Vitamin B12 deficiency in pregnancy

Vitamin B12, also called cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin. Cobalamin is essential using for normal metabolism of all cells, especially for those in the gastrointestinal tract, bone marrow and nervious tissue. The richest sources of cobalamin are in liver, egg, fish, cheese, meats, fortified cereals and fortified soy-based products.

source: http://www.intelligentdental.com/2010/08/26/how-vitamin-b12-deficiency-causes-canker-sore/

Cobalamin is synthesized by bacteria, but the vitamin produced from the microflora in the colon is not absorbed. Vegetarian pregnant women are at risk to develop cobalamin deficiencies because cobalabim is derived from animals.

Vegetarian pregnant women have to know that some plant foods, dried green and purple lavers (nori) contain substantial amounts of vitamin B(12), although other edible algae contain none or only traces of vitamin B(12). Most of the edible blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) used for human supplements predominantly contain pseudo vitamin B(12), which is inactive in humans. (Watanabe F.2007)

Moreover, spirulina is not a resource for Vitamin B12. I read a journal which states that Pseudovitamin B12 (an inactive corrinoid) predominated in the spirulina tablets. Spirulina is not suitable for use as a vitamin B12 source, especially for vegetarians. (Watanabe F, Takenaka S, Kittaka-Katsura H, Ebara S, Miyamoto E.2002)

Source: http://www.sweetadditions.net/health/vitamin-b12-deficiency-symptoms-in-women

Women with cobalamin deficiency may suffer from anovulation, abnormal cell division in the fertilized ovum or a lack of implantation due to megaloblastoid changes in the endometrium.

 Recurrent early fetal loss may also be associated with vitamin B12 deficiency, though rare.

Source: http://www.b12patch.com/blog/pregnancy-and-b-12/vitamin-b12-deficiency-and-pregnancy-part-i-planning-a-baby/

Reference:

Wolfgang Herrmann^,, Jürgen Geisel (2002)). Department of Clinical Chemistry-Central Laboratory, University Hospital of the Saarland, Bld. 40, D-66421 Homburg/Saar, Germany Vegetarian lifestyle and monitoring of vitamin B-12 status .Received 17 May 2002. Revised 19 August 2002. Accepted 5 September 2002. Available online 28 October 2002. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0009898102003078

Watanabe F.(2007) Vitamin B12 sources and bioavailability. 2007 Nov;232(10):1266-74. PMID: 7959839http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17959839

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10552882

Watanabe F, Katsura H, Takenaka S, Fujita T, Abe K, Tamura Y, Nakatsuka T, Nakano Y. Pseudovitamin B(12) is the predominant cobamide of an algal health food, spirulina tablets. (1999)

J Agric Food Chem. 1999 Nov;47(11):4736-41.

Watanabe F, Takenaka S, Kittaka-Katsura H, Ebara S, Miyamoto E. (2002). Characterization and bioavailability of vitamin B12-compounds from edible algae. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2002 Oct;48(5):325-31.

Tori Hudson Vitamin B12 deficiency, infertility and miscarriage (July 2001)

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISW/is_2001_July/ai_76445709/