Babies' Mental Delay Tied to Moms' Vegan Diet

February 3, 2003

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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.

October 30, 2006

It should be made more widely known that vegans need to take a supplement.

Jo

-

peter VV

Monday, October 30, 2006 8:49 AM

Re: Babies’ Mental Delay Tied to Moms’ Vegan Diet

ISLAMABAD: 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 (CDC) reported. 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.

http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=104221

Peter H

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October 30, 2006

why i'll have you know i never take no blasted suppliment and i feel...

wait..where did the screen go?

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

jo Oct 30, 2006 2:32 PM Re: Babies' Mental Delay Tied to Moms' Vegan Diet

It should be made more widely known that vegans need to take a supplement.

Jo

-----

As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there's a twilight where everything remains seemingly unchanged, and it is in such twilight that we must be aware of change in the air, however slight, lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness. William O. Douglas

October 30, 2006

I dont taker the suplimento.............oh no I do, I forgot.................... Can you get brain suppliments, or maybe I just need a transplant....... The Valley Vegan...............fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote: why i'll have you know i never take no blasted suppliment and i feel... wait..where did the screen go? ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh jo Oct 30, 2006 2:32 PM Re: Babies' Mental Delay Tied to Moms' Vegan Diet It should be made more widely known that vegans need to take a supplement. Jo ----- As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there's a twilight where everything remains seemingly unchanged, and it is in such twilight that we must be aware of change in the air, however slight, lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness. William O. Douglas Peter H

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