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How to Keep B12 Levels Up

Maintaining normal levels of Vitamin B12 poses few problems for healthy individuals. According to the Mayo Clinic, your body can accumulate enough Vitamin B12 to last several years. Nevertheless, up to 15% of the population may lack adequate B12 levels, according to Office of Dietary Supplements. Those unable to absorb B12 may suffer from pernicious anemia or gastrointestinal disorders; vegetarians or vegans unable to obtain B12 from animal products may also experience low levels. These people and adults over 50 need to monitor their intake of vitamin B12.

Things You'll Need

  • Blood test for Vitamin B12
  • Chart of recommended Vitamin B12 intake
  • List of foods containing Vitamin B12
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Instructions

  1. How to Keep B12 Levels Up

    • 1

      Ask your doctor to assess your B12 level through a plasma or serum test. If your level falls below 170-250 pg/mL, you have a deficiency and need to raise it, according to the ODS.

    • 2

      Determine how much Vitamin B12 constitutes a U.S. recommended daily allowance, or RDA, based upon your age and gender. Many adults and teenagers 14 and over need 2.4 mcg daily; lactating adult women require 2.8 mcg, and children need from 0.4 mcg to 1.8 mcg depending upon their specific age, according to the ODS. The Food and Nutrition Board sets these levels for healthy individuals, not those with deficiencies.

    • 3

      Consume Vitamin B12 naturally by eating common foods, such as meat, fish, chicken, eggs, fortified cereals and milk-related products. The Mayo Clinic reports that one chicken breast, one egg and one cup of yogurt supplies the daily requirement for healthy individuals. For the body to absorb Vitamin B12 from protein food sources, hydrochloric acid and gastric protease must release it to its free form, the ODS reports.

    • 4

      Take a dietary supplement of Vitamin B12 if you fall into any of the mentioned high-risk groups. Already in a free form, the B12 supplement can combine with intrinsic factor -- a glycoprotein from the stomach -- and be absorbed. Realize, however, that the intrinsic factor restricts the amount of absorption: healthy people absorb only 10 mg from a 500-mg supplement.

    • 5

      Check with your doctor to see if your condition warrants an injection of Vitamin B12. Those with pernicious anemia and gastrointestinal disorders may benefit most, according to ODS. In a gel form, you can also receive Vitamin B12 through your nasal passages.

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