TL;DR bottom line: If you are vegetarian, vegan, various permutations of those diets, or have substantially cut meat out of your diet, you are now or eventually will suffer a B12 deficiency. You must be taking vitamin B12 supplements. Vitamin B12 deficiency is a real and significant risk of vegetarian lifestyles.
Vitamin B12 among Vegetarians: Status, Assessment and Supplementation – PMC (nih.gov)
From another paper:
The deficiency rates reported for specific populations were as follows: 62% among pregnant women, between 25% and almost 86% among children, 21-41% among adolescents, and 11-90% among the elderly. Higher rates of deficiency were reported among vegans compared with vegetarians and among individuals who had adhered to a vegetarian diet since birth compared with those who had adopted such a diet later in life. The main finding of this review is that vegetarians develop B12 depletion or deficiency regardless of demographic characteristics, place of residency, age, or type of vegetarian diet. Vegetarians should thus take preventive measures to ensure adequate intake of this vitamin, including regular consumption of supplements containing B12.
How prevalent is vitamin B(12) deficiency among vegetarians? – PubMed (nih.gov)
As a result of B12 deficiency I suffered:
- Daily visual auras/scotoma “bind spots” of 5 to 10 times per day. Scotomas like this are a symptom of B12 deficiency induced optic neuropathy or optic neuritis. If not caught soon enough, this can lead to permanent visual problems or vision loss.
- Headaches (unlike other headaches I have had – and unfortunately, having had multiple TBI I had 6 distinct kinds of headaches, previously)
- Chronic fatigue
- Brain fog, lack of initiative to do anything
- Dizziness
- Hair loss/shedding
B12 deficiency is a serious health problem that, if not addressed, can lead to permanent problems.
All vegetarians must take vitamin B12 supplements; if you are not doing so, you almost certainly will eventually experience B12 deficiency which can gradually sneak up on you.
Vegetarianism is not something you can casually start doing. You must discuss with your doctor, an expert dietician, take the right supplements, and have your blood tested at least annually. Young people can go longer than older adults before problems are encountered – but you still must do it precisely right and have your blood tested periodically.
