There is no risk of overdose when taking large amounts of vitamin B-12, such as 1000 mcg, because it is a water-soluble vitamin. This means that the body will use the amount it needs and then the excess will be excreted through the urine. Even the lowest doses of vitamin B12 supplements are many times higher than the recommended daily amount. Doses up to 1000 mcg, although unnecessary, are not harmful.
Although relatively few young adults are deficient in vitamin B12, up to 20% of adults over 60 have lower than optimal levels of this nutrient in their blood (10, 1). It is especially important that pregnant vegan women who plan to exclusively breastfeed their babies talk to their medical team about adequate vitamin B12 intake for both themselves and their babies. In addition, extremely high levels of B12 in the blood in mothers were associated with an increased risk of autism in their children (2). A high-dose B-complex supplement (with 1000 mcg of B-1) harms, rather than helps, people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and advanced kidney disease, leading to worsening kidney function and an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and death.
If your B complex contains 50,000 percent of the daily value (DV), which is 6 mcg for adults, then it contains 3000 mcg of vitamin B-12.Two types of ulcer medications and proton pump inhibitors for gastric reflux, such as omeprazole (Prilosec) and lansoprazole (Prevacid), and H2 blockers, such as cimetidine (Tagamet), famitidine (Pepcid), and ranithianitian Dine (Zantac) inhibit the release of stomach acid needed to release vitamin B12 from the diet. Because the body can store vitamin B12 for several years, severe vitamin B12 deficiency is rare, but up to 26% of the population may have a mild deficiency. Other symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, such as numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, are also common in people with diabetes and spinal stenosis. Because of this increased risk of malabsorption, the National Academy of Medicine recommends that adults over 50 years of age meet most of their vitamin B12 needs through supplements and fortified foods (1).
However, if you have any of the factors described above that interfere with your intake or absorption of vitamin B12, you may want to consider taking a supplement.) Vitamin B12 deficiency may be due to not getting enough of this vitamin through the diet, having problems absorbing it, or taking a medication that interferes with its absorption (. However, one study suggests that doses of up to 6 mcg of vitamin B12 per day may be appropriate for vegans (1). When you eat meat, fish, eggs, or dairy products, hydrochloric acid and stomach enzymes release vitamin B12 from proteins; synthetic vitamin B12 is already in this released (free) form. While vitamin B12 is commonly taken to increase energy levels, there is a lack of evidence to show that B12 supplements improve energy levels in people without deficiencies.
In a large review, vitamin B12 supplements had no effect on depressive symptoms in the short term, but they could help prevent relapses in the long term (2).
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