Vegetarians and B-12
Written: Oct 23 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Essential for good health
Cons: Often difficult to absorb
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| TheAdvocate's Full Review: Vitamin B-12 (Cobalamin) |
A deficiency of Vitamin B-12 often shows up as anemia, but there are many other conditions related to either a lack of B-12 in the diet or the body’s own malabsorption of this vitamin. According to my copy of Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 2nd ed. (PNH), these conditions can include chronic fatigue, tongue inflammation, dizziness, constipation, depression, nervousness, tinnitus, even spinal cord degeneration. A less reported condition of B-12 deficiency, however, is vitiligo, which my mother developed after years of avoiding meat.
Vitiligo is a loss of skin pigmentation (melanin), it’s most famous victim allegedly being Michael Jackson who claims this condition is responsible for an overall whitening of his skin. Skin pigment is initially lost in patches, causing white “spots” to appear, usually on the elbows, knees, hands and face. Over time, these patches can grow larger, enveloping more and more skin area. This condition is not serious or life threatening, but the areas of skin with pigment loss are much more sensitive to sun damage.
My mother didn’t reject meat as a political/moral statement, nor did she ever really label herself a vegetarian; she simply enjoys vegetables and grains more than the flavor/texture of meat. But after about 10 years of tacit meat avoidance she noticed the first signs of vitiligo on her naturally dark skin. Doctors gave her many suppositions regarding its cause, but a B-12 deficiency made the most sense. According to PNH, B-12 is found almost exclusively in animal tissues, something conspicuously absent from her diet.
PNH doesn’t list vitiligo as caused by a B-12 deficiency (saying only that it “may be related to an autoimmune problem” or a thyroid malfunction), but it does recommend Vitamin B complex/PABA injections for treatment of vitiligo. As well as introducing more meat into her diet, my mother has taken B-12 injections for a few years now and her pigment seems to be slowly returning.
But lest you assume this review is an indictment of vegetarianism, I should point out that I’ve been avoiding meat lately, myself, because of a general non-interest. I’ve been hiking 3-5 times a week, huffing and puffing my way up an average of 800 ft. elevation gains. After an hour on the trails I crave baby carrots and yogurt and those little Kashi chromosome twigs, not flesh. And in the evenings I appreciate the bearable lightness of being that comes from a lack of meat digestion. Morningstar Farms makes many vegetable- and soy-based products that are, quite frankly, delicious! But I’ve also learned a lesson from my mother’s ordeal and I don’t avoid meat without first addressing my need for Vitamin B-12.
Everyone needs B-12, which helps the body assimilate iron and protein. It also functions in the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates and aids folic acid in controlling homocysteine levels. Seeking out B-12 must be a conscious decision, though. The body can store up to 5 years worth of B-12, and vegetarians (or others with malabsorption problems) may not notice the symptoms of a deficiency for many years.
B-12 is mainly found in animal tissues, but soy, a few herbs (alfalfa, hops, bladderwrack), and sea vegetables (dulse, kelp, nori and kombu) also naturally contain this vitamin. Luckily, soy is usually a staple of any vegetarian diet, but it’s also wise to supplement this particular vitamin, especially since it’s difficult for many individuals to absorb. For that reason, sublingual B-12 vitamins (taken under the tongue rather than swallowed) or intramuscular injections are usually recommended.
Vegetarians who don’t feel the need to get monthly injections, however, should get by just fine on sublingual supplements, as long as their diets also include soy, brewers yeast, B-12 containing herbs, or eggs (for non-vegans).
Recommended:
Yes
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