Vitamin B-12-fortified toothpaste improves vitamin status in vegans: a 12-wk randomized placebo-controlled study

Good ingredients from foods to vegan cosmetics after COVID-19 pandemic

Background

New changes are taking place in the beauty and cosmetology market due to changes in daily life due to coronavirus disease‐19 (COVID‐19) and environmental alteration caused by the spread of live commerce.

Purpose

This study technically investigated the future value and direction of vegan cosmetics from food to cosmetics by focusing on good ingredients after COVID‐19 pandemic and changing the needs of consumers in the beauty and cosmetics industry.

Methods

This review paper is a critical literature review, and a narrative review approach has been used for this study. A total of 300–400 references were selected using representative journal search websites such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, RISS, and ResearchGate, which a total of 45 papers were selected in the final stage based on 2009 to 2022.

Result

As environmental problems increased after the COVID‐19 pandemic, we tried to understand the needs of consumers for vegan cosmetics, which are good ingredients and good cosmetics. Therefore, this narrative review clearly shows the need for beauty and cosmetics industry consumers to pursue good consumption due to the global COVID‐19 pandemic.

Conclusion

Accordingly, this literature review will need to identify consumer needs for vegan cosmetics that started from vegan foods and develop the applications for the development of customized inner beauty products, customized vegan inner beauty products and/or customized vegan cosmetics using customized cosmetics. This is expected to be used as important marketing materials for the global vegan cosmetics market that confirms new changes in the cosmetics market.

Plant-Based Alternative Products: Are They Healthy Alternatives? Micro- and Macronutrients and Nutritional Scoring

In recent decades, the demand, supply, and consumption of plant-based (pb) alternative products have increased worldwide. The objective of this study was to characterize pb meat and cheese products and compare them with their respective animal-based products. Data were collected in online market analyses (2019/2021). Nutritional data, Nutri-Score, and analysis of micronutrients are presented in this article. The number of products has grown in all categories, with the largest increase of 110% in pb cheese. The main protein sources in pb meat were soy and wheat, followed by an increasing use of peas. Pb meat generally contained less energy and total and saturated fat, but more carbohydrates and sugars than meat. In pb cheese, the protein content was lower than that of cheese. In 3 of 17 food groups, the salt content of pb alternatives was lower than in animal products. The daily requirement for iron could be covered better by pb alternatives than previously anticipated as well as the need for the vitamins E and K. The calculated Nutri-Score was generally lower for pb meat and higher for pb cheese than for the respective animal products. The trend towards consumption of pb alternative products is increasing, but the high level of processing, wide range of nutrients, and high salt content indicate the need for nutritional guidelines for these products.

Efficacy of supplementation with methylcobalamin and cyancobalamin in maintaining the level of serum holotranscobalamin in a group of plant-based diet (vegan) adults

Plant-based nutrition has become extremely popular in the contemporary era. Its positive effects are sustained by many studies, but one of its risks is that it is almost completely devoid of vitamin B12. In the present study, we analyzed the effects of two types of vitamin B12 supplements, cyancobalamin and methylcobalamin on the level of active serum vitamin (holotranscobalamin) in a group of Romanian individuals (n=42) following a (vegan) plant-based diet. The results revealed that cyancobalamin gives better results in maintaining B12, as quantified by the holotranscobalamin value (median=150 pcg/l) when compared with methylcobalamin (median=78.5 pcg/l). The frequency of administration, regardless of the quantity in one dose, is another important factor in maintaining the holotranscobalamin level within suitable limits. More frequent intakes give more optimal results. Vegans trying to supplement with alternative products (algae, kombucha, other fermented products), had the lowest levels of holotranscobalamin, always bellow the recommended level of 35 pcg/l (median=29 pcg/l). Vegans must be educated on B12 supplementation, about the pharmaceutical forms on the market and their performances and on choosing the optimal plan in order to avoid the onset of B12 deficiency.

Is There a Carcinogenic Risk Attached to Vitamin B12 Deficient Diets and What Should We Do About It? Reviewing the Facts

The number of individuals partaking in veganism has increased sharply in the last decade. Therefore, it is critical to look at the implications of vegan diets for public health. Although there are multiple health benefits of a vegan diet, studies have also linked the diet with deficiencies in various micronutrients. This study focuses on vitamin B12, because of its critical role in DNA synthesis and methylation. In light of these connections, a critical review of recent scientific literature is conducted to understand the effects of a B12 deficient diet on the genome and epigenome, and whether it can give rise to cancer. It is observed that a B12 deficiency leads to increased uracil misincorporation, leading to impaired DNA synthesis and genomic instability. The deficiency also leads to global hypomethylation of DNA, a hallmark of early carcinogenesis. The findings of this study highlight the need for increased awareness among vegans to ensure adequate B12 intake through supplementation or consumption of fortified products as a preventative measure. Additionally, the biofortification of staple crops and an improved version of fermented products with increased B12 content can be developed when inadequate intake seems otherwise inevitable.

Vitamin B12-fortified toothpaste improves vitamin status in elderly people: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

BACKGROUND

Elderly people are at risk for vitamin B12 deficiency.

AIMS

We studied the ability of vitamin B12-enriched toothpaste vs. placebo to increase vitamin B12 status in elderly subjects.

METHODS

We conducted a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled intervention in 103 elderly subjects. Serum concentrations of vitamin B12, holotranscobalamin (holoTC), methylmalonic acid (MMA), and plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) were measured at baseline and after 3 months.

RESULTS

92 subjects met the inclusion criteria, completed the 3 months study, and were included in the data analysis. After the intervention, concentrations of vitamin B12 were higher [mean (SD) = 368 (123) vs. 295 (123) pmol/L; p = 0.005] and holoTC tended to be higher [112 (48) vs. 91 (68) pmol/L; p = 0.088] in the vitamin B12 group compared with the placebo group. The changes of serum vitamin B12 [54 (74) vs. 3 (60) pmol/L, p < 0.001], holoTC [21 (34) vs. 2 (32) pmol/L, p = 0.007], and tHcy [- 0.9 (2.3) vs. 0.3 (1.9) µmol/L, p = 0.010] were significantly different between the intervention groups. Mean percentage increase of serum vitamin B12 (+ 23% corresponds to + 54 pmol/L) in the vitamin B12 toothpaste group suggests that the intervention had provided an additional daily intake of approximately + 7 µg oral B12. Common diseases and drugs did not predict the change of blood markers in the vitamin group. No side effects were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

The toothpaste enriched with 100 µg cyanocobalamin/g has increased vitamin B12 status and can thus be used for preventing vitamin B12 depletion in elderly people. The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02679833.

Methylmalonic Acid Levels and their Relation with Cobalamin Supplementation in Spanish Vegetarians

Cobalamin deficiency represents a health issue for vegetarians, especially vegans, if supplements are not consumed. Vitamin B12 serum levels, traditionally used to assess the vitamin B12 status, can be normal under functional deficiency conditions. In this regard, methylmalonic acid (MMA) has proven to be a more specific marker to detect subclinical vitamin B12 deficiency. In this study, we present for the first time the cobalamin status of Spanish vegetarians using both vitamin B12 and MMA markers, and the effects of the plant-based diet and the intake of vitamin B12 supplements. Healthy adults were recruited (n = 103, 52% vegans). Dietary preferences and use of supplements were assessed by questionnaires and serum samples were collected and stored. Vitamin B12 was measured by chemiluminiscence and MMA by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) using solid phase extraction for sample preparation. Obtained values, median (IQR), were: vitamin B12, 278.9 (160.2) pmol/l and MMA, 140.2 (78.9) nmol/l. No significant differences between lacto-ovo vegetarians and vegans were observed. Considering these two markers, 10% of the participants were mild vitamin B12 deficient. Supplementation (75% of the participants) was associated with higher vitamin B12 (p < 0.001) and lower MMA (p = 0.012). In conclusion, Spanish vegetarians have low risk of vitamin B12 deficiency due to vitamin B12 supplementation and the MMA determination is useful to detect mild deficiency.

Effect of two different sublingual dosages of vitamin B12 on cobalamin nutritional status in vegans and vegetarians with a marginal deficiency: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Vegetarians and vegans are more vulnerable to vitamin B₁₂ deficiency with severe risks of megaloblastic anemia, cognitive decline, neuropathy, and depression. An easy and simple method of supplementation consists of taking one weekly dosage of 2000 μg. However, single large oral doses of vitamin B₁₂ are poorly absorbed. The present research evaluates the ability of two different sublingual dosages of vitamin B₁₂ (350 μg/week vs 2000 μg/week) in improving cyanocobalamin (vitamin B₁₂) nutritional status in vegans and vegetarians with a marginal deficiency.

METHODS

A 12-week randomized, double-blind, controlled, parallel intervention trial was performed. Forty subjects with marginal vitamin B₁₂ deficiency were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups: test group Ld (low dose, 350 μg/week) and control group Hd (high dose, 2000 μg/week) vitamin B₁₂ supplementation. Blood samples were collected at baseline and after 15, 30, 60, and 90 days from the intervention for the determination of vitamin B₁₂, related metabolic markers, and blood cell counts.

RESULTS

Two-way analysis of variance showed a significant effect of time (P < 0.0001) and of time × treatment interaction (P = 0.012) on serum concentration of vitamin B₁₂ that increased after 90-day supplementation (Ld and Hd) compared to baseline. Both the supplements increased (P < 0.0001, time effect) the levels of holotranscobalamin, succinic acid, methionine and wellness parameter, while decreased (P < 0.0001, time effect) the levels of methylmalonic acid, homocysteine and folate compared to baseline. No difference was observed between groups (Ld vs Hd). No effect was detected for vitamin B₆ and blood cell count.

CONCLUSIONS

In our experimental conditions, both supplements were able to restore adequate serum concentrations of vitamin B₁₂ and to improve the levels of related metabolic blood markers in subjects with a marginal deficiency. The results support the use of a sublingual dosage of 50 μg/day (350 μg/week) of cobalamin, instead of 2000 μg/week (provided as a single dose), to reach a state of nutritional adequacy of vitamin B₁₂ in this target population. This study was registered at www.isrctn.org as ISRCTN75099618.