Why aren't the Indians all dying of B12 deficiencies?

Question

I have been looking into vegetarianism. All I seem to find are horror stories of people dying for lack of B12. Is this a real issue? If so, how do the Indians stay alive considering many of them have had this diet for a few thousand years?

Thats funny. Some of you want to remind me that not all Indians are vegetarian. Only about half of them? Wouldnt that be somewhere in the area of half a billion people? That is hardly a number to scoff at.

Answer 1

Firstly, while vegetarianism is widespread in India, it is not universal. While Hinduism encourages vegetarianism, it does not require it, and so many Hindus do eat meat, though they pretty much all avoid beef as Hinduism does forbid that. So only a little under half the population of the country is vegetarian, and they are mostly lacto-vegetarians meaning they eat dairy. Milk is a source of B12 - as are all animal products - and we don't need very much.

There are vegans among the Jains in India though. Not all Jains are vegan, though they are all supposed to be vegetarian, and their population is relatively small, so the vegan Jains only account for a very small percentage of India's population. It is possible that they have B12 problems and it's just not noticed/talked about by us. But there have been vegans among the Jains for thousands of years, so I doubt they have too much of a problem with it. One theory is that vegans in the past got enough just because they didn't have means to keep food as clean as we do today and so they ate a lot more dirt with their vegetables and thus they ate a lot more bacteria including b12 producing bacteria.

B12 is a real issue for vegans, but fortunately it is one with a very easy solution. You don't need very much B12, and your body hoards it so your stores can last a long time, but when they run out, the consequences are very serious.

There are no plants that produce B12. On the other hand, animals don't produce B12 either.

B12 is the product of bacteria. These bacteria are all around us in the soil. They live in the guts of all animals too. They even live in humans, but they live too far down in are system for us to absorb B12 from them. Vegetarian B12 supplements just get the B12 straight from the bacteria source rather than through animals as most people get it.

The vast majority of people with B12 problems are not vegan but rather people who for one reason or another (advanced age, stomach problems, etc.) don't absorb it from their diet well. The only vegans who have problems with B12 pretty much are those who somehow haven't heard of the problem yet or those who eat only whole/natural foods and don't believe in any sort of pills or fortified foods.

Answer 2

2/5 Americans suffer from B12 deficiency. B12 is available from meats but is improperly absorbed from the stomach in many people. Sometimes this is caused by eating heavy meals, so the B12 isn't absorbed because the body is busy breaking down fats and proteins. It can also be caused by a disruption in the healthy bacterial flora of the stomach which can be killed off through the use of antibiotics, medications, yeast infections and a few other things. Dairy is fortified with B12, so it is not naturally occurring and the body may only absorb up to 60% of the synthetic material. It doesn't hurt to take a supplement, but the first thing to go with a B12 deficiency is brain functioning. You will find you are forgetful, easily confused, moody or depressed and have very low energy. Also it depends how long you have been veg., if it's only recently this is probably not because of your diet. Maybe your fingernails look curved because of work that you do... do you type all day long, have to wear gloves all day, do a lot of gripping? Could be many reasons, but you would have some internal clues before the external clues manifested themselves, if this was a B12 deficiency.

Answer 3

India is 42% vegetarian, most of those are lacto-ovo-vegetarianism. Vitamin B12 can be got from all animal products, including milk and eggs, and as such it is only reall vegans who have a problem with it, and veganism hardly exists in India.

Princess, that's a very ignorant argument. Even the vegan society admits the need for B12 supplements in a vegan diet as B12 can only be got from animal sources.

http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food/nutrition/b12/

I also quote from another site: "It is true that vegans living in certain parts of India do not suffer from vitamin B12 deficiency. This has led some to conclude that plant foods do provide this vitamin. This conclusion, however, is erroneous as many small insects, their eggs, larvae and/or residue, are left on the plant foods these people consume, due to non-use of pesticides and inefficient cleaning methods. This is how these people obtain their vitamin B12. This contention is borne out by the fact that when Indian Hindus migrated to England, they came down with pernicious anaemia within a few years. In England, the food supply is cleaner, and insect residues are completely removed from plant foods."

Answer 4

Nobody is dying of a B12 deficiency because we aren't deficient. Getting B12 is easy. Take a multivitamin or a B12 supplement and get plenty of sunshine. All it amounts to is some crazy meat-eater trying to scare you.

Answer 5

Are you referring to HIndu's? If so, remember that in Hinduism the cow is sacred, so it's not killed for it's meat or hide. However, HIndu's do used dairy products, and they contain B12.

As well, we don't need a lot of B12, and someone who is a vegetarian and not a vegan is getting more than enough B12. A vegan has plenty of ways to supplement for B12, they just need to know how to do so.

Answer 6

I am B12 deficient. And the reason I found out was because of lack of energy and my legs would get tingly in the morning. Apparently it can cause nerve damage which could be serious. Now I get a hot every month and take a 1000mg pill a day. I am not even a vegetarian! Taking a supplement should be good enough for you, but I don't know how the Indians did it!

Answer 7

Because obviously it isn't really that important! And eliminating ONE single nutrient, whilst simultaneously eliminating all the toxins, hormones and crap that's in factory farmed meat is a pretty sweet deal to your body.

Take everything medical science tells you with a pinch of salt, cuz they'll be telling you something else next year. Right now B12, Omega 3's and pomegranite are hyped up to be really important things we must all eat. Next year it'll be something else. No one gets everything they are supposed to "need", most people who get an abundance of B12 from meat probably don't get 5 fruit and vegetable portions a day, and vegetarians usually do- I think that's probably more important anyway.

If you're worried, you could always take a suplement. But after 15 years veggie I've never felt the need...

The girl who posted above me is a meat eater with B12 deficiency- and yet I haven't eaten meat in all those years and I'm alright. So that just goes to show it's not all about that. We'll all have our health problems in life, you just have to balance out the risks and don't pay attention to horror stories when something has already stood the test of time!

Andy B, she was talking about vegetarian diets, not vegan.

Answer 8

Because the Indians that are Vegatairan are lacto-ovo Vegatarian. they still eat animal products so they are still geting B12.

Son't get freaked out by all the stories, unless you are a Vegan B12 is a non-isssue. Even if you are, a simple supplement is all it takes to make sure its never an issue.

Answer 9

DAIRY DAIRY DAIRY!!!!

Indians are lacto vegetarians. There are very few vegan Indians. Dairy consumption is part of the Indian culture. Whether this is ethical or not is irrelevant but it explains why B12 deficiencies do not occur there.

Answer 10

Hi

This is an interesting fact which I found"

Human faeces can contain significant B12. A study has shown that a group of Iranian vegans obtained adequate B12 from unwashed vegetables which had been fertilised with human manure. Faecal contamination of vegetables and other plant foods can make a significant contribution to dietary needs, particularly in areas where hygiene standards may be low. This may be responsible for the lack of aneamia due to B12 deficiency in vegan communities in developing countries.


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