Safer to get vitamin B12 from fish than from supplements: Kenyan fish insights

While studies have indicated that vitamin B12 can help in reducing the risk of cancer, the same studies also warn of possible harmful effects where the vitamins are consumed in excess. In a 2009 study on patients in Norway, consumers of manufactured vitamin B12 supplements were found to have a slightly higher cancer risk. The study involved 7,000 heart patients and determined those who consumed more B12 supplements were at a higher risk of suffering from heart disease and heart attacks.

When naturally consumed in food containing the vitamin B12, the risk of over-dosage is lowered. The body is able to gauge its deficiency level and absorb only what it needs at a time. This natural process is also advantageous because the consumption process provides the body with the opportunity to extract other rare vitamins and elements as needed by the body. Besides, what one gets from fish is the vitamin B complex as a whole which contains a wider range of vitamin B from B1 to B12. There are only limited quantities of each of these vitamins, lowering the risk of over-dosage even when fish is eaten very regularly.

Some of the species of fish in Kenya such as Nile Perch and Tilapia contain healthy amounts of vitamin B12. The traces, as contained as part of the vitamin B complex, are sufficient enough to provide the health benefits associated with the element, while being limited enough to ensure there is no risk of over-dosage. Good preparation of fish is also an important element in ensuring that vitamins are preserved in the best way possible. At LEFi, fish is handled and kept fresh from its fishing point in L.Victoria to the time the customers order. The nutrients are preserved through effective handling to the greatest extent possible.