bite the bullet for the baby
Jan. 31st, 2003 12:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
novapsycheBabies' Mental Delay Tied to Moms' Vegan Diet
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 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.
[...] 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.
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 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.
[...] 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.
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(no subject)
Date: 2003-01-31 02:35 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-01-31 08:37 am (UTC)The Bs
Date: 2003-01-31 10:16 am (UTC)Interestingly, B-vitamins, especially B-12, play a big role in our bodies' allergic response, regulating the system to help keep it from over-reacting. When I started my B-12 regemin, I was also taking meds for allergies, but afterward, I only needed them on really bad allergin days.
Further, B-12 plays an essential role in iron absorption in the body. You can be getting plenty of iron in your diet, but if you are not getting enough B-12, your body will not be able to absorb it, and you could end up with an iron defficiency. This is the main reason that it's really not very advisable for people who are anemic to be vegetarian, they already have enough iron problems.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-01-31 01:13 pm (UTC)