What are the different forms of vitamin B12

Reminder of the most important points about vitamin B12 and its benefits

• In nature, Vitamin B12 is almost exclusively produced by bacteria:

About ten different strains have this ability.
Herbivorous animals have developed a symbiotic relationship with these bacteria, which explains the vitamin B12 content of their tissues. Carnivorous animals obtain the vitamin B12 they need by consuming the meat of herbivores.

• The benefits of vitamin B12 play a key role in growth :

Vitamin B12 plays a key role in the growth of the fetus, children, and the renewal of body tissues, including blood and nerve cells. It is an essential vitamin at all ages.

• Vitamin B12 supplementation is mandatory, essential.

Vitamin B12 is essential for vegans and anyone who consumes a small amount of animal products (vegetarians, serious flexitarians). Dietary supplements are therefore recommended to compensate for this vitamin B12 deficiency.

• Vitamin B12 can be produced in the laboratory

For several decades, we have known how to produce vitamin B12 in the laboratory, using complex but well-controlled processes (see below). This has been a fundamental step forward for the nutritional balance of all vegans.

It is sometimes suggested that certain algae (Spirulina, Klamath, Nori, etc.) are alternatives for vitamin B12 intake, which is unfortunately not the case: their vitamin B12 content is, at best, never at a sufficient level to allow a significant contribution to meeting needs.

• The daily requirements of vitamin B12 for an adult are increasingly better defined

The daily needs for a vegan adult are higher than the Recommended Nutritional Values (NRV) in Europe which are 2.5 µg (microgram)/day.
While in the USA: health authorities recommend 6 µg/day. Furthermore, the absorption of vitamin B12 decreases very sharply as the dose increases , but it is also one of the rare vitamins that does not present any risk of overdose .

In practice, with a sufficient safety margin, the recommended intakes for a healthy vegan adult (and child from 12 years old)* are:

• For one dose per day: 10 µg (i.e. 4 times the NRV)
• For one dose every 3 or 4 days: 1000 µg (or 1 milligram, i.e. 400 times the NRV)
• For a weekly dose: 2 mg or 800 times the NRV
• Vegetarians, flexitarians, omnivorous seniors: 1 mg/week in one dose

*From 4 to 12 years: divide the dose by 2

The different forms of vitamin B12: Methylcobalamin, Cyanocobalamin etc.: is it important?

In reality, there is no form of vitamin B12 that is more “active” than another.

This vitamin exists in 4 chemical forms:

1. Adenosylcobalamin (AdoCbl)
2. Cyanocobalamin (CNCbl)
3. Hydroxocobalamin (HOCbl)
4. Methylcobalamin (MeCbl)

In the body, regardless of the form initially ingested (cyano, methyl, adeno, etc.), the molecule will always be degraded and transformed to obtain a "cofactor." It is this latter which will be involved in the stimulation of certain vital reactions.

To better understand this phenomenon, we invite you to consult our other article in which we detail the process of conversion of vitamin B12 in the body.

The priority is therefore more to have sufficient vitamin B12 intake than to choose a particular chemical form.

Production of vitamin B12 for dietary supplements

The production of these molecules is done by bacterial synthesis and with purification processes using sophisticated biotechnologies.

For medicines and food supplements offering significant and reliable doses , there is no natural vitamin B12, strictly speaking, as these are molecules, certainly derived from bacteria, but which have been treated using high-tech processes*.

To give you an idea: work on the synthesis of vitamin B12 was rewarded with two Nobel Prizes in Chemistry (Dorothy Hodgkin in 1964 and Roger Woodward in 1965).

* otherwise, with the same logic, we could also say that all petroleum-derived products are natural products, since petroleum itself comes from the decomposition of organic matter!

The choice of cyanocobalamin for our food supplements dosed in vitamin B12

For our Multivitamins and Minerals and B12 + Iodine and Selenium formulas from the Argalys Essentiels range, we have chosen cyanocobalamin for vitamin B12 and the capsule form for the following reasons:

• Cyanocobalamin is the form considered to be the most stable over time and not very sensitive to degradation by temperature . In addition, the cyanocobalamin form is the one that has been most studied.
• The capsule form allows for no exposure to "dangerous" temperatures (over 80°C) for the stability of the molecule during its manufacture. This is not the case with tablets (the mechanical effect of compression generates a sudden increase in temperature often beyond 80°C, it is then difficult to know exactly the quantity of B12 remaining active in the tablet).
• Cyanocobalamin can be converted into either active form of vitamin B12 in the body (adenosylcobalamin and methylcobalamin) , which is an interesting flexibility.

Good to know: Several studies show a positive effect of calcium on the absorption of vitamin B12.

To learn more about our products and the B12 + Iodine and Selenium supplement , click here!

The Argalys team