B12 amount in Huel

Hi all,

I have a question about B12 intake with Huel.

I was looking up the amount of B12 in Huel. For Huel powder it says it is 0.8 µg per 100g serving and 4 µg per 2000 kcal. https://uk.huel.com/pages/the-huel-powder-formula-explained

From what I found we can only absorb 1.5 µg at a time directly through our receptors every 4 to 6 hours. Additionally, we can absorb about 1% of the B12 dose passively (this would be relevant with higher doses of B12).

Are there really 0.8 µg of B12 per 100g serving included in Huel? If yes, then a person having a 200g Huel shake (1.6 µg of B12) would absorb 1.5 µg B12 and 4 hours later he would absorb another 1.5 µg having again a 200g Huel shake. Am I thinking correctly?

I’m having a Huel shake once a day. With a 100g serving I would absorb 0.8 µg of B12. I would like to supplement B12 but do not want to take too much.

Thanks! :slight_smile:

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Actually there is no upper level of B12. According to some research, if it does, it’s only supposed to lead to increased acne. Since it is water-soluble, excess B12 is simply excreted if it is not absorbed.

If you have no other sources of B12 in your diet, it might be wise to supplement.
As a single dose a day, 500µg of buffered B12 are sufficient. In the best case several forms of B12 are represented in this supplement.

Other manufacturers such as MANA or JimmyJoy set the B12 amount higher, but this shows that you should not rely on it as a source of B12 alone.

It depends what the rest of your diet consists of. If it includes red meat, you probably don’t need to supplement but if you follow a plant-based diet I would suggest looking into a supplement.

@Thenameless advice is great, and a good starting point.

I will just add we have Hueligans who have Huel for the majority of their diet for a few years now without issues in B12 levels.

Thanks for your answers! My diet is mostly vegan, sometimes I eat a little bit of cheese. I think a daily 500µg supplement makes sense. :slight_smile:

One more question. The amount of B12 in Huel is 0.8 µg per 100g like it says in the link above, correct? I’m just asking because my first thought was that maybe there is more than 0.8 µg included and 0.8 µg refers to the amount of B12 that can be absorbed… but I guess that wouldn’t make sense…

Yes 0.8µg per 100g of Huel v3.0 Powder is correct. The RDA takes into account the bioavailability to some extent and so do we when we formulate Huel products.

I’ve been eating Huel exclusively for many years, and always eat it all within 1 hour.

My latest B12 levels are 443 ng/L, and in 2017 it was 512 ng/L. So all is good.

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