Why your B12 supplement might not work
Vitamin B12 Sources and Bioavailability
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Eggs have less than 9% B12 bioavailability—lower than any meat source.
Most people assume eggs are a good source of B12 because they’re animal-based, but this shows they’re among the worst.
Practical Takeaways
If you're vegan or over 50, choose fortified cereals or B12 supplements—don't rely on eggs or algae.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Eggs have less than 9% B12 bioavailability—lower than any meat source.
Most people assume eggs are a good source of B12 because they’re animal-based, but this shows they’re among the worst.
Practical Takeaways
If you're vegan or over 50, choose fortified cereals or B12 supplements—don't rely on eggs or algae.
Publication
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Claims (6)
If you're vegan or older, fortified breakfast cereals are a great way to get vitamin B12 because they put the right amount of it in every bowl, and your body can use it well.
When you eat fish, sheep meat, or chicken, your body absorbs vitamin B12 from them at different rates—fish gives you about 42% of the B12, sheep meat gives you 56% to 89%, and chicken gives you 61% to 66%, so not all meats give you the same amount of this important vitamin.
When you eat eggs, your body doesn’t absorb much of the vitamin B12 inside them—less than 9%—so they’re not a great way to get this vitamin compared to other animal foods like meat or fish.
Many blue-green algae supplements claim to give you vitamin B12, but they actually contain a fake version that your body can’t use—so if you’re vegan and rely on these for B12, you might not be getting the real thing.
Your body can only absorb a little bit of vitamin B12 at a time—about as much as what’s in a single serving of meat or fish. If you eat or take way more than that in one meal, your body just can’t use the extra, so most of it goes to waste.