What does B12 do and why do I need so much?Updated a day ago
Product & Ingredients
You might've noticed that our formulas' amount of Vitamin B12 is well above what's typically recommended per day in a multivitamin. But there are good reasons for that.
For women and people with eggs, B12 is crucial in pregnancy. Along with its better-known counterpart Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 helps keep homocysteine from building up. That matters because high homocysteine levels have been linked to neural tube defects, pregnancy loss, preterm delivery, restricted fetal growth, preeclampsia, and other cardiovascular complications.
For men and people with sperm, Vitamin B12 plays a key role in sperm production and the male reproductive organs—again through keeping homocysteine in check. High homocysteine is known to contribute to poor sperm quality, low sperm count, reduced motility, and higher DNA fragmentation, which can mean longer times to conception and early pregnancy loss.
Unfortunately, it can be hard for your body to get enough B12 without help. In your diet, you can only get it from animal products, and absorption can be affected by certain autoimmune conditions or even just taking antacids.
There's no set upper limit for Vitamin B12, nor an established toxic level—our naturopathic doctors suggest optimal levels should be well above the recommended daily allowance for a therapeutic effect. That's why we pack 500 mcg of a bioavailable form of Vitamin B12 called Methylcobalamin in The Complete Prenatal Pack, The Female Fertility Power Prenatal Pack, The Gentle Prenatal Pack, and The Male Fertility Power Pack.
Learn more about Vitamin B12 on our blog, The Nest.