Vegan B12: why it is the one you must not skip

Why B12 is the non-negotiable

Most of the vegan nutrient list is about doing a bit better on things plants do provide. B12 is different, because plants essentially do not provide it. It is made by microbes, and in a typical diet it comes to us through meat, fish, eggs and dairy. Take those off the plate and the reliable dietary source goes with them. That is why the NHS and the Vegan Society both advise a daily supplement or fortified foods; no amount of ordinary plant food fills the gap reliably. In the terms UK law allows, B12 contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism, to the normal working of the nervous system and to normal psychological function. Make it a daily habit from the start.

How much, and why the bottle says so much more

The UK reference intake for B12 is small, about 1.5 micrograms a day. Supplements often carry hundreds or a thousand micrograms because of how the body takes B12 up. Your gut can only absorb a limited amount of B12 from any single dose, so a larger amount on the label leaves room for the fraction that actually gets through. That is the reasoning behind a 1000 microgram tablet: it allows for the way absorption tails off at higher single doses. B12 is water-soluble, so a surplus is passed out rather than stored to any worrying degree.

Methylcobalamin versus cyanocobalamin

You will see two main forms. Cyanocobalamin is the older, extremely stable, heavily studied form, and it is what most of the classic research used. Methylcobalamin is an active, ready-to-use form of B12, which some people prefer because the body has less to do with it. Both raise B12 levels effectively, and the choice comes down to preference. Ours uses methylcobalamin, the active form, for people who would rather take it that way.

Is spirulina a source of B12?

A lot of well-meaning advice gets this wrong. Spirulina and some other algae contain a compound that looks like B12 on certain tests but does not work like it in the body, sometimes called pseudo-B12. Relying on spirulina, or on unwashed produce, or on the general idea that a clean diet will provide it, is how people end up short without realising. We include a little spirulina in our B12 as a whole-food green, but the B12 doing the work is the methylcobalamin, and we label it as such, because you should never have to guess whether your B12 is the real thing.

What ours uses

Our vegan B12 provides 1000 micrograms of methylcobalamin, the active form, alongside a small amount of spirulina. It is the simplest single item on the plant-based list to get right, and the one with the least reason to skip. Of the whole plant-based list, this is the one to never miss: take B12 every day.