vegetarians: heads up! your brain is shrinking...

[alkapal]

sobering concepts from a new oxford study: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/He...

[Phaedrus]

The article is disappointingly short and though not totally vague, it does not give us the usual assumptions made at the onset of the study.

I musty say, however, that I do agree with the others on here. Moderation is the key and overdosing on one type of food at the exclusion of another is surely not healthy.

[small h]

Can't you just take a B12 supplement? I'm looking forward to a report on the dangers of alarmist newspaper articles, which I'm pretty sure also shrink your brain.

[Richard 16]

Unfortunately the article does not include a citation, so until I have the time t do a Pubmed or Medscape search and read the original article I can only comment on the article.

1) The article is fatally short of details. What's their definition of vegetarian? What does their diet -- even vegans - consist of? (For example, sea vegetables and cultured soy products contain B 12 -- one of their benchmarks.) Raw vs. cooked food? Whole grains vs. refined?

2) All of our brains shrink as we age. The important question is functional -- does a little more shrinkage *due to a "vegetarian" diet* equate to more functional loss? It seems obvious, but is not. For example, is there a pattern as to specifically which parts of the brain are involved?

3) Are there other detrimental -- or beneficial -- results of a "vegetarian" diet? Is it worth a little less brain shrinkage if you're dead?

4) 107 people? That's woefully inadequate. This should involve thousands of participants.

That's only a little bit of the limitations of the article and maybe the study itself.

[queencru]

I'm wondering too. It seems like this is an interesting place to find the article since it talks about going veggie/vegan, not necessarily people who were brought up vegetarian from birth. I would guess the targeted reader of this article is more likely to be brought up vegetarian than switch over as an adult. It also seems to address certain deficiencies (like lack of milk) that would really only occur in a vegan population.

[lalasodapop]

i very much agree with you.

i, myself, am a vegetarian, but i know how to get my vitamins besides meat. i worked in a nutritional supplement store, and i saw the different ways to get my vitamins that are usually in meat. and i agree that they should do the study with thousands of people also. 107 people? that's a very small amount.

[Chew on That]

I used to be a vegetarian but I didn't last long because my family was concerned about my lack of nutrition. My problem was I wasn't a fan of vegetairan options for protein. I hate tofu and boca burgers didn't agree with me. I eventually found a vegetarian schnitzel I liked but you could only have so much!

[swsidejim]

I knew it all along.... :-)

I also am for a balanced diet, one third of the plate meat, one third pasta/beans/potato, and one third veggies.

[ipsedixit]

Another vote for moderation.

All meat? All veggies? How about a little of both?

It's all about the Goldilocks diet.

[Icantread]

second that. I remember in college an article coming out on all meat diets (read atkins craze) foregoing the necessary carbohydrates for proper brain function.

[Docshiva]

I've found that almost all vegetarian food tastes much better fried in bacon fat - does that help?