Vegan Society's supplement

veganmike · **Joined:** Fri Jan 16, 2004 12:47 pm **Posts:** 351

So Vegan Society has it's own-label supplement. Their website only states the nutrients from the supplement without any exact amounts. I contacted VS to find out about it twice and they didn't reply. Does anyone know the amount of nutrients in this supplement?

Also, will it be available at London Vegan Festival?

If you know some poeple at Vegan Society, can you find out about it?

Thanks.

.flux · **Posted:** Fri Sep 23, 2005 4:22 pm

I've just ordered some, so I'll let you know if there's anything on the label

veganmike · **Joined:** Fri Jan 16, 2004 12:47 pm **Posts:** 351

Cool. Thanks Rochelle!

veganmike · **Joined:** Fri Jan 16, 2004 12:47 pm **Posts:** 351

Just got a reply from VS with an PDF article on the supplement from the latest Vegan Society magazine. The supplement looks cool:

B2 - 1,6 mg (100%)
B6 - 2 mg (100%)
Folic Acid - 200 mcg (100%)
B12 - 10 mcg (100%)
D2 - 10 mcg (200% - that's bacause D2 is less efficient than D3; it's great that they took it into consideration)
Iodine - 150 mcg (100%)
Selenium - 60 mcg (N/A)

I also liked the fact that they've made the effort to make the supplement as cheap as possible:

Quote:

The tablets can be purchased direct from the Vegan Society at just £4.99 plus p&p for three months adult supply (90 tablets). We have kept the price low by ordering in bulk, using simple packaging and charging below the normal RRP.

Pete · **Posted:** Mon Sep 26, 2005 11:15 pm

If you were taking this pill as your sole source of B12 I would crush the tablet & put it under your tongue for 1 minute before swallowing, you absorb very little B12 & the majority is absorbed in the mouth, little to none is absorbed within the rest of the alimentary canal, so swallowing a pill you miss the main area of absorption!
I usually prefer the higher dose B12 (or B complex) capsules (more convenient to empty, than crushing a pill). Then I add them to a drink that allows a good chance that enough will get absorbed, you cannot normally overdose on B12 (infact I don't think I've come across a case ever?).

fredrikw · **Posted:** Mon Sep 26, 2005 11:17 pm

hm, good point Pete, never thought about that... however, they are chewable and that might be the reason for that.

mooovert · **Posted:** Thu Sep 29, 2005 7:55 am

Pete wrote:

If you were taking this pill as your sole source of B12 I would crush the tablet & put it under your tongue for 1 minute before swallowing, you absorb very little B12 & the majority is absorbed in the mouth, little to none is absorbed within the rest of the alimentary canal, so swallowing a pill you miss the main area of absorption!

not heard of this before. got any scientifc basis for this? asking cos
i read that b12 is absorbed in the small intestine. before it gets there it must combine with some 'intrinsic factor' - maybe that's produced in the mouth and absorption is in the small intestine?

Pete · **Posted:** Thu Sep 29, 2005 3:22 pm

OK sources I can quickly find are:

http://www.veganhealth.org/b12/vegansources
Scroll down to :

Quote:

Chew or Dissolve Supplements Under the Tongue

Crane et al.6 (1994, USA) noted that tablets of one vitamin company dissolved slowly in water and acid. They then conducted a study to see if vegan patients who had not responded to oral B12 (described below) tablets swallowed whole could improve their B12 response by chewing the tablets. 7 people chewed the tablets of 100 µg (once a week for 6 weeks) and their average sB12 levels went from 116 to 291. Of the 9 who didn't chew, theirs increased from 123 to only 139. (However, a 100 µg dose once a week is not a lot of B12. The more surprising result of this experiment was the large increase in the sB12 of the 7 people who chewed the tablets, not the small increase of those who did not chew.)

7 of these 9 then chewed 500 µg/day for 10 days and their levels rose to normal with a final average of 524 ? 235. Three participants could not raise their levels orally and required B12 injections to maintain sB12 above 300.

Oral B12 for People with Malabsorption

Some recent studies have shown that taking large amounts of sublingual B12 can normalize B12 status even in people with pernicious anemia. For more information, see Oral B12 for People with Malabsorption in Appendix: How Recommendations were Formulated.

Next bit is the appendix on malabsorption (same site) here too long to quote, but basically shows that absorption through the mouth is the best method of getting B12 into you. The absorption process takes place throught the lymphatic system, the small intestine is a pretty unreliable absorption site for some. There have been cases of vegans suffering B12 deficiency (I believe at least one is on the board, as I remember) while swallowing B12 pills. There is no way to overdose taking one pill daily sublingually (under the tongue), & your chances of ever getting difficient are lessened considerably, so why not do it as you've got nothing to lose, but possibly a lot to gain out of it. You can even just chew a multi vit pill & hold it in your mouth for a bit before you swallow, or whizz it into a drink (mixed in a shake or whatever) if you'd prefer.

.flux · **Posted:** Fri Sep 30, 2005 8:23 am

I've been taking sublingual 'Vitasorb' B12, it's a rather nice tasting liquid but I have noticed that when I take it with my evening meal (I eat quite late), I tend to wake up with a throbbing headache middle of night/ next morning. I wonder is anyone else has has this kind of reaction to it? Of course it's also possible that something else is causing the headache, but I've been experimenting for weeks now, and it seems to be this that creates the headaches.

mooovert · **Posted:** Fri Sep 30, 2005 8:46 am

thanks for link pete! i googled "b12 absorption" and the first 3 hits say b12 is only absorbed at the end of the small intestine after combining with an intrinsic factor produced in stomach. this sublingual method is 'cutting edge' to me and anyone who depends on google and/or current gen med practice it seems

rochelle: dunno, when i have a multivit or marmite just before bed i always seem to remember my dreams in the morning. the b vits do stuff with you head maybe you're suffering from psycosomatic headaches caused by nightmares rather than them being chemical induced?

Pete · **Posted:** Fri Sep 30, 2005 12:33 pm

It could be the supplement. It might be something else in it that's causing the headaches? Have you tried taking it at other times of the day. I'm a morning pill popper myself, so I do most of my popping AM. Try it AM & see what happens...

.flux · **Posted:** Fri Sep 30, 2005 1:55 pm

I'll try the morning dose, but I always forget which is why I ended up taking it in the evenings.

Does anyone know if it's a myth that bee pollen contains B12? I've seen raw food sites claiming this, but I have a feeling it might be quackery.

Malcolms Billy · **Posted:** Sat Oct 01, 2005 12:30 pm

When I was taking B vitamins daily, because of an eye infection, on advice of Pat Reeves, she suggested I'd take B vitamins in the morning. Can't remember what exactly for tho. Suppose I should invest in some memory enhancing supplements - keep forgetting tho! :roll:

Pete · **Posted:** Sun Oct 02, 2005 4:52 pm

I will check out the B12 in bee pollen, it "could" be possible. B12 comes from bacteria & honey is mainly sugar that could feed bacteria, but I don't see how you could guarantee that the right sort of bacteria would grow on it?
You never know though. I did a quick google & pubmed etc, but just got some some unreferenced rubbish (probably the same as you!). I'll check around this week & see what I can dig up, sorry I couldn't offer you more :oops:

alit · **Posted:** Sun Oct 02, 2005 5:46 pm

I was told my a nutritionist to take any B supplements in the morning as if taken in the evening it can make you either restless or have really strong dreams!

I know this is true if i take b supplements late.

Alison

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