Is the meat industry running scared? The Case of Vitamin B12
An article appeared in the Daily Mail today (19/12/2019) warning people who might be considering signing up for the 2020 Veganuary campaign. The article (written by Connor Boyd) was titled ‘Veganuary’ health warning: Doctors warn that a fifth of vegans are deficient in vitamin B12 and face the risk of irreversible nerve damage leaving hands and feet numb.
This is yet another case of either lazy or dishonest journalism.
Let’s look at the facts:
What is Vitamin B12?
Vitamin B12 is formed from bacteria. All animals need vitamin B12 albeit in tiny amounts.
Where can we get Vitamin B12?
Before industrialisation, bacteria-forming B12 was prevalent in soil and untreated water. Some animals (including humans) produce bacteria in their intestines that form B12. However, modern farming practices typically use pesticides and fertilisers that kill the friendly bacteria, and chlorination of water, whilst safeguarding us from potentially dangerous bacteria, also kills the bacteria that form B12. As a result, vitamin B12 deficiency has become a serious health issue in the western world.
What health problems can be caused by a Vitamin B12 deficiency?
A deficiency of vitamin B12 can lead to severe health problems including:
- anaemia
- a pale yellow tinge to your skin
- a sore and red tongue (glossitis)
- mouth ulcers
- pins and needles (paraesthesia)
- changes in the way that you walk and move around
- disturbed vision
- irritability
- depression
- changes in the way you think, feel and behave
- a decline in your mental abilities, such as memory, understanding and judgement (dementia)
Source: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamin-b12-or-folate-deficiency-anaemia/symptoms/
Is Vitamin B12 a vegan issue?
According to the Tufts University Framingham Offspring Study, 39% of people between the ages of 26 and 83 have low levels of B12 and may experience neurological symptoms. The vitamin B12 levels in a further 9% showed levels that were clearly “deficient”, and 16% exhibited “near deficiency”.
Interestingly there was no difference between those ate meat, poultry, or fish and those who did not eat those foods. Vegans and vegetarians make up between 0.5 and 3.2% of the American population, respectively. The people with the highest B12 blood levels were those who were taking B12 supplements and eating B12 fortified cereals.
Vitamin B12 & the Tarahumarahs
So, where did low meat cultures like the Tarahumaras (who got less than 2% of their calories from meat) get their B12? What many people don’t know is that B12 is found in abundance in untreated water and soil. Chlorination of water destroys the bacteria as do the many chemical fertilizers that are used in modern farming.
Vitamin B12 is a bacteria found in soil and untreated water.
Vitamin B12 is made by strains of bacteria that live in soil and in the guts of some animals (including humans). Antibiotics can kill off these bacteria though and as we don’t know how much vitamin B12 is being manufactured in our intestines, the safest thing to do is take a supplement.
It is true that cattle roaming the fields and eating grass in the fields can get B12 from the soil as they consume the grass and chickens and can get B12 from the soil whilst pecking around for worms and other insects. Of course, you should be able to spot one glaring problem here: Ninety-nine per cent of the meat we consume comes from intensive farming. 97-99% of all farmed animals are not strolling around in fields eating grass. Chickens are not strutting around outside pecking through the dirt. They’re stuck in vast sheds or feedlots and fed grain laced with antibiotics and supplemented with vitamin B12! In fact, 90% of the world’s B12 supplements are now given to animals! So, if you’re eating meat, you’re getting your vitamin B12 from vitamin B12 supplements that were fed to the animals.
We have a simple choice; either we can pay someone to kill an animal that has been given a B12 supplement and then eat its dead body, or we can just take a B12 supplement directly ourselves. And, the human supplements are by far the better option because so many meat-eaters have been found to deficient in vitamin B12 whereas those who take supplements directly are not.
Most cattle are reared in sheds or feedlots fed grain laced with chemicals. They are NOT standing around in open pastures, feeding on grass. Likewise, chickens do not peck in the dirt, they don’t even see the sun or breathe fresh air. Chickens are confined in cages so tightly that they can’t turn around, never mind spread their wings. And, even if these miserable creatures were allowed to be outside, the pesticides used in agriculture have been shown to kill B12 producing bacteria along with insects in the soil. Heavy antibiotic use kills B12 producing bacteria in the guts of farm animals just as it does in humans.
A recent undercover investigation reported in the Guardian newspaper in the UK showed that intensive-farming is growing at alarming rates in the UK.
Watch the Vitamin B12 debate on the Joe Rogan Experience
In this video, James Wilkes, MMA Champion and producer of The Game Changers movie about plant-based athletes, ‘knocks it out of the park’ showing exactly those who associate vitamin B12 deficiency with vegans are either ignorant or disingenuous and why everyone – not just vegans – should safeguard their health by taking vitamin B12.
Summary
The evidence demonstrates that at least 4 out of 10 people are currently at risk from B12 deficiency. Eating animal products does NOT guarantee sufficient B12 levels. Today, everybody – whatever their diet – should consider taking a B12 supplement to safeguard their health.
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