Vegetarians and Vegans Have Elevated Homocysteine Levels

According to a new study, vegetarians and vegans are at an increased risk of having elevated homocysteine levels, which has been shown in many studies to cause adverse health effects.

Researchers compared homocysteine (Hcy) levels in 62 vegetarians, 32 vegans, and 59 people consuming an omnivorous diet.

Compared to the omnivorous group, whose avg. Hcy levels were about 10.2 mmol/l, levels in the other groups were found to be:


Greater than 50% higher in the vegan group (15.8 mmol/l)

About 30% higher in the vegetarian group (13.2 mmol/l)
The authors note that the vegan diet provides essentially no vitamin B12, and people following vegetarian diets may suffer from a deficit as well, due to the lower levels in the diet.

In addition, people consuming the vegan and vegetarian diets were also not getting adequate amounts of the essential amino acid methionine, due to the lower methionine content in plant proteins versus animal proteins.

The serum vitamin B12 levels were 37% lower in the vegetarian group and 59% lower in the vegan group, compared with the omnivorous group.

Serum B12 levels:


Vegetarians - 214.8 pmol/l
Vegans - 140.1 pmol/l
Omnivores - 344.7 pmol/l
In addition, B12 levels were low enough to be considered clinically deficient in:


78% of the vegans

26% of the vegetarians

0% of the omnivores
Serum folate levels were within the normal range for all three groups, although they were significantly lower in omnivores.

The authors conclude that "The results show that the mild hyperhomocysteinemia in alternative nutrition is a consequence of vitamin B12 deficiency."

Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism 2000;44:135-138

It is important to note that there are several types of B12. Most people do not absorb it well orally and intramuscular injections are preferred. However some sublingual or spray forms may be beneficial. Methylcobalamin is also far more effective than the traditionally used cynacobalamin.

Homocysteine can cause many problems in addition to heart disease. If a woman is pregnant or may possibly become pregnant, it is very important to keep homocysteine levels low, as it can cause birth defects.

One strong inhibitor of vitamin B12 absorption is the very popular drug Prilosec (omeprazole) which has been clearly shown to decrease B12 absorption (Ann Pharmacother 1999 May;33:641-3). This is possibly due to its effects on decreasing the production of intrinsic factor, which is needed for proper B12 absorption. Other medications likely have similar adverse effects as well.

Strict Vegetarians Can Develop Blindness and Brain Damage


A strict vegan diet -- defined as avoiding the consumption of all animal products -- may lead to deficiency of important vitamins that are critical to eyesight. The warning comes from the case of a French patient who lost most of his eyesight as the result of following a strict vegan diet, without taking vitamins, leading to B12 deficiency. B12 is important in maintaining the health of nerves, including the optic nerve that transmits signals from the eye to the brain.

The case report involves a 33-year-old patient who had been a vegan since the age of 20. His diet contained no eggs, dairy products, fish or animal protein. He had no history of alcohol abuse and did not smoke cigarettes, and he was not taking any vitamin supplements. At the time of examination, the patient was diagnosed with severe optic neuropathy in both eyes, with poor vision of 20/400 each eye. With no evidence of an infectious cause for this severe loss of vision, the researchers took blood samples to check for vitamin deficiencies. They found that his levels of B1, B12, A, C, D, E, zinc, and selenium were all measurably below normal.

The researchers treated the patient by giving him intramuscular and oral multivitamins until his blood levels normalized, but his eyesight did not recover. They concluded that the nutritional deficiencies in the patient's vegan diet -- particularly the insufficient amount of vitamin B12 he had been absorbing -- may be the cause for the deterioration in the optic nerves and the resulting blindness. They note that such damage to the optic nerves may prove to be irreversible

ти пък да го беше превел все пак....

що не знаете чужди езици бе? пише, че се получава значителен дефицит на необходимия витамин В12 и някои други неблагоприятни явления, свързани с това. Веганите особено е добре да се замислят.

това и аз го разбрах, без да съм лингвист:)
ако беше преведено сигурно щях да разбера и основанията, поради които е написано това, но както и да е... :)
нали знаеш че на подобни статии се отвръща обикновено като се цитират други статии, в които се твърди точно обратното... :) сигурно някой ще изнамери такава и ще я пусне в отговор, но според мен няма сми, щото и без това е ясно, че така ще стане :))

може и да се намери такава статия някъде, но фанатизмът на вегетарианци и вегани е поразителен понякога

Спокойно, чели сме и по-страшни неща! Добре е обаче по време на четенето, пък и след това човек малко от малко и да разсъждава върху прочетеното, да има смелостта да мисли със собствената си глава. Та като помислим, какво забелязваме в тази тъй страховита статия.
Първо, изследванията са правени върху твърде малка група хора, за да бъдат статистически представителни – при хиляда и повече участници числата биха били по-различни. Оставяме обаче настрана този контрааргумент – има и други изследвания (пак върху малки групи хора, но сумарно от всички тях данните вече стават по-достоверни), които показват, че равнищата на хомоцистеина при вегетарианците наистина са по-високи. При изследване в Тайван на 45 будисти вегетарианци и 45 невегетарианци е установено съотношение 11,2 към 10,5 единици. Сходни данни са получени при изследване на 23 лактовегетарианци в Испания. Цитирам данните по книгата: Holford, Patrick and Dr. James Braly. The H factor. Homocysteine – the biggest health breakthrough of the century. London, Piatkus, 2003, p. 145, която “случайно” е на бюрото ми в момента. Статията за изследването в Тайван може да се прочете в Мрежата тук

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"Objective - To investigate the association of dietary habits with mortality in a cohort of vegetarians and other health conscious people."
"Subjects - 4336 men and 6435 women recruited through health food shops, vegetarian societies, and magazines."
"Main outcome measures - Mortality ratios for vegetarianism and for daily versus less than daily consumption of wholemeal bread, bran cereals, nuts or dried fruit, fresh fruit, and raw salad in relation to all cause mortality and mortality from ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, all malignant neoplasms, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and breast cancer."
"Results - Overall the cohort had a mortality about half that of the general population. Within the cohort, daily consumption of fresh fruit was associated with significantly reduced mortality from ischaemic heart disease (rate ratio adjusted for smoking 0.76 (95% confidence interval 0.60 to 0.97)), cerebrovascular disease (0.68 (.047 to 0.98)), and for all causes combined (0.79 (0.70 to 0.90))."
"After a mean of 16.8 years of follow up (maximum 21.3 years) mortality was substantially lower than in the general population; the standarised mortality ratio for all causes of death was 0.56 (95% confidence interval 0.53 to 0.59) for men and women combined. Table 2 shows the standardized mortality ratios were significantly below one for all malignant neoplasms, cancer of the stomach, cancer of the large intestine and rectum (subsequently referred to as colorectal cancer), cancer of the bronchus and lung, diabetes mellitus, diseases of the circulatory system, diseases of the respiratory system, diseases of the digestive system, and diseases of the genitourinary system. Among women, standardized mortality ratios were significantly below one for all malignant neoplasms, cancer of the bronchus and lung, diabetes mellitus, mental disorders, diseases of the circulatory system, diseases of the respiratory system, and diseases of the digestive system."
"Smoking was associated with a 52% increase in all cause mortality, increasing to 100% in people who smoked = 15 cigarettes a day."
"The low standarised mortality ratio of the cohort, 0.56 for men and women combined, is similar to that in comparable cohorts: 0.46 in the Oxford Vegetarian Study, 0.48 in a cohort of German vegetarians and health conscious people, and 0.56 in a cohort of Californian Seventh Day Adventists. The low overall mortality was mostly due to low death rates from diseases of the circulatory system, diseases of the respiratory system, and cancer of the bronchus and lung compared with the general population. This is probably mainly accounted for by the low proportion of smokers in the cohort (19% smokers overall)."
"This study was initially set up to test the hypotheses that daily consumption of wholemeal bread (as indicator of a high fibre diet) and vegetarian diet are associated with a reduction in mortality from ischaemic heart disease; the reduction in mortality associated with both of these dietary factors was not significant. We did, however, find that daily consumption of fresh fruit was associated with a significant reduction in mortality from ischaemic heart disease (24%), cerebrovascular disease (32%), and all causes of death combined (21%), and was associated with a non-significant reductions in mortality from all other cause of death examined."
"Fruit was included on the questionnaire as a possible indicator of a high fibre diet but was not part of the original hypothesis, so cause should be applied in looking at these results in isolation. Nevertheless, our findings are broadly consistent with the results of several other studies. For all cause mortality, Kahn et all reported odds ratios of 0.89 and 0.72 for frequent versus infrequent consumption of fruit or fruit juice and green salad respectively, Padley et all reported a 31% reduction with a high intake of foods rich in vitamin C and in Я carotene, and Enstrom et all reported a 23% reduction associated with a high vitamin C consumption. Fruit is an important source of vitamin C. Fruits and vegetables, carotene containing fruit and vegetables, apples, and foods rich in vitamin C and Я carotene have all been reported to protect against ischaemic heart disease. Fruit and vegetables have also been reported to protect against stroke, as have potassium and vitamin C - nutrients for which fruit is an important source."
"Of the other associations examined, only two were significant. Daily consumption of wholemeal bread was associated with a 12% reduction in all cause mortality, but the protection was much less than that for fresh fruit (21%) and became non-significant after fruit was adjusted for. Daily consumption of raw salad was associated with a 26% reduction in mortality from ischaemic heart disease, slightly greater than that for fresh fruit (24%). After each of these variables was adjusted for the other, salad was more closely associated with mortality, but the reduction in risk associated with fruit remained substantial (18%) and both these foods may have a protective effect."[1]
Author's Note:
The study speaks volumes on how a vegetarian diet reduces overall mortality by an enormous 50%. We greatly need to encourage everyone in society to avoid nutritionally poor junk foods and concentrate on healthy vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beneficial fats.

[1] Key, Timothy J. A.; Thorogood, Margaret; Appleby, Paul; and Burr, Michael L., "Dietary habits and mortality in 11,000 vegetarians and health conscious people: results of a 17 year follow up", The British Medical Journal (BMJ), September 28, 1996, Vol. 313, pp. 775-779

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Редактирано от AЮC на 17.04.04 20:03.

Vegetarians have about half the cancer risk of meat-eaters.
Phillips RL. Role of lifestyle and dietary habits in risk of cancer among Seventh-day Adventists. Cancer Res 1975;35(Suppl):3513-22.
Рискът от заболяване от рак при вегетарианците е почти наполовина по-нисък, отколкото при месоядците.

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German researchers recently discovered that vegetarians have more than twice the natural killer cell activity of meat-eaters.
Malter M. Natural killer cells, vitamins, and other blood components of vegetarian and omnivorous men. Nutr and Cancer 1989;12:271-8.
Германски изследователи наскоро откриха, че активността на естествените клетки-"убийци" е повече от два пъти по-висока при вегетарианците в сравнение с месоядците.

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THE MYTHS OF VEGETARIANISM

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