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Vitamin B12 deficiency is common in people who have been vegetarian for many years. (Others usually have a large reserve.) From the speculation in the article,
by twiss 9y ago
Vitamin B12 deficiency is common in people who have been vegetarian for many years. (Others usually have a large reserve.) From the speculation in the article, it sounds like they'd be better off taking (normal) doses of it, since it's deficiency or excess that could cause cancer, and not the pills:
> Deficiency can also mean genes that should be inhibited are no longer inhibited, also potentially meaning cancer. Sufficiency of certain vitamins is important in cancer prevention, but avoiding excess appears to be similarly important.
- hackermailman 9y agoTim Spector's book The Diet Myth: The Real Science Behind What We Eat has a chapter on B12 deficiency in vegetarians. He anecdotally found using himself as a trial that he couldn't retain B12 in blood level tests while on his usual vegetarian diet despite taking large amounts of supplements. He had to get injected B12 to get the same levels in his blood that consuming a rare steak once a month would provide. From a geneticist's viewpoint he ponders if this is some kind of trait left over from evolution. It's a good book if not 'over-written' meaning way too many flowery and very long anecdotes shoved into the research. He has a chapter on 'Vitamin supplement X causes cancer' studies as well.
- pera 9y agoBy vegetarian do you mean vegan right? I have been an ovo-lacto vegetarian (commonly referred to as "vegetarian" in the US) for 15 years, have never taken any supplements, and my b12 levels are perfectly fine.
- twiss 9y agoHmm. I meant vegetarian, but upon Googling it seems that you're right that dairy and eggs contain B12. I've been vegetarian more or less my whole life but consume lots of dairy and my B12 is low. Maybe the comment sibling to yours explains it.