Quote:
Originally Posted by burgundia
i have been taking spirulina for some time...i think it is very good if you are on a vegetarian diet....it contains high quality vegetable proteins, gamma-linoleic acid(GLA), beta carotene, vitamin B group, especially vit.B12, iron, and chlorophyll.
When taken regularly it stimulates your metabolism, is an excellent supplement for elderly people, people recovering from illnesses and VEGETARIANS. It is recommended if one has stomach ulcers.
|
Spirulina is a high quality food, except for the claim of it providing USABLE B12.
This is an excellent article:
An Open Letter from Health Professionals and Vegan Organizations
What Every Vegan Should Know about Vitamin B12
http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/everyvegan/
Selected Snippets:
Others have proposed specific foods, including spirulina, nori, tempeh, and barley grass, as suitable non-animal sources of B12.
Such claims have not stood the test of time.
~~~~~~~~
In over 60 years of vegan experimentation
only B12 fortified foods and B12 supplements have proven themselves as reliable sources of B12, capable of supporting optimal health.
~~~~~
Symptoms of B12 deficiency
Clinical deficiency can cause anaemia or nervous system damage. Most vegans consume enough B12 to avoid clinical deficiency. Two subgroups of vegans are at particular risk of B12 deficiency: long-term vegans who avoid common fortified foods (such as raw food vegans or macrobiotic vegans) and breastfed infants of vegan mothers whose own intake of B12 is low.
~~~~~~~~~
In adults typical deficiency symptoms include loss of energy, tingling, numbness, reduced sensitivity to pain or pressure, blurred vision, abnormal gait, sore tongue, poor memory, confusion, hallucinations and personality changes. Often these symptoms develop gradually over several months to a year before being recognized as being due to B12 deficiency and they are usually reversible on administration of B12. There is however no entirely consistent and reliable set of symptoms and there are cases of permanent damage in adults from B12 deficiency.
~~~~~~~~~
The homocysteine connection
This is not however the end of the story. Most vegans show adequate B12 levels to make clinical deficiency unlikely but nonetheless show restricted activity of B12 related enzymes, leading to elevated homocysteine levels. Strong evidence has been gathered over the past decade that even slightly elevated homocysteine levels increase risk of heart disease and stroke and pregnancy complications. {and more at the link above}
~~~~~~~~~~
Testing B12 status
A blood B12 level measurement is a
very unreliable test for vegans, particularly for vegans using any form of algae. Algae and some other plant foods contain
B12-analogues (false B12) that can imitate true B12 in blood tests while actually interfering with B12 metabolism. Blood counts are also unreliable as high folate intakes suppress the anaemia symptoms of B12 deficiency that can be detected by blood counts. Blood homocysteine testing is more reliable, with levels less than 10 mmol/litre being desirable.
The most specific test for B12 status is methylmalonic acid (MMA) testing. If this is in the normal range in blood (<370 nmol/L) or urine (less than 4 mg /mg creatinine) then your body has enough B12. Many doctors still rely on blood B12 levels and blood counts.
These are not adequate, especially in vegans.
~~~~~~~~~
Is there a vegan alternative to B12-fortified foods and supplements?
If for any reason you choose not to use fortified foods or supplements you should recognize that you are carrying out a dangerous experiment - one that many have tried before with consistently low levels of success. If you are an adult who is neither breast-feeding an infant, pregnant nor seeking to become pregnant, and wish to test a potential B12 source that has not already been shown to be inadequate, then this can be a reasonable course of action with appropriate precautions. For your own protection, you should arrange to have your B12 status checked annually. If homocysteine or MMA is even modestly elevated then you are endangering your health if you persist.
~~~~~~~~~
{and much more at http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/everyvegan/}