Vegan Vitamin B-12 in Mushrooms?

by Derrick delay
(Vancouver, WA)

From www.wikipedia.org: "Vitamin B12 is a water soluble vitamin with a key role in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, and for the formation of blood."

So, if you want to be a healthy vegan you need a reliable source of B-12. Animals, especially animals who eat a lot of plants(the bacteria that synthesize B-12 like to live on plants) concentrate the vitamin in their tissues. If you eat animals you get the B-12 they have stored in their tissues.

Since vegans don't eat animals and since most vegans don't consume huge quantities of unwashed plants containing B-12 making bacteria, we need a reliable source to keep us healthy.

In July of this year Australian researchers published a paper regarding biologically active B-12 in mushrooms.(Koyyalamudi SR, Jeong SC, Cho KY, Pang G. Vitamin B12 is the active corrinoid produced in cultivated white button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus). J Agric Food Chem. 2009 Jul 22;57(14):6327-33. PubMed PMID: 19552428.)

Since then I have heard many vegans claiming mushrooms are a great source of B-12. It turns out they probably aren't since(according to http://www.veganhealth.org/b12/plant#mush) you would have to consume 7 to 326 cups of mushrooms to meet the RDA.

So, while eating mushrooms(unless you eat great big giant bucket loads) isn't the best source of B-12, it doesn't hurt to include them in your whole, unprocessed vegan diet.

The great thing is that getting a reliable source of vitamin B-12 is a easy as taking a supplement a couple times a week.

Based on what I have read taking the hydroxocobalamin or methylcobalamin form of Vitamin B-12 is the best way to go.

What is your experience with Vitamin B-12 and Veganism? Post in the comment section below!