Vegetarian diet leads to vitamin B12 deficiency and risk of disease

This post includes a summary of a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Vol. 74, No. 2, 233-241, August 2001 and a recipe for creamy macadamia shrimp.

Study title and authors:
Hyperhomocysteinemia and elevated methylmalonic acid indicate a high prevalence of cobalamin deficiency in Asian Indians1,2,3

Books:

Helga Refsum1, Chittaranjan S Yajnik1, Milind Gadkari1, Jörn Schneede1, Stein E Vollset1, Lars Örning1, Anne B Guttormsen1, Anjali Joglekar1, Mehmood G Sayyad1, Arve Ulvik1 and Per M Ueland1

1 From the Department of Pharmacology and the Locus for Homocysteine and Related Vitamins, University of Bergen, Norway; Axis-Shield ASA, Oslo; and the Diabetes Unit, King Edward Memorial Hospital and Research Centre, Pune, India.
2 Supported by the EU Commission Demonstration Project (contract no. BMH4-98-3549) and The Advanced Research Programme and the Programme for Advanced Technical Equipment of the Norwegian Research Council.
3 Address reprint requests to H Refsum, Department of Pharmacology, University of Bergen, Armauer Hansens Hus, 5021 Bergen, Norway. E-mail: helga.refsum@farm.uib.no.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/74/2/233

In India, most people adhere to a vegetarian diet, which may lead to cobalamin (vitamin B12) deficiency.

Low cobalamin (vitamin B12) concentrations, or both are related to CVD, cancer, cognitive impairment, delayed mental development in infancy and childhood, and birth defects and pregnancy complications. A possible relation between impaired cobalamin status and childhood infections, tuberculosis, HIV infection, and reduced cellular immunity has also been implicated.

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Recipe of the day

Creamy Macadamia Shrimp

2-3 servings

Ingredients:

■1 pound of raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined

Food Mall: Shrimp

■1 shallot, chopped

■1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste)
■1/2 cup macadamia nuts
■1 tablespoon unsalted butter
■2 tablespoons coconut milk
■Fresh lime juice to taste

Instructions:
Puree shallot, salt and macadamia nuts in a food processor until fairly smooth.

Melt butter in a pan over high heat and add shrimp. Saute one minute then add shallot-macadamia mixture. Stir the shrimp several times while they continue to sauté for three more minutes. Add coconut milk to the shrimp and cook one minute more.

Remove from heat and squeeze a generous amount of lime juice on top to taste.

Creamy Shrimp



Vegan diets may not be nutritionally adequate

This post includes a summary of a paper published by the American Council on Science and Health July 1997 and a recipe for spicy pork scratchings.

Study title and author:
Vegetarianism
Kathleen Meister, M.S.

This paprer can be accessed at: http://www.acsh.org/docLib/20040402_Vegetarianism1997.pdf

The author makes the following recommendations.

Books:

Diets completely devoid of animal products (vegan diets) may not be nutritionally adequate, especially for people with increased nutritional needs, such as infants, children, adolescents, pregnant or lactating women, and individuals with certain medical problems.

Parents who follow these unusual diets or lifestyles should realize that children are far more vulnerable than adults are to serious health damage from nutritional inadequacies and imbalances. Dietary restrictions that may be tolerated by adults could cause lasting harm to an infant or young child.

Young people who become vegetarians for ethical or environmental reasons may also be placing their health at risk.

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Recipe of the day

Spicy Pork Scratchings

Ingredients:

Skin from pork joint

Food Mall: Pork

1.5 tbsp fennel seeds

1.5 tbsp coriander seeds
Pinch of dried chilli flakes
Sea salt
Drizzle of olive oil

Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 220C.

2.Cut the skin into two pieces and score incisions in the skin with a sharp knife.

3.In a pestle and mortar. Crush the fennel, coriander and chilli with a pinch of salt. Trust me, this can take forever!

4.Place the skin on a roasting rack over a tray to catch the fat and sprinkle the spice mix over the skin making sure the skin pieces are evenly covered.

5.Sprinkle another good pinch of salt over the skins and drizzle a little olive oil over them.

6.Bake in the oven until the skins are very crispy. I found it took about 30-40 minutes to be sure it was properly hard on the top.

7.Break it up into pieces.

Pork Scratchings