Guest guest Posted July 13, 2000 Report Share Posted July 13, 2000 Today at the World Vegetarian Congress here in Toronto I had the pleasure of attending a session with Prof. Claus Leitzman from Germany. Claus spoke about the Health Status of Vegans referring to his own study that he did in Germany. Most of the observations he mentioned were not too surprising. What I remember, and I didn't take notes so don't quote me, is that most vegans are in the 25-35 age group, approx 27% are underweight, most are " normal " weight, and very few are obese (according to BMI). Iron intake is very high (higher than meat-eaters), iron levels moderate (due to bioavailability of plant derived iron). However, iron levels are recommended to be slightly lower than " normal " because normal is based on a society of meat-eaters, and we now know that too much iron is potentially bad for us. Iodine was low though I didn't get where we should get it from aside from fish (salt?). Omega 3's were low (ie. we need to consume more flax oil). Vitamin D was extremely low however apparently in Germany foods aren't as fortified as they are here (eg. soymilk) which may partly expalin this. Also, get some sun. Vitamin B12 was also extremely low. I think it was something like 7% of the RDA. However, the RDA's for B12 tend to vary. For example in Germany the RDA is 3mcg, US 2mcg, and WHO (World Health Organization) about 1mcg. Claus mentioned an " expert " on B12 named Victor Herbert, who recommends 0.5mcg/day. (So far all I've found about Herbert is an article about the link between higher blood iron levels and risk of heart disease http://webmd.lycos.com/content/article/1685.50247 but I'll look harder later.) Also, even though intake of B12 was low, the blood levels were in the normal range and there was no evidence of any kind of deficiency whatsoever. So, best not to get all panicky about things, I say. What else... he said that [some studies have shown that] vegans outlive meat-eaters by around only 9-11 months. However, many vegans come to veganism because of disease (cancer, heart disease etc) so in other words someone recovering from cancer can potentially outlive an average " healthy " meat-eater. eg. http://www.vegsource.com/heidrich/ Also, he mentioned that he had placed an ad in local papers looking for raw foodists and got all kinds of replies including from people who think they're raw foodists because they eat salad everyday... And 30% of the actual raw foodists who replied eat raw dead animals. No kidding. Anyhow, the moral of the story is that we appear to be healthier overall than the average meat-eating population, and veganism is the way to go. Surprise! -- Free email services provided by http://www.goodkarmacafe.com Powered by Outblaze Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 13, 2000 Report Share Posted July 13, 2000 Good report Anji! Thanks! Today at the World Vegetarian Congress here in Toronto I had the pleasure of attending a session with Prof. Claus Leitzman from Germany. Claus spoke about the Health Status of Vegans referring to his own study that he did in Germany. Most of the observations he mentioned were not too surprising. What I remember, and I didn't take notes so don't quote me, is that most vegans are in the 25-35 age group, approx 27% are underweight, most are " normal " weight, and very few are obese (according to BMI). Iron intake is very high (higher than meat-eaters), iron levels moderate (due to bioavailability of plant derived iron). However, iron levels are recommended to be slightly lower than " normal " because normal is based on a society of meat-eaters, and we now know that too much iron is potentially bad for us. Iodine was low though I didn't get where we should get it from aside from fish (salt?). Omega 3's were low (ie. we need to consume more flax oil). Vitamin D was extremely low however apparently in Germany foods aren't as fortified as they are here (eg. soymilk) which may partly expalin this. Also, get some sun. Vitamin B12 was also extremely low. I think it was something like 7% of the RDA. However, the RDA's for B12 tend to vary. For example in Germany the RDA is 3mcg, US 2mcg, and WHO (World Health Organization) about 1mcg. Claus mentioned an " expert " on B12 named Victor Herbert, who recommends 0.5mcg/day. (So far all I've found about Herbert is an article about the link between higher blood iron levels and risk of heart disease http://webmd.lycos.com/content/article/1685.50247 but I'll look harder later.) Also, even though intake of B12 was low, the blood levels were in the normal range and there was no evidence of any kind of deficiency whatsoever. So, best not to get all panicky about things, I say. What else... he said that [some studies have shown that] vegans outlive meat-eaters by around only 9-11 months. However, many vegans come to veganism because of disease (cancer, heart disease etc) so in other words someone recovering from cancer can potentially outlive an average " healthy " meat-eater. eg. http://www.vegsource.com/heidrich/ Also, he mentioned that he had placed an ad in local papers looking for raw foodists and got all kinds of replies including from people who think they're raw foodists because they eat salad everyday... And 30% of the actual raw foodists who replied eat raw dead animals. No kidding. Anyhow, the moral of the story is that we appear to be healthier overall than the average meat-eating population, and veganism is the way to go. Surprise! -- Free email services provided by http://www.goodkarmacafe.com Powered by Outblaze ---------- ---------- Post message: Subscribe: - Un: - List owner: -owner Shortcut URL to this page: /community/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 14, 2000 Report Share Posted July 14, 2000 Anji B reported from the Vegetarian congress in Toronto on Prof. Claus Leitzman from Germany saying " Vitamin B12 was also extremely low. I think it was something like 7% of the RDA. However, the RDA's for B12 tend to vary. For example in Germany the RDA is 3mcg, US 2mcg, and WHO (World Health Organization) about 1mcg. Claus mentioned an " expert " on B12 named Victor Herbert, who recommends 0.5mcg/day. Also, even though intake of B12 was low, the blood levels were in the normal range and there was no evidence of any kind of deficiency whatsoever. So, best not to get all panicky about things, I say. " I agree that there are better uses of our energy than getting all panicky! I think it is best for us to consider available facts and existing gaps in our knowledge, and be very thoughtful in our decisions. I think it is only sensible to take the B12 issue seriously. My understanding is that a blood level within the normal range can indicate that all is well, though it can also be misleading. It has been shown by analysing B12 metabolic indicators, that some people with " normal " blood levels may require a higher intake to maintain optimal health. Also, waiting for symptoms before becoming pro-active about B12 is folly. By the time symptoms have become apparent, deep damage may have been done that may only be partly reversible with supplementation. As I studied existing research on the matter, I came to the conclusion that B12 is far more than a vegan issue. If vegans sometimes feel singled out and picked on about B12, that is understandable. At the same time, by having a look at how many risk groups there are, it seems to me that there may be more people who can benefit from supplementation of B12 than otherwise! Also, I found by studying the research that B12 status is not a fixed thing, even when the diet is consistent. It tends to change with age and health conditions. One factor that we all have in common is aging, which influences B12 need in meat-eaters as well as vegans. It has been shown that people (meat-eaters and vegans alike) who have thrived on little or even no intake for many years, can develop a need for large dose B12 supplemental intake with aging. I felt shocked when I found out how early aging can can come into play. The medical community is suggesting that everyone 51 and over be monitored for B12 deficiency problems which are considered relatively common for that age group. As this is the official age for concern to begin, I think we can assume that some people may come to this point of passage earlier than others. I seemed to come to it a couple of years ago. I'm 45. My conclusion on the matter is that as eating meat doesn't guarantee us the one nutrient that a plant diet is lacking, I think it makes even more sense than ever to abandon it in favour of the B12 supplement... that we might easily end up having to take anyway! Fortunately, large dose B12 therapy has been found to be quite safe, so it can be used on a preventative basis rather than waiting for symptoms. Did Leitzman talk about the source of B12 in the vegan diet that provided typically 7% of the RDA? I would wonder what he had noted as the source, as I believe it is now accepted that there is no active B12 available in an unsupplemented vegan diet. Deborah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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