On Oct 4, 2:38*pm, "Rev. 11D Meow!" > wrote:

> eAT mORE cOWS!
>
> eSPECIALLY vEGAN cOWS!!!
>

Ummmmmmm... no.

But I will share with you the following "Breaking News" from PCRM -
which is WAY BEYOND a day late and a dollar short. Perhaps I shamed
them into a response? Again: WAY LATE, guys. The time for a response
to this nonsense to have gotten a lot of press was weeks ago. YOU BLEW
IT.

FWIW, here it is:

Headlines claiming that vegetarian and vegan diets cause brain
shrinkage have received quite a bit of attention recently. These
headlines are based on a recent study conducted by researchers at
Oxford and published in Neurology. This was not a study of vegans or
vegetarians. Unfortunately, this sound research study on vitamin B12
status in older adults has been mistakenly misconstrued by a few
members of the media.

This study looked at older adults, who are much more likely to be
deficient in vitamin B12 compared to younger adults. This allowed the
researchers to see the differences in brain atrophy, or “shrinkage,”
between groups of people with low B12 levels vs. normal B12 levels. In
fact, the researchers found that older adults with lower B12 levels
lost more brain mass over a five-year period compared to those with
higher B12 levels. But this does not necessarily have anything to do
with their diet, and because dietary intake was not measured, there is
no evidence of a relationship between a vegetarian or vegan diet and
brain volume.

The most common cause of B12 deficiency actually has nothing to do
with diet. Rather, some people simply cannot absorb it adequately.
Normally, cells in the stomach produce a compound called intrinsic
factor, which combines with vitamin B12 and allows it to be absorbed
in the small intestine. Some people cannot make intrinsic factor
because of various stomach disorders. They need monthly B12 injections
or very large oral doses (1,000 – 2,000 mcg per day). Also, certain
medicines for acid stomach, such as omeprazole (Prilosec),
esomeprazole (Nexium), ranitidine (Zantac), or famotidine (Pepcid),
can interfere with the body’s ability to absorb B12.

Vegan diets need to be supplemented with B12. However, the National
Academy of Sciences recommends that everyone over age 50 take a B12
supplement or use B12-fortified foods, and some have suggested that
this should apply to all age groups. The reason is that about 15
percent of older meat-eaters—and some younger ones as well—are low in
B12. The bottom line is that everyone should take a multiple vitamin
or a B12 supplement. This is not a reason to add meat to your diet;
that would lead to far worse problems.

The harm in the popular media’s misinterpretation of this study is
twofold. First, reporters have wrongfully implicated vegetarian and
vegan diets in causing brain shrinkage, while research continues to
show the health benefits of this plant-based eating pattern. But most
regrettably, we as a community have failed to acknowledge the value of
this study, which clearly demonstrates the need to prevent, screen,
and treat vitamin B12 deficiency in older adults. While these
vulnerable members of our community go unnoticed, they continue to
suffer from preventable cognitive decline, nerve damage, personality
changes, and depression.

Furthermore, the authors of this article noted that other risk factors
for brain atrophy include hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia.
PCRM concludes that those people who follow a low-fat vegan diet and
take a vitamin B12 supplement have a low risk of brain atrophy, as a
low-fat vegan diet has demonstrated improvements and reversals of all
of the above risk factors.

Please see PCRM’s fact sheet on vitamin B12 for more information:

http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/b12.html