> This is surprising to me, as in India a large part of the population is vegetarian. We don't seem to be susceptible to the same problems. In India, vegetari

> This is surprising to me, as in India a large part of the population is vegetarian. We don't seem to be susceptible to the same problems. In India, vegetarians typically do eat dairy products (although not eggs). Dairy doesn't contain a ton of iron and cobalamin (vitamin B12), but it's a non-negligible amount, and it's possible that that alone accounts for the difference. Remember that vegetarians in India also eat a ton of lentils, which are a great source of iron when consumed in large quantities. (While it's hard to ingest the full daily recommended amount of each from dairy products alone, an otherwise-healthy individual can make do with a lot less than the recommended levels without developing anemia).