Can vitamin B12 supplements cause cancer? It's a question some have asked me about. Given the fact that pretty much EVERY energy drink on the market contains massive amounts of B12, this is worthy of discussion. To be clear, there IS clinical research showing vitamin B12 may increase cancer risk. In this video review, I'll show you the research and give you my thoughts about it.
B 12 & Cancer: The Research
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Do You Need A B12 Supplement?
The best way to know if you need a supplement is to get your levels tested. While we do store B12, some groups who may need supplement include:
- vegans
- older folks who no longer absorb the vitamin as well as when they were younger
- those who have had bariatric weight loss surgery
- people with high levels of homocysteine
- people who take certain medications (eg. metformin) which can deplete levels
- alcoholics
References
- Circulating folate, vitamin B12, homocysteine, vitamin B12 transport proteins, and risk of prostate cancer: a case-control study, systematic review, and meta-analysis
- Is high vitamin B12 status a cause of lung cancer?
- Appraising the role of circulating concentrations of micro-nutrients in epithelial ovarian cancer risk: A Mendelian randomization analysis
- Long-Term, Supplemental, One-Carbon Metabolism–Related Vitamin B Use in Relation to Lung Cancer Risk in the Vitamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) Cohort