Vitamin B12: Why it can be high without supplements

Ritesh Bawri

05 Jan 2025 — 2 min read

Photo by Supliful - Supplements On Demand / Unsplash

Vitamin B12 is one of the essential B family vitamins.

Very likely, you have taken a supplement at some point, especially if you are vegetarian. Sometimes, however, the body produces excess B12 without medication.

Why does B12 get elevated without external intervention?

Let us first start with what we are measuring. When you do a B12 blood test, you are measuring plasma B12. In simple terms, this means the amount of B12 sequestered in your blood at that moment.

The result is not necessarily reflective of the B12 in your cells, which could be very different. Accurately measuring this vitamin is difficult. In any case, what matters is not plasma levels but cellular levels.

But what other factors could cause excess results?

One explanation is an immune response, which creates a higher transportation of the vitamin in your blood. For example, B12 helps fight viral infections, and some suggested it as a Covid (remember covid?) supplement.

So if you have a viral infection and take a blood test, you may find elevated levels of the vitamin. Your body was simply transporting more when you tested in your blood.

It does not mean that your levels are high.

Other possible conditions, including a disorder of the blood, potential cancer, renal failure and auto-immune disorders.

These conditions are indicated only if high levels persisted for prolonged periods of time.

Today, I heard someone explain how yoghurt is contraindicated for diabetes because it is tamasic, easily the most absurd thesis I have heard to date.

Many of us listen to such advice and follow it blindly.

One possible outcome is the supplementation or cessation of consuming B12.

But your levels are an outcome of multiple complex processes, much of which might not be understood.

You would always be best advised to take the information you receive and then validate it for applicability to your unique condition else the outcome could go horribly wrong.

Reach out to me on twitter @rbawri Instagram @riteshbawriofficial and YouTube at www.youtube.com/breatheagain

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