well being. In your face naysayers!

[EquALLity]

I assume you're a vegan?
Do you supplement?

[Twizelby]

just B12

[EquALLity]

Ahhh ok.
Maybe I should supplement B12. :p

[TheVeganAtheist]

awesome news! not surprised.

[thebestofenergy]

Ahhh ok.
Maybe I should supplement B12. :p

Definitely.
B12 is a bacteria, and low intakes can cause anemia and nervous damage (you can check about it here http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/everyvegan). This bacteria is (ideally) to be found in water and soil, and that's where animals get it.
You can get enough B12 if you eat enough foods with added B12 (such as cereals or some soy products), but it's unlikely that you can eat enough of them every day.
I suggest cyanocobalamin, the most convenient moneywise and most easily absorbed. 250 mcg daily is the recommended dose.
Also, there's no upper safe limit, meaning that you don't have to worry if you take a lot of it; your body will just get rid of the excess in urine.
The only negative side is that if you have acne problems, too much B12 may aggravate it.

[EquALLity]

Ahhh ok.
Maybe I should supplement B12. :p

Definitely.
B12 is a bacteria, and low intakes can cause anemia and nervous damage (you can check about it here http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/everyvegan). This bacteria is (ideally) to be found in water and soil, and that's where animals get it.
You can get enough B12 if you eat enough foods with added B12 (such as cereals or some soy products), but it's unlikely that you can eat enough of them every day.
I suggest cyanocobalamin, the most convenient moneywise and most easily absorbed. 250 mcg daily is the recommended dose.
Also, there's no upper safe limit, meaning that you don't have to worry if you take a lot of it; your body will just get rid of the excess in urine.
The only negative side is that if you have acne problems, too much B12 may aggravate it.

Huh. I thought I read something about B12 supplements being fed to farm animals, because the way we've been farming the B12 is no longer in the soil.
I'll take your advice about supplementing B12.
Thanks!

[brimstoneSalad]

B12 is a bacteria

B12 is made by some bacteria. It isn't a bacterium itself.

Huh. I thought I read something about B12 supplements being fed to farm animals, because the way we've been farming the B12 is no longer in the soil.

B12 is fed to many or most farmed animals.
It's added to feed fomulations among other things.

[EquALLity]

B12 is fed to many or most farmed animals.
It's added to feed fomulations among other things.

Ah. Ok.

[EquALLity]

B12 is fed to many or most farmed animals.
It's added to feed fomulations among other things.

I know this is like a year old now, but do you have a source for this? I can only seem to find this: http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department ... /beef11680

Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is manufactured by rumen bacteria. It contains a trace mineral, cobalt, which must be provided in the diet. Cobalt concentrations in feeds are not well known and therefore ruminant diets are supplemented with cobalt at approximately 0.1 ppm to ensure adequate production of vitamin B12, which is too costly to add directly to feedlot diets. Vitamin B12 is the only B-vitamin stored in substantial amounts in the liver. When animals are transported or stressed, the break down of body tissue, including liver, increases blood concentrations of vitamin B12. Ruminal production of vitamin B12 is lowest, and production of B12 analogs is highest, on grain diets compared to forage diets. Vitamin B12 deficiency is unlikely unless diets are deficient in cobalt for a prolonged period. The symptoms can include poor appetite, retarded growth, and poor condition.

And this, but it doesn't have references: http://www.cattletoday.com/archive/2008 ... 1772.shtml