Vegetarianism and Vitamin B-12 deficiency
Vitamin B12 deficiency, a Silent Epidemic with Serious Consequences. Most of the time people who are vegetarian have very higher chances of vitamin B-12 deficiency because vegetarian diet does not have a great source for B-12 supply. B-12 is mostly found in the non-veg diet.
B12 deficiency can cause or is associated with:
- Premature aging
- Neurological disorders similar in presentation to multiple sclerosis
- Brain fog, memory problems, and cognitive decline
- Bell’s palsy, a face nerve disorder.
- Stroke, heart disease and other vascular problems (due to elevated homocysteine)
- Developmental or learning disabilities in children
- Impaired immune function, autoimmune disease, and cancer
- Male and female infertility
- Numerous other symptoms…
A study using the more sensitive techniques found much higher rates of deficiency: 68% for vegetarians and 83% of vegans. This is especially important because B-12 depletion can take years to become clinically evident (i.e. deficiency sets in long before obvious symptoms appear), and some of the more serious effects of B12 deficiency (such as nerve damage) are irreversible.
As you can see, signs like macrocytic anemia and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy or brain fog do not appear until the final stage of B12 deficiency. By then, in the case of the neurological symptoms, it may be too late to reverse them. This makes early diagnosis crucial.
B12 in the diet
B12 is the only vitamin that contains a trace element (cobalt), which is why it’s called cobalamin. Cobalamin is produced in the gut of animals. It’s the only vitamin we can’t obtain from plants or sunlight. Plants don’t need B12 so they don’t store it. B12 is found exclusively in animal foods, such as liver, clams, oysters, mussels, fish eggs, octopus, fish, crab and lobster, beef, lamb, cheese, and eggs.
A common myth amongst vegetarians and vegans is that it’s possible to get B12 from plant sources like seaweed, fermented soy, spirulina, and brewers yeast. But plant foods said to contain B12 actually contain B12 analogs called cobamides that block the intake of and increase the need for true B12.
This is why it’s crucial for those that abstain from animal products to understand that there are no plant sources of B12 and that all vegans and most vegetarians should supplement.