Vegetarians, watch this: The Science of Vitamin B12

Summary

This video script explores the critical role of cobalt, a rare metal essential for lithium-ion batteries and vital for life as a component of vitamin B12. It discusses the evolutionary reasons why animals, unlike plants, can't synthesize B12, leading to widespread deficiency, especially in India's vegetarian population. The script highlights the importance of dietary sources, fortified foods, and supplements to combat this deficiency, emphasizing the intricate relationship between our food habits and long-term evolutionary factors.

Takeaways

• 🔋 Cobalt is a rare metal essential for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries due to its thermal stability, preventing fires.
• 🌏 The majority of the world's cobalt production comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a region known for conflict.
• 🍽️ Cobalt is also vital for all non-plant life forms as it is a key component in the enzyme cobalamine, or vitamin B12, necessary for DNA, fatty acids, and amino acids production.
• 🧬 Life forms have been unable to synthesize vitamin B12 for nearly 2.7 billion years, relying on dietary sources due to the complexity and energy intensity of its production.
• 🌱 Plants have evolved a different biochemical pathway, independent of cobalt and vitamin B12, for managing DNA, fatty acid, and protein synthesis.
• ⚠️ Deficiency in vitamin B12 can lead to serious health issues, including problems with red blood cell function, neurological issues, fatigue, and potentially heart problems.
• 🥩 The typical Indian diet often lacks sufficient vitamin B12, with studies showing nearly half of the population is deficient.
• 🐄 Herbivores like cows and elephants have a symbiotic relationship with gut bacteria that produce vitamin B12, sourced from soil in their diet.
• 🍖 Red meat, particularly liver, and seafood are rich sources of vitamin B12, while chicken, milk, and eggs contain smaller amounts.
• 🌾 Fortified foods and supplements are alternative sources of vitamin B12, especially important for those with cultural or dietary restrictions.
• 🌱 Vegan diets are at a high risk of vitamin B12 deficiency since they exclude all animal-based foods, and plant sources are unreliable.

Q & A

What is the primary metal used in the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries?

Cobalt is the primary metal used in the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries due to its thermal stability, which prevents the batteries from catching fire.

Why is cobalt essential for lithium-ion batteries?

Cobalt is essential for lithium-ion batteries because of its thermal stability, which is crucial for preventing the batteries from catching fire.

What is the connection between cobalt and life forms?

Cobalt is a crucial component of cobalamine, also known as vitamin B12, which is essential for the production of DNA, fatty acids, and amino acids in all forms of life that are not plants.

Why can't animals produce cobalt in their bodies?

Animals cannot produce cobalt because it is a component of vitamin B12, which is synthesized through one of biology's most complex and energy-intensive processes involving over 30 steps.

How did the evolution of life forms affect the production of vitamin B12?

Over 2.7 billion years ago, single-cell bacteria found it too difficult to synthesize vitamin B12 and instead opted to consume organisms that contained it, a trait that has been passed down to all animals.

Why don't plants depend on cobalt and vitamin B12 for DNA, fatty acid, and protein synthesis?

Plants evolved a different biochemical pathway that does not require cobalt and vitamin B12 for these processes.

What are the consequences of vitamin B12 deficiency in humans?

Vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to improper functioning of red blood cells, neurological problems, constant fatigue, and in extreme cases, heart problems.

Is the typical Indian diet sufficient in providing vitamin B12?

No, multiple studies have shown that almost half of the Indian population is vitamin B12 deficient, primarily due to low meat consumption and the absence of vitamin B12 in plant-based foods.

How do herbivores like cows and elephants obtain vitamin B12?

Herbivores have a symbiotic relationship with specific gut bacteria that produce vitamin B12, which they acquire from soil when consuming grass.

What are some sources of vitamin B12-rich foods?

Top sources of vitamin B12 include red meat such as beef, mutton, and pork, especially liver. Seafood is also a rich source, while chicken, milk, and eggs contain smaller amounts.

Why are vegans at a high risk of vitamin B12 deficiency?

Vegans are at high risk of vitamin B12 deficiency because their diet does not include any animal-based foods, which are the primary sources of this vitamin, and plants do not produce vitamin B12.

What are the common sources of vitamin B12 for those who may not consume enough through diet?

For those who may not consume enough vitamin B12 through diet, fortified foods such as breakfast cereals and nutritional yeast, as well as supplements prescribed by a doctor, can be sources of this essential vitamin.

Why might the Indian population have survived with low levels of meat consumption over centuries?

The Indian population might have survived with low levels of meat consumption due to the inclusion of milk products in their vegetarian diet, which provide some B12, and possibly due to higher levels of B12-producing bacteria in the past due to less sanitary conditions.

Outlines

00:00

🔋 The Crucial Role of Cobalt in Technology and Life

This paragraph introduces the significance of cobalt, a rare metal indispensable for lithium-ion batteries, which are used in various technologies such as smartphones, laptops, and solar power plants. Cobalt's thermal stability is highlighted as a key factor in preventing battery fires. The script then draws a parallel between cobalt's role in technology and its biological importance, as it is a central component of cobalamine, also known as vitamin B12. The necessity of cobalt for the production of DNA, fatty acids, and amino acids in animals is emphasized, as well as the evolutionary reasons behind why animals cannot synthesize vitamin B12 and must obtain it from their diet. The paragraph concludes by discussing the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency in the Indian population due to low meat consumption and the importance of animal sources for obtaining this essential vitamin.

05:02

🌱 Herbivores' Symbiotic Solution to Vitamin B12 and Dietary Recommendations

The second paragraph delves into how herbivores, such as cows and elephants, overcome the challenge of obtaining vitamin B12 by forming a symbiotic relationship with gut bacteria that produce the vitamin. This bacteria originates from soil and is ingested with grass. The paragraph contrasts this with humans, whose gut bacteria are unable to produce vitamin B12 due to their location in the colon. The script then provides dietary recommendations for ensuring adequate vitamin B12 intake, emphasizing the importance of red meat, seafood, and fortified foods. It also addresses the use of supplements for those with a deficiency and the particular risks faced by vegans. The paragraph concludes by reflecting on the historical context of meat consumption in India and the potential reasons for the high prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency in the population.

10:02

🌾 The Evolutionary and Cultural Impact on Vitamin B12 Intake

The final paragraph discusses the broader implications of vitamin B12 deficiency, suggesting that the shift from a hunter-gatherer diet to one based on grains and legumes may have introduced this deficiency in certain populations. It challenges the notion of blindly accepting traditional diets as superior and encourages the use of scientific knowledge to identify and address nutritional deficiencies. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of improving dietary habits to enhance the quality of life, highlighting the intricate relationship between evolution, cultural eating habits, and modern health concerns.

Keywords

💡Cobalt

Cobalt is a rare metal that is essential for the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries due to its thermal stability, which prevents batteries from catching fire. It is also crucial for life forms other than plants, as it is a component of cobalamine, or vitamin B12. The video discusses the importance of cobalt in both technology and biology, highlighting its role in DNA, fatty acids, and amino acids production.

💡Lithium-ion batteries

Lithium-ion batteries are a type of rechargeable battery commonly used in smartphones, laptops, and solar power plants. The script mentions that cobalt is a critical component in these batteries due to its thermal stability, which is necessary to prevent the batteries from catching fire. This underscores the importance of cobalt in modern technology.

💡Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo is mentioned as the primary source of cobalt, which is mined in conflict zones. This highlights the ethical and environmental challenges associated with sourcing materials for technology, as well as the geopolitical implications of resource extraction.

💡Cobalamine

Cobalamine, also known as vitamin B12, is an enzyme that is central to the production of DNA, fatty acids, and amino acids. It is essential for all animals but not plants, which have evolved a different biochemical pathway. The video emphasizes the role of cobalamine in life processes and the necessity of obtaining it through diet.

💡Vitamin B12 deficiency

Vitamin B12 deficiency is a condition that can lead to neurological problems, fatigue, and heart issues. The video discusses the prevalence of this deficiency in India, where it is common due to low meat consumption and the lack of B12 in plant-based diets. This deficiency is significant as it affects the synthesis of DNA and RNA.

💡Evolution

The concept of evolution is used in the script to explain why animals cannot produce vitamin B12. It suggests that the complex process of synthesizing B12 led to a reliance on dietary sources, as it was more energy-efficient for early life forms to consume organisms that already contained B12.

💡Indian diet

The Indian diet is highlighted in the video as potentially lacking in vitamin B12, especially in vegetarian diets that do not include animal-based foods. The script discusses the challenges of obtaining sufficient B12 from traditional Indian food sources and the potential health implications of this deficiency.

💡Fortified foods

Fortified foods, such as breakfast cereals and nutritional yeast, are mentioned as a source of vitamin B12. These foods are often enriched with B12 to help address deficiencies, especially in populations where dietary intake may be insufficient.

💡Supplements

Supplements are presented as a potential solution for individuals who are deficient in vitamin B12 and cannot obtain enough through diet alone. The video advises getting tested before starting supplementation and emphasizes the importance of consulting a doctor for proper guidance.

💡Herbivores

Herbivores, such as cows and elephants, are mentioned in the context of their ability to obtain vitamin B12 through a symbiotic relationship with gut bacteria. This contrasts with humans, who cannot produce B12 and must obtain it through diet, highlighting the unique adaptations of different species.

💡Supernova

The script briefly mentions that cobalt can only be produced when a star undergoes a supernova explosion. This provides a cosmic context for the rarity and significance of cobalt, emphasizing its importance in both the natural world and human technology.

Highlights

Cobalt is an essential metal for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries due to its thermal stability.

Most of the world's cobalt production comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a conflict zone.

Cobalt is also crucial in cobalamine, also known as vitamin B12, which is vital for all animals except plants.

Vitamin B12 is central to the production of DNA, fatty acids, and amino acids.

Life forms have not been able to synthesize vitamin B12 for almost 2.7 billion years due to its complex and energy-intensive production process.

Evolution has favored the path of obtaining vitamin B12 from food rather than producing it internally.

Plants have evolved a different biochemical pathway and do not depend on cobalt and vitamin B12 for DNA, fatty acid, and protein synthesis.

Vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to issues with DNA and RNA synthesis, resulting in red blood cell dysfunction, neurological problems, fatigue, and heart problems.

Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency may not appear for 1 to 2 years due to liver storage.

Almost half of the Indian population is vitamin B12 deficient, with 74% being deficient or borderline deficient.

Vitamin B12 is primarily obtained from animal sources, and low meat consumption in India contributes to its deficiency.

Herbivores like cows and elephants have a symbiotic relationship with gut bacteria that produces vitamin B12.

Humans cannot produce vitamin B12 in their gut, unlike the bacteria found in the digestive systems of herbivores.

The recommended daily intake of vitamin B12 is 2.4 micrograms, and it is abundant in red meat, liver, and seafood.

Chicken, milk, and eggs contain some vitamin B12, but not enough to meet daily requirements without consuming large quantities.

Fortified foods and breakfast cereals are common sources of vitamin B12 in diets that do not include meat.

Supplements can be prescribed by doctors for those with a vitamin B12 deficiency and a diet that cannot accommodate enough of it.

Vegan diets are at high risk of vitamin B12 deficiency and often require supplementation.

Cultural eating habits and the shift from a hunter-gatherer diet may have introduced vitamin B12 deficiency in certain populations.

Identifying and fixing vitamin B12 deficiency with food or supplements can improve the quality of life.

Transcripts

[Music]

this video is made possible because of

one particular rare metal it is

absolutely essential for the

manufacturing of lithium ion batteries

and unfortunately this element is mined

in some of the worst conflict zones on

the planet most of the world's

production comes from the Democratic

Republic of Congo now it's been decades

but we have not been able to find a

replacement for this metal in lithium

ion batteries that are used in every

smartphone laptop and solar power plants

because it's the thermal stability of

this element that prevents your lithium

ion battery from Catching Fire something

that has happened quite a few times so

you might be wondering what all of this

has to do with food and nutrition the

name of this metal is Cobalt and just

like how it is critical to lithiumion

batteries and despite how hard it is to

mine in places like Congo we have no

choice but to use it would it blow your

mind if I told you that Cobalt plays a

similar extremely crucial role in every

form of life that is not a plant all

animals require Cobalt for a very simple

reason it is crucial in an enzyme that

is Central to the production of DNA

fatty acids and amino acids in short

absolutely critical for life this

molecule is called cobalamine also known

as vitamin

[Music]

B12 so the question is why would life

become so dependent on such a rare metal

and why don't animals produce it in

their body if it was that important to

understand this we have to go back and

think about how Evolution works all of

us descended from simpler mammals and

those descended from fish and and those

fish came from single- cell bacteria

ultimately and what is astonishing is

that going back almost 2.7 billion years

no life form has been able to synthesize

vitamin B12 as far back as the first

eukaryotic cell animal life depended on

eating something that produced or had

vitamin B12 inside itself to get its own

Supply the reason it turns out is that

making vitamin B 12 is one of biology's

most complex processes it has over 30

steps and is very energy intensive so

this is where Evolution comes in in any

generation the easier more convenient

path is more likely to succeed it's like

this given the choice between working

really hard to earn money and stealing

money Evolution will likely select

stealing money so as far back as 2.7

billion years years ago single cell

bacteria were like this is too difficult

I am just going to eat someone who has

vitamin B12 and since then every animal

has simply opted to get it from food

with the rather important exception of

plants plants evolved a completely

different biochemical Pathway to manage

DNA fatty acid and protein synthesis so

they do not depend on Cobalt and vitamin

B12 to do this this is an important and

relevant fact to remember later in this

video that brings us to what happens if

you are deficient in vitamin B12 because

it is essential for DNA and RNA

synthesis any biological function that

requires lots of new cells to be made

all the time like red blood cells will

not function properly and you will also

experience neurological problems

constant fatigue and in extreme cases

heart problems and because your liver

stores vitamin B12 for 3 to 5 years you

will not see symptoms for 1 to 2 years

if your diet is deficient which brings

us to a more basic question does the

typical Indian diet give you enough

vitamin B12 and the shocking answer is a

big no multiple Studies have shown that

almost 47% almost half of the Indian

population is vitamin B12 deficient and

if you consider borderline deficient

it's almost 74% % deficient to

understand why remember our 2.7 billion

year old story animals cannot produce

vitamin B12 and plants don't produce it

at all so you can only get vitamin B12

from animal sources and because per

capita meat consumption is very low in

India it is not surprising that vitamin

B12 deficiency is exceedingly common a

logical question to ask if you can only

get vitamin B12 from animal sources how

do cow elephants rhinos and other

herbivores deal with this problem they

have managed to form a symbiotic

relationship with a specific gut

bacteria that only lives inside

herbivore stomachs and produces vitamin

B12 and how did that bacteria get into

their digestive system when the cow eats

grass there are bits of soil stuck to it

and this bacteria comes from the soil so

you might ask we have gut bacteria too

so can't they make it unfortunately no

in our guts the bacteria that can make

this is too far down the colon so we

don't absorb it so how do you ensure

that you get enough vitamin B12 in your

diet you need 2.4 microG per day this is

a very very small amount this is the

list of vitamin B12 rich foods top tier

number one red meat beef mutton pork

particularly liver because that is where

vitamin B12 is stored one serving will

give you way way more than your daily

requirement two Seafood also a very rich

source of vitamin B12 bottom tier

chicken milk and eggs these also have

some vitamin B12 but remember you will

have to eat almost 1 kg of chicken or

four cups of milk or a dozen eggs to get

your daily requirement of vitamin B12 so

these cannot be your primary sources so

in reality unless you eat red meat or

seafood getting all your vitamin B12

from an Indian diet is not easy baring

people who live on the coast that eat

fish daily and people in the mountains

that eat red meat more regularly which

brings us to the Second Source fortified

Foods incidentally breakfast cereals

nutritional yeast Etc tend to be

fortified with vitamin B12 in fact

Americans mostly get their B12 not from

meat but from breakfast cereals but of

course they come with a lot of sugar

which brings us to the third Source

supplements now now before you start

eating supplements go get tested and if

you are deficient and your cultural diet

cannot accommodate enough vitamin B12

your doctor can prescribe you

supplements a particular thing to note

vegan diets are at very high risk of

vitamin B12 deficiency because they they

do not include any animal-based Foods

meat eggs or milk products and remember

that point we made about plants you

cannot get B12 from Plants a common myth

is that you can get it from fermented

foods not true a very specific set of

bacteria can produce B12 and there is no

guarantee that your idly Dosa yogurt or

kombucha culture will include those

species so there is no way to be sure so

supplements are often required if you're

vegan some of you might wonder hey if

this is such a serious thing how come

Indians have survived on low levels of

meat consumption over so many centuries

while 70% of the Indian population is

culturally meate eating we still eat

very little meat per capita so there are

a couple of explanations for this one

the Indian vegetarian diet includes a

lot of milk products and in places where

people don't consume milk they consume

seafood and milk while not being a very

rich source still gives you some amount

of B12 over time too another hypothesis

is that till very recently high levels

of hygiene and sanitary conditions were

not very common in India so more

bacteria all around and it's possible

that our gut microbes included some B12

producing bacteria and we were mostly

okay but now in a cleaner more sanitized

world we have a problem three it's also

possible that B12 deficiency is simply

endemic meaning it's just common in the

Indian population and we have just lived

with it but now we can test for it fix

our diets and take supplements to

improve our health to be clear fix it

with food before considering supplements

so Cobalt a metal that can only be

produced when a star undergos a massive

Supernova explosion a metal that is

exceedingly rare on the Earth's surface

turns out to be Central to an enzyme

that helps with DNA fatty acid and

protein synthesis this enzyme is so hard

to produce that all life forms other

than plants just decided that eating

something that already has it is simpler

and it goes to show the complex

intricacies of how life and food evolved

on Earth over billions of years and how

even cultural eating habits that are

merely 2 to 3,000 years old can also

miss some of these much longer term

factors the switch from a hunter

gatherer diet to a diet of grains and

legumes likely introduced this

deficiency as a common problem in this

part of the world so don't fall for fat

diet or blindly accept the superiority

of your traditional diet you can

sometimes improve it with a little bit

of science identifying and fixing B12

deficiency will improve the quality of

your life

[Music]