The effect of vitamin B12 status and pectin feeding on vitamin B12 absorption in rats were studied. Rats in low, medium, and high vitamin B12 status were fed either fiber-free or 10% pectin diet and absorption of a single oral dose of vitamin B12 status of rats was verified by urinary methylmalonic acid and liver vitamin B12 measurements. Absorption of vitamin B12 tended to increase as the rats became deficient in vitamin B12 , although the difference was not significant . Pectin inhibited absorption of vitamin B12 regardless of the vitamin B12 status of the rats. The results demonstrated that inhibition of vitamin B12 absorption by pectin would be a possible mechanism for the impairment of vitamin B12 status due to chronic pectin feeding.