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Dietary vitamin B12 intake and status of young adults consuming vegetarian or beef‐containing diets
Author(s) -
Brown Amanda L,
von CastelRoberts Kristina,
Maneval David R,
Shelnutt Karla P,
Portier Kenneth M,
SiegaRiz AnnaMaria,
Kauwell Gail PA,
Bailey Lynn B
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.20.4.a620-a
Subject(s) - vitamin b12 , food science , zoology , dietary reference intake , vitamin , medicine , nutrient , chemistry , biology , organic chemistry
Our objective was to assess dietary vitamin B12 intake and plasma B12 concentration in adults stratified by vegetarian and beef consumption patterns. Healthy men and women (n = 302, 18–49 y), who did not take B12 supplements or consume highly‐fortified breakfast cereals, completed an NCI Diet History Questionnaire modified for B12‐containing foods. Vitamin B12 intake and status was assessed in a group of beef consumers (beef intake 1 time/wk) (n=97) and compared to that of a vegetarian group consisting of lactoovovegetarians (n=66), lactovegetarians (n=47), and vegans (n=8). Compared to beef consumers, the B12 intake (mean ± SD μg/1000 kcal/d) of the vegetarian group was lower (p<0.0001; 3.4 ± 1.4 vs 1.9 ± 1.8, respectively). Plasma B12 concentration (mean ± SD) was lower (p= 0.04) in vegetarians compared to beef consumers (280 ± 146 pmol/L vs 310 ± 113 pmol/L, respectively), and 17% of vegetarians had deficient (<148 pmol/L) plasma B12 concentration compared to 6% of beef consumers. Beef contributed the largest percentage (31%) of B12 in the diet of beef consumers, and dairy products were the major sources (34%) of B12 for the vegetarian group. These findings suggest that the inclusion of beef one or more times per week is associated with improved vitamin B12 intake and status relative to consumption of a vegetarian diet. Funding provided by National Cattlemen’s Association.