Up to 0.5 micorograms daily B12 produced in the mouth

[Korn]

From http://tuberose.com/Vitamins.html



A further source of B12 is bacterial growth in the mouth (around the teeth and gums), in the nasopharynx, around the tonsils and tonsillar crypts, in the folds at the base of the tongue, and in the upper bronchial tree. Up to 0.5 micorograms daily can be obtained from this source. It's likely that this source alone will supply sufficient quantities of B12 for the small requirement that a pure vegetarian has, especially considering his low protein intake, which further reduces the need for B12.

Unfortunately, the site doesn't list any sources.... too bad, because I've heard about B12 production in the mouth for several years, but haven't seen any real documentation.

[Korn]

From http://www.textfiles.com/food/b12.txt

A simply but useful recommendation is to chew one's food properly
and leave plenty of time between meals helps absorption. The r-
binders in saliva help to hold onto the B12 in the food until it
reaches the small intestine where it absorbed (Fleming, 1978).

Source: Fleming, A. (1978). Serum vitamin B12 levels and vitamin B12
binding proteins of serum and saliva of healthry Nigerians
and Europeans. AMERICAN J. OF CLIN. NUTRITION, 31:1732.

[Korn]

A comment related to this topic can be found here (http://www.usenetbot.com/viewtopic/469485/Re-MYTH---Meat-is-a-good-source-of-iron):


Maybe a more important consideration than what is to be found
in our foods is that much vitamin B-12 is actually produced by the body itself. Bacterial flora in the gut, but also bacterial growth in the mouth, around the teeth and gums, in the nasopharynx, around the tonsils and tonsillar cypts (another reason not to remove tonsils if possible), in the folds at the base of the tongue and even in the upper bronchial tree can produce B-12. The ability of vegans to absorb B-12 synthesized by their own gut microflora is not to be cavalierly dismissed. Expert researchers in this area certain don't preclude this possibility (see my references to Victor Herbert below. Also see, "Contributions of the Microflora of the Small intestine to the Vitamin B-12 Nutriture of Man" in NUTRITION REVIEWS 38(:274, Aug. 1980; "Vitamin B-12 Synthesis by Human Small Intestinal Bacteria, NATURE, 1980, 283:781; "Bacterial sythesis of Vitamin B-12 in the Alimentary tract" LANCET, 1950, 1:486)

[Conrad]

Using mouthwash and/or drinking chlorinated water will reduce any beneficial bacteria growth in the mouth.

[fishbird]

A comment related to this topic can be found here (http://www.usenetbot.com/viewtopic/469485/Re-MYTH---Meat-is-a-good-source-of-iron):

I couldn't reach the page.

But the text you quoted there,
that's quite a fascinating fact!
I always knew there was a reason for not brushing my teeth regularily!
:D