Homocysteine and cobalamin status in German vegans

Abstract

Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the homocysteine and cobalamin status of German vegans and determine whether the intake of very small amounts of foods of animal origin can improve this status. Design and setting: Cross-sectional study, Germany. Subjects: The dietary and nutritional intakes of 131 vegans (73 women, 58 men; age range: 20.2-82.1 years) were evaluated using a general questionnaire and two foodfrequency questionnaires. Results: The prevalence of inadequate cobalamin status in volunteers of the German Vegan Study was 28.2%, and that of hyperhomocysteinaemia, 38.1%. Moderate vegans were affected to a lesser extent than were strict vegans. Duration of veganism and cobalamin concentration were inversely correlated (Spearman's r ¼ 2 0.175, P ¼ 0.047). Folate concentration and erythrocyte aspartic acid aminotransferase activity were not correlated with plasma homocysteine concentration, but duration of veganism correlated positively with homocysteine concentration (Spearman's r ¼ 0.319, P , 0.001). Cobalamin and homocysteine concentrations were inversely correlated (when controlling for duration of veganism; r ¼ 2 0.602, P , 0.001). Conclusion: Cobalamin status needs to be improved in order to minimise the risk of hyperhomocysteinaemia.

Causes of Vitamin B12 and Folate Deficiency

“…This is consistent with observations in several studies. For example, in the German vegan study discussed above [11], vegan diets had been consumed for 7.1 years on average, and those who had been vegans for > 5 years had 1.8 times the rate of deficiency compared with those who had followed this diet for < 5 years. In the California study, the mean duration of veganism was 4.2 years, although on average the group had been following some type of vegetarian diet for a total of 12 years [10].…”

“…H. Allen [11]. In a longer-term study of Dutch adherents to macrobiotic diets, low plasma cobalamin was prevalent in their infants and young children, accompanied by megaloblastic anemia, elevated urinary MMA, and low breastmilk concentrations of the vitamin [12].…”

Overall Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load of Vegan Diets in Relation to Plasma Lipoproteins and Triacylglycerols

“…Therefore it can be hypothesized that such diets are characterized by a low GI and thus a low GL. Although a large number of studies on vegetarian [31,32] and vegan nutrition [30,33,34] have been published during the last years, only one small study has examined the GI of vegan diets [35] . We therefore investigated the overall GI and GL of such diets assessed by a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ).…”

Vitamin B-12–fortified toothpaste improves vitamin status in vegans: a 12-wk randomized placebo-controlled study ,

“…Vegans do not consume any animal products and are, therefore, a classic risk group for vitamin B-12 deficiency (7)(8)(9). Although awareness regarding vitamin B-12 deficiency has increased in vegans, many vegans still either do not use any supplements or have reported irregular use (7,9).…”

“…Although awareness regarding vitamin B-12 deficiency has increased in vegans, many vegans still either do not use any supplements or have reported irregular use (7,9). Vitamin B-12 and holotranscobalamin concentrations are low, and methylmalonic acid (MMA) 8 (7) and total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations are elevated, in subjects with vitamin B-12 deficiency (10,11). Abnormal concentrations of 1 Supported in part by a grant from Logocos Naturkosmetik AG.…”