ah bloody ...thats all we need......study sez vegan babies be slow...

[Guest guest]

Babies' Mental Delay Tied to Moms' Vegan Diet

Thu Jan 30, 4:40 PM ET Add Health - Reuters to My

 

 

By Alison McCook

 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The breast-fed infants of two mothers who did not

eat any animal products, including milk and eggs, developed brain abnormalities

as a result of a vitamin-B12 deficiency, the US Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (news - web sites) (CDC) reported Thursday.

 

 

 

The primary sources of vitamin B12, which is essential for brain development,

are animal products like meat, dairy products and eggs. Since the mothers ate

little or no animal products, too little vitamin B12 was transmitted to their

children through breast milk, according to the CDC's Dr. Maria Elena Jefferds.

 

 

Jefferds added that these cases serve as a reminder to parents and pediatricians

to ensure that both pregnant women and mothers who breast-feed their infants

consume enough B12, either through diet or B12-containing supplements.

 

 

" You have to make sure you're getting it, " she said, in reference to vitamin

B12.

 

 

And don't abandon breast-feeding altogether, Jefferds cautioned. Breast-feeding

has many advantages, and mothers who choose to not eat animal products should

still continue to breast-feed their infants.

 

 

" Vegetarians should absolutely breast-feed, there's no question about that, " she

said.

 

 

In the January 31st issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Jefferds

and her colleagues describe the cases of two babies who showed signs of brain

abnormalities as a result of a deficiency in vitamin B12.

 

 

In one case, doctors examined and diagnosed the deficiency in a 15-month-old

child with slow growth and mental development. Her mother said she had avoided

consuming all animal products for many years, and had breast-fed the baby for 8

months after birth.

 

 

After receiving supplements of vitamin B12, the child began to improve, but was

still below her age group in speech and language at 32 months of age.

 

 

Jefferds explained in an interview that many children fully recover from

vitamin-B12 deficiencies but that, in some cases, a prolonged period of low

consumption of vitamin B12 can cause irreversible damage.

 

 

" I think it really depends on how severe the deficiency was, and how long it was

taking place for, " she said.

 

 

She added that while both children described in the report showed lingering

symptoms of low vitamin B12, over time, those impairments may disappear.

 

 

The initial symptoms of low vitamin B12 in infants are often vague and not

obvious, Jefferds noted. She recommended that doctors keep the possibility of a

deficiency " on their radar screen, " and ask mothers if they eat animal products

or take supplements that contain enough vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin.

 

 

Vegans eat only plant-based foods, using grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables

to fill all their dietary needs. Vegetarians, on the other hand, typically avoid

meat, but may eat some animal products, such as milk, eggs and possibly fish.

 

 

SOURCE: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2003;52:61-64.

[Guest guest]

http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/cult/

 

these people are not vegans!

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

(Third reply to this post. *Sigh*.)

 

Vegans need B12.

 

The only reliable sources are supplements and fortified foods. This

should not be contraversial in the slightest; it is in fact the

unambiguous policy of the UK Vegan Society. (Fact sheet at

www.vegansociety.com.)

 

Whereas I don't like to read anti-vegan stories, and I particularly hate

the way that Reuters made it sound like 1. the vegan diet actively

excludes B12, 2. the supplements weren't vegan, and 3. didn't do the

decent thing and get a quote from a vegan spokesperson ...

 

.... this one sounds all too feasible. B12 deficiency does happen in

vegans, is serious, and does cause brain abnormalities .

[Guest guest]

All the more reason to be concious of what yer eating. I try to

supplement with fortified cereals fer all the nutrients I lack. And I

still keep track of what I eat to make sure I am getting the right

nutrients.

 

Thx!

 

nikki

Be proactive, not reactive

 

 

, " Dr. Ian McDonald " <ian@m...>

wrote:

> (Third reply to this post. *Sigh*.)

>

> Vegans need B12.

>

> The only reliable sources are supplements and fortified foods. This

> should not be contraversial in the slightest; it is in fact the

> unambiguous policy of the UK Vegan Society. (Fact sheet at

> www.vegansociety.com.)

>

> Whereas I don't like to read anti-vegan stories, and I particularly

hate

> the way that Reuters made it sound like 1. the vegan diet actively

> excludes B12, 2. the supplements weren't vegan, and 3. didn't do the

> decent thing and get a quote from a vegan spokesperson ...

>

> ... this one sounds all too feasible. B12 deficiency does happen in

> vegans, is serious, and does cause brain abnormalities .