Deficiencies of vitamin B12, heme iron, iodine, creatine, omega acids, zinc, and other nutrients make the use of vegetarian diets very dangerous, with children, or rather fetuses in the third trimester of pregnancy, being the most at risk, as explained by Prof. Ph.D. Jarosław Całka from the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn.
Prof. Ph.D. Jarosław Całka from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, during the Beef Sector Forum, introduced the participants to the risks associated with a vegetarian diet.
Following a vegan diet can be very dangerous
– I think we can talk about an aggressive vegan and vegetarian crusade against omnitarians, i.e. omnivores. The strength of this crusade comes mainly from the belief in the moral superiority of vegetarianism over ominitarianism – said prof. Integral.
– During my observations, I identified three pillars of this sense of superiority. The first is the issue of health. Well, society believes that a vegetarian diet is simply healthier, but I have been researching the available literature on this subject for several years and this is not true. Deficiencies of vitamin B12, heme iron, iodine, creatine, omega acids, zinc, and other nutrients make the use of vegetarian diets very dangerous, with children, or rather fetuses in the third trimester of pregnancy, being the most at risk – he explained.
Serious consequences of iron and vitamin B12 deficiencies
Prof. integral mentioned that vitamin B12 deficiency is a common consequence of a vegetarian diet. He also noted that heme iron is found only in meat, while iron of plant origin, i.e. non-heme iron, is very difficult to absorb.
– Therefore, you can eat a lot of green food and still not increase the amount of iron in your body. This means that children on a vegetarian diet are at risk of underdevelopment of the nervous system. Vitamin B12 deficiency causes, among others: impaired myelination of nerve fibers, which translates into slower nerve conduction. As a result, lower IQ is observed in these children, and even brain underdevelopment – said the speaker.
Prof. Integra also mentioned extreme cases in which a vegetarian diet led to death.
– Within an hour at the computer, I found information about eight deaths caused by a vegetarian diet among children under two years of age and seven court sentences for lack of proper parental care. Unfortunately, this is not talked about, the speaker said. – That’s why I think we need message integration. First, we must convey the truth, supported by scientific research. We must inform, for example, that vitamin B12 is crucial for brain development and the proper functioning of the nervous system and the hematopoietic process – its deficiency causes pernicious anemia – he added.
Meat from ruminants is an excellent source of vitamin B12
The speaker noted that the human body is not capable of producing vitamin B12 on its own. It can only be synthesized by microorganisms, such as bacteria, which makes it necessary to provide it with food.
– Beef, or more broadly, ruminant meat, is an excellent source of cobalamin, i.e. vitamin B12. From a physiological point of view, the method of digestion in forestomachs, microbiological fermentation using fungi, bacteria and protozoa, ensures 100% coverage of the vitamin B12 requirements of every healthy ruminant. Therefore, ruminant meat is a very rich source of cobalamin – explained Prof. Integral.
– A healthy cow or sheep cannot have vitamin B12 deficiency because their rumen is home to billions of bacteria that produce the vitamin, and then ruminant animals use their bodies. Let me remind listeners that a cow is not a vegetarian and it is important to remember that. Approx. 80 percent the protein that enters the cow’s abomasum is of bacterial origin, and approximately 20 percent of protozoan origin – noted the speaker.
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