speaking of B12.....

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http://story.news./news?tmpl=story & u=/nm/20030130/hl_nm/infants_diet_dc\

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Health - Reuters

Babies' Mental Delay Tied to Moms' Vegan Diet

Thu Jan 30, 4:40 PM ET

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

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