Table of Contents
Can gut bacteria produce vitamin B12?
Human faeces contain appreciable quantities of vitamin B12 or vitamin B12-like material presumably produced by bacteria in the colon, but this is unavailable to the non-coprophagic individual.
Can vitamin B12 be synthesized?
Vitamin B12 is synthesized only by certain bacteria and archaeon, but not by plants. The synthesized vitamin B12 is transferred and accumulates in animal tissues, which can occur in certain plant and mushroom species through microbial interaction.
Can gut bacteria synthesize vitamins?
Several bacterial genera that are common in the distal intestine (e.g., Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, and Enterococcus) are known to synthesize vitamins. Thiamine, folate, biotin, riboflavin, and panthothenic acid are water-soluble vitamins that are plentiful in the diet, but that are also synthesized by gut bacteria.
Which bacteria is source of vitamin B12?
B12 is synthesized by certain bacteria and archaeon, but not by plants or animals. Thus, B12-synthesing bacteria (including archaeon) are sources of B12 compounds found in foods.
Is B12 absorbed in the colon?
Vitamin B12 occurs in foods that come from animals. Normally, vitamin B12 is readily absorbed in the last part of the small intestine (ileum), which leads to the large intestine. However, to be absorbed, the vitamin must combine with intrinsic factor, a protein produced in the stomach.
How did ancestors get B12?
Once our forebears began scavenging meat and bone marrow, they found themselves with a steady supply of dietary vitamin B12, which then grew in abundance when we began to hunt. It must have been during this meat-eating stage in our evolution that we began to absorb B12 in the small intestine instead of the large one.
How is vitamin B12 made commercially?
Cyanocobalamin, by definition vitamin B12, is the industrially produced stable cobalamin form which is not found in nature. Vitamin B12 is obtained exclusively by fermentation process. It is produced by a number of pharmaceutical companies to meet annual demands worldwide.
Which B vitamins are produced in the gut?
In the small intestine, biotinidase releases free biotin from the bound protein and the free biotin is absorbed via the biotin transporter SMVT (98). Vitamin B7 is also produced by intestinal bacteria as free biotin synthesized from malonyl CoA or pimelate via pimeloyl-CoA (99, 100).
How can I get vitamin B12 naturally?
To increase the amount of vitamin B12 in your diet, eat more of foods that contain it, such as:
- Beef, liver, and chicken.
- Fish and shellfish such as trout, salmon, tuna fish, and clams.
- Fortified breakfast cereal.
- Low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese.
- Eggs.
Why do bacteria make vitamin B12?
The secret is in their guts. Vegetarian animals harbor bacteria in their intestines that make vitamin B12 for them. This is a symbiosis of sorts where the herbivores provide a steady supply of food and a nice warm home, and the bacteria excrete B12 that the herbivores then absorb.