Vitamin B12 - Controversial Sources in Algae

Controversial Sources in Algae

The UK Vegan Society, the Vegetarian Resource Group, and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, among others, recommend that vegans either consistently eat B₁₂-fortified foods or take a daily or weekly B₁₂ supplement to meet the recommended intake.

It is important for vegans, whose food provides few sources of B₁₂, and anyone else wishing to obtain B₁₂ from food sources other than animals, to consume foods that contain little or no pseudovitamin-B₁₂ and are high in biologically active B₁₂. However, there have been no significant human trials of sufficient size to demonstrate enzymatic activity of B₁₂ from nonbacterial sources, such as Chlorella and edible sea algae (seaweeds, such as lavers), although chemically some of these sources have been reported to contain B₁₂ that seems chemically identical to active vitamin. However, among these sources, only fresh sea algae such as Susabi-nori (Porphyra yezoensis) have been reported to demonstrate vitamin B₁₂ activity in B₁₂ deficient rats. This has yet to be demonstrated for Chlorella, and no study in rats of any algal B₁₂ source has yet to be confirmed by a second independent study. The possibility of algae-derived active forms of B₁₂ presently remains an active topic of research, with no results that have yet reached consensus in the nutritional community.