The recommended daily intake (RDI) for vitamin B12 for people over 14 is 2.4 mcg (1).
However, you may want to take more or less, depending on your age, lifestyle, and specific situation.
Note that the percent of vitamin B12 your body can absorb from supplements is not very high — it’s estimated that your body only absorbs 10 mcg of a 500-mcg B12 supplement (7).
Here are some recommendations for B12 dosages for specific circumstances.
Adults under age 50
For people over 14, the RDI for vitamin B12 is 2.4 mcg (1).
Most people meet this requirement through diet.
For example, if you ate two eggs for breakfast (1.2 mcg of B12), 3 ounces (85 grams) of tuna for lunch (2.5 mcg of B12), and 3 ounces (85 grams) of beef for dinner (1.4 mcg of B12), you would consume more than double your daily B12 needs (1).
Therefore, supplementing with B12 is not recommended for healthy people in this age group.
However, if you have any of the factors described above that interfere with vitamin B12 intake or absorption, you may want to consider taking a supplement.
Adults over age 50
Older people are more susceptible to vitamin B12 deficiency. While relatively few younger adults are deficient in B12, up to 62% of adults over the age of 65 have less than optimal blood levels of this nutrient (8, 9).
As you age, your body naturally makes less stomach acid and intrinsic factor — both of which can affect the absorption of vitamin B12.
Stomach acid is necessary to access the vitamin B12 found naturally in food, and intrinsic factor is required for its absorption.
Due to this increased risk of poor absorption, the National Academy of Medicine recommends that adults over the age of 50 meet most of their vitamin B12 needs through supplements and fortified foods (1).
In one 8-week study in 100 older adults, supplementing with 500 mcg of vitamin B12 were found to normalize B12 levels in 90% of participants. Higher doses of up to 1,000 mcg (1 mg) may be necessary for some (10).
Pregnant women
Pregnant women have slightly higher vitamin B12 needs than the general population.
Low maternal levels of this vitamin have been associated with birth defects in infants (11).
Additionally, a large systematic review showed that B12 deficiency is associated with a higher risk of premature birth and low birth weight in newborns (12).
Therefore, the RDI for vitamin B12 during pregnancy is 2.6 mcg. This level can be met through diet alone or with a prenatal vitamin (1).
Breastfeeding women
Vitamin B12 deficiency in breastfed infants has been linked to developmental delay (13).
Additionally, B12 deficiency in infants can lead to irritability, decreased appetite, and failure to thrive (14).
For these reasons, the RDI for this vitamin for breastfeeding women is higher than that for pregnant women — namely 2.8 mcg (1).
Vegetarians and vegans
Vitamin B12 recommendations do not differ for people following a plant-based diet.
However, the RDI of 2.4 mcg for people under 50 years of age is much harder to meet on a vegetarian or vegan diet (1).
In a review of 40 studies on vitamin B12 in vegetarians, up to 86.5% of vegetarian adults — including older adults — were found to have low levels of vitamin B12 (15).
There are currently no government recommendations for B12 supplement dosages for vegetarians.
However, one study suggests that doses up to 6 mcg of vitamin B12 per day may be appropriate for vegans (16).
B12 for improved energy
Though vitamin B12 is commonly taken to increase energy levels, evidence showing that B12 supplements improve energy levels in people without a deficiency is lacking.
However, B12 supplements have been found to improve energy levels in those who are deficient in this nutrient (17).
One review recommended that those with vitamin B12 deficiency take 1 mg of vitamin B12 daily for a month, followed by a maintenance dose of 125-250 mcg per day (18).
People who have issues absorbing vitamin B12, such as those with Crohn’s disease or other gastrointestinal issues, may benefit from B12 injections, which bypass the need for absorption by the digestive tract (17).
B12 for memory and mood
It’s commonly thought that taking vitamin B12 can boost your memory and mood. However, there’s not a lot of evidence to support this theory.
Animal studies suggest that vitamin B12 deficiency has been associated with memory impairment. Yet, there’s currently no evidence that B12 supplements improve memory in humans who aren’t deficient (19).
In a large review, vitamin B12 supplements had no effect on depressive symptoms in the short term but may help prevent relapse over the long term (20).
There are no specific dosage recommendations for B12 supplements for mental performance or mood.
Summary
Optimal dosing of vitamin B12 varies by age, lifestyle, and dietary needs. The general recommendation for adults is 2.4 mcg. Older adults, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women, require higher doses.