Eating veggies shrinks the brain

[alias]

I saw this on the TV news this morning.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-3480629,prtpage-1.cms


Eating veggies shrinks the brain
14 Sep 2008, 0103 hrs IST,AGENCIES


MELBOURNE: Scientists have discovered that going veggie could be bad for your brain-with those on a meat-free diet six times more likely to suffer brain shrinkage.

Vegans and vegetarians are the most likely to be deficient because the best sources of the vitamin are meat, particularly liver, milk and fish. Vitamin B12 deficiency can also cause anaemia and inflammation of the nervous system. Yeast extracts are one of the few vegetarian foods which provide good levels of the vitamin.

The link was discovered by Oxford University scientists who used memory tests, physical checks and brain scans to examine 107 people between the ages of 61 and 87.

When the volunteers were retested five years later the medics found those with the lowest levels of vitamin B12 were also the most likely to have brain shrinkage. It confirms earlier research showing a link between brain atrophy and low levels of B12.

Brain scans of more than 1,800 people found that people who downed 14 drinks or more a week had 1.6% more brain shrinkage than teetotallers. Women in their seventies were the most at risk.

Beer does less damage than wine according to a study in Alcohol and Alcoholism.

Researchers found that the hippocampus-the part of the brain that stores memories - was 10% smaller in beer drinkers than those who stuck to wine.

And being overweight or obese is linked to brain loss, Swedish researchers discovered. Scans of around 300 women found that those with brain shrink had an average body mass index of 27 And for every one point increase in their BMI the loss rose by 13 to 16%.

[John McDougall]

People like to hear good news about their bad habits. Notice the title and the worldwide attention.

In this article they also talk about those drinking alcohol and obese people having smaller brains. So now vegetables are bad, like obesity and alcohol??

I have always recommended B12 to avoid any criticism -- regardless of how small the risk of B12 deficiency is to those eating vegan.

See my November 2007: Vitamin B12 Deficiency—the Meat-eaters’ Last Stand. http://drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/nov/b12.htm.

John McDougall, MD

[James-Lee]

I am way more worried about the effects of fat and animal protein on my cardiovascular system.

[Caroveggie]

I read this post earlier today and I thought the title should be lack of Vitamin B12 shrinks the brain. Actually the article talks about many causes of brains shrinking.

People following the McDougall program who have read even one of his books or his free program on this website would know to supplement and why to do it. Also covered in the article he posted. Also shown before each DVD, and probably discussed in some of them also, haven't gone through them all yet.

Good reminder to not forget to take the B12 supplement.
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[AaranaKinsley]

I wish studies like these would publish more information about the people involved. Who are these vegans and vegetarians who don't take B12 supplements and why don't they take them? Is it because supplements are expensive and insufficient income prohibits such purchases? Or is it because they are not educated about the issue? I can't think of any vegans I know who are not taking their B12. The message seems pretty widespread to me. So that's why I'm curious as to whom these folks are.

[Dale Jackson]

Here is an interesting article about brain health:

http://www.hodgsonmill.com/Smart-Eating-for-Brain-Health/

[alias]

On the news program where I heard about this study, the anchor joked that since he drinks bear and eats steak he is doing well ! LOL.

I agree the headline is a bit misleading. The focus should be on B12. Funny how they don't mention the vitamins/minerals that a person who doesn't eat a balanced diet has. I know many people for whom the only veggie they eat is french fries. Surely they are experience some negative effects that need to be studied.

[geoffreylevens]

Give this one a look. Pretty good response to the article.

http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2008/09/is-there-new-evidence-that-low-vitamin.html

All the research actually says, as stated in the above link, is:

"As the authors reported, studies have been inconsistent concerning an association of impaired B12 status and cognitive functions among elderly, with some finding a link while others haven’t. Whether B12 is a marker for general nutritional status and other social-economic factors that may contribute to mental health isn’t known. Similarly, evidence for an association between vitamin B12 status and brain atrophy in the elderly is limited, they said, with total vitamin B12 levels themselves proving to have low diagnostic accuracy."

[karin_kiwi]

My first response was 'oh well, it's not like many people actually USE theirs, anyway...'

Sorry, been reading too much online about the Subject That Should Not Be Mentioned on These Forums and perhaps that's made me overly cynical. I'm certainly in a Mark Twain mood. We're a sad, sad, sad species.

"There isn't any way to libel the human race."

[kpolninja]

Crazy idea...but why not just take a suppliment? I had my B-12 levels tested and I've been vegan for over a year. They are totally fine. I take suppliment every few days.

Maybe the meat eaters brains are just engorged.

[John McDougall]

Note the findings are about vitamin B12, not a vegan diet. B12 deficiency is most commonly due to diseases of the stomach and small intestine.

Neurology. 2008 Sep 9;71(11):826-32. Links

Vitamin B12 status and rate of brain volume loss in community-dwelling elderly.

Vogiatzoglou A, Refsum H, Johnston C, Smith SM, Bradley KM, de Jager C, Budge MM, Smith AD.
Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Le Gros Clark Building, South Parks Rd., Oxford OX1 3QX, UK. anna.vogiatzoglou@dpag.ox.ac.uk

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between markers of vitamin B(12) status and brain volume loss per year over a 5-year period in an elderly population. METHODS: A prospective study of 107 community-dwelling volunteers aged 61 to 87 years without cognitive impairment at enrollment. Volunteers were assessed yearly by clinical examination, MRI scans, and cognitive tests. Blood was collected at baseline for measurement of plasma vitamin B(12), transcobalamin (TC), holotranscobalamin (holoTC), methylmalonic acid (MMA), total homocysteine (tHcy), and serum folate. RESULTS: The decrease in brain volume was greater among those with lower vitamin B(12) and holoTC levels and higher plasma tHcy and MMA levels at baseline. Linear regression analysis showed that associations with vitamin B(12) and holoTC remained significant after adjustment for age, sex, creatinine, education, initial brain volume, cognitive test scores, systolic blood pressure, ApoE epsilon4 status, tHcy, and folate. Using the upper (for the vitamins) or lower tertile (for the metabolites) as reference in logistic regression analysis and adjusting for the above covariates, vitamin B(12) in the bottom tertile (<308 pmol/L) was associated with increased rate of brain volume loss (odds ratio 6.17, 95% CI 1.25-30.47). The association was similar for low levels of holoTC (<54 pmol/L) (odds ratio 5.99, 95% CI 1.21-29.81) and for low TC saturation. High levels of MMA or tHcy or low levels of folate were not associated with brain volume loss. CONCLUSION: Low vitamin B(12) status should be further investigated as a modifiable cause of brain atrophy and of likely subsequent cognitive impairment in the elderly.