Bird & Be reviews and discussion

Thanks for bringing this up - it's a great opportunity to educate about RDAs vs optimal doses. Our formulas were created by fertility doctors (on our team are double board certified REI and OBGYNs as well as NDs), and our formulas are approved by Health Canada. We're sharing this as a first layer of comfort - in order to get a product license in Canada, we have to submit formulas, claims and studies to Health Canada for approval (pre-market), so you can be sure this has been reviewed at the highest level. ​ ​Secondly - let's chat about B12, and RDAs and what they mean. B12 is a water soluble nutrient, its half life is about 6 days, so technically it does not accumulate like a fat soluble nutrient. B12 is a nutrient that many people have difficulty absorbing and utilizing within their metabolism. It is critical during preconception and pregnancy, it along with folate are involved in DNA replication (this is why it contained in virtually all prenatal vitamins for both males and females). The RDA for Vitamin B12 for adults is set to 2.4 mcg (2.6 mcg in pregnancy and 2.8 mcg while breastfeeding) and represents the amount needed to prevent a damaging Vitamin B12 deficiency. In comparison, supplemental doses may seem really high, but that’s because your body only absorbs about one to two percent of Vitamin B12 from supplements. ​ ​Because we only absorb a very small amount of the B12 in a supplement (approximately 13 mcg from a 1000 mcg dose) the RDA (recommended daily allowance) is again, just enough to prevent a serious deficiency, not necessarily to provide optimal levels. Our products are dosed with optimal levels - what the doctors ideally want their patients taking. That is why there is a discrepancy between the RDA (base) and our formula (optimal). ​ ​Vitamin B12 is a non-toxic compound and to date, there are no reported side effects of taking too much Vitamin B12. Along with there being no reports of it causing birth defects, cancers or any other type of toxicity, Vitamin B12 doesn’t even have an established “tolerable upper intake level” (UL), which is the amount that would cause an overdose or major unwanted side effects. The body will store some B12, but not in excessive amounts, and since it can easily dissolve in water, excess B12 gets excreted in urine. ​ ​We have a really helpful article on this exact topic here: https://birdandbe.com/blogs/the-nest/how-much-vitamin-b12-should-i-take-and-how-much-is-too-much?