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- Title
Vitamin B-12 from algae appears not to be bioavailable.
- Authors
Dagnelie, P C; van Staveren, W A; van den Berg, H
- Abstract
The effect of algae (nori and spirulina) and fermented plant foods on the hematological status of vitamin B-12-deficient children was evaluated. Although rising plasma vitamin B-12 concentrations in children consuming only plant foods (0.1-2.7 micrograms vitamin B-12/d) indicated that the vitamin B-12 was absorbed, elevated baseline values of mean corpuscular volume (MCV) further deteriorated. In contrast, MCV improved in children receiving fish containing 0.15-0.5 microgram vitamin B-12/d or a vitamin B-12 supplement. Further studies on the specificity of current vitamin B-12 assays are warranted. It seems unjustified to advocate algae and other plant foods as a safe source of vitamin B-12 because its bioavailability is questionable.
- Publication
The American journal of clinical nutrition, 1991, Vol 53, Issue 3, p695
- ISSN
0002-9165
- Publication type
Journal Article
- DOI
10.1093/ajcn/53.3.695