Steak Keeps You Clever

This just in...going veggie shrinks your brain.

No, really. Scientists in Australia this week discovered that those following a meat-free diet are six times more likely to suffer brain shrinkage.

The reason? Vitamin B12 deficiency. The best sources for this powerhouse vitamin are meat (especially liver), as well as milk and fish.

Check out the article here.

Comments

[Jimmy Moore]

Hey Kate! I suppose married life has kept you busy this past year...miss your blog posts, gal! Contact me sometime and let me know what's happening in your life now. :)

[Danny]

Vitamin B12 derived from meat is in effect '2nd hand' and of poorer quality than if you make it yourself.

We only need tiny tiny amounts of VitB12. So small in fact that if you eat organic vegetables which aren't power-washed (like supermarkets do), there is plenty of VitB12 in the small quantities of bacteria living in the tiny quantities of soil still on the crevices of your vegetables!

The argument about VitB12 deficiency is in large sponsored by the meat industry. There are equally many many facts in favour of the vegan diet - 60% less likely to get Alzheimers you know, reduced risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and cancer.

And of course this is from a purely selfish point of view. Think beyond your own little world to the big one all around you and you will find that the UN calculated emissions from raising livestock cause 18% of the global warming emissions - that's more than global transport. I haven't even mentioned appalling animal cruelty, all the chemicals in meat (antibiotics in land-based animals and high levels of toxins in fish like Mercury).

I've read in detail the arguments on both sides neutrally before making my decision...and I found the vegetarian/vegan one very much more convincing and based on that adopted a vegan diet. Have you really read the other arguments with an open mind? Or are you afraid if you did, you may not be able to justify eating he meat you like so much?
Just some food for thought, so to speak.

[Danny]

Hehe, I just read the article you cited! It has the evocative title about 'veggies', but after admitting that yeast extract has high levels of VitB12, starts talking about how drinking and obesity lead to brain shrinkage.

And at no point did the scientific study say that veggies were more at risk of brain shrinkage - only that deficiencies in VitB12 can cause it! (which everyone already knows don't they?!). And like I say above, meat has a high Quantity of VitB12 but it's of a poorer quality and we need around 50mg a Week!

Sorry for ripping apart your blog but a lot of people might read it and get very mislead...if you're going to post something try to post it with a neutral mind and research further than the 'Indian Times' and a journalist who is trying to put a spin on some information everyone knew years ago.

[Ellen]

Danny, while the article fingers B12 incorrectly, the basic premise is correct. The brain shrinkage is caused from the lack of cholesterol availability for neuron cell wall repair. If you read the latest research on Alzheimer's disease with an open mind, you'll find that one of main causes of Alzheimer's is the semi-starvation brain cells experience when they are deprived of enough dietary cholesterol.

Read Henry Loren's book "Alzheimer's Solved" if you are open to learning the science behind it. A paper by Iwo Bohr was published in Lipid World detailing the new theories on this: http://www.lipidworld.com/content/4/1/13

Bottom line is that vegetarians will see brain shrinkage if they don't get enough cholesterol in their diets.

[Dana]

Not to mention the brain also needs fats because contrary to what we used to think, it does not stop renewing itself at adulthood--it constantly needs new building blocks just like every other organ in the body does.

If you eat vegetarian, you might get enough fat in your diet--if you eat enough eggs, if you choose butter over margarine, if all your other dairy is full-fat. If you eat vegan, forget it. What you'll get of the fatty foods is too much of one kind, not enough of another, and not enough overall to feed your starving nervous system.

Whether or not your brain shrinks you are setting yourself up for mental problems either way.

[Chris Mair]

I like your site. I think I might link to it from my blog.

Take a look here:

http://meatclub.wordpress.com

Thanks

Chris

[K]

Ever heard of vitamin supplements? Also, I don't meant to be impolite, but I fail to see how a diet consisting of Diet Coke, mayo-dipped pork skewers and packaged low-carb pancakes is superior to one based on beans, leafy veggies, nuts and a little fish, even in the short term. Seen any of the studies on diet and longevity? Guess who comes out on top...

[K]

And as for Ellen's comment, the last I checked olives, avocados, nuts and seeds are excellent sources of fat. Even saturated fat and cholesterol can be obtained from plant sources (chocolate, coconut).

[Sara]

K, you don't sound impolite, but you do appear rather ignorant. While you may know someone who lives a low-carb lifestyle and subsists solely on "Diet Coke, mayo-dipped pork skewers, and packaged low-carb pancakes," I have never encountered anyone who has eaten that way.

I think you're missing the point of a low-carb lifestyle. Further, I happen to thrive living low-carb, but I do so while eating plain yogurt, fruit, eggs, nuts, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, and the occasional homemade gluten-free, sugar-free (and yet all natural) baked good.

I only eat natural, whole foods, yet I'm able to keep my carb intake low, for personal health reasons. Frankly, you should be ashamed of yourself for stereotyping people the way you are.

[PJ]

Where ARE you. Would you please come back? :-) PJ

[Louisa]

I love meat too! As someone with an iron deficiency which is linked to a B12 deficiency, I try and get all the B12 and iron I can get my hands on. There is only so many leafy green veggies a girl can eat before she gets a tad gassy!

Don't let the likes of Sara or Danny get you down Kate. If they want to live as veggies, that's up to them but there is no reason to make it a moral issue.