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Pure Vegetarian Diet Can Lead to Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Pure Vegetarian Diet Can Lead to Vitamin B12 Deficiency

by Hannah Joy on Oct 11 2017 7:07 PM
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Highlights

  • Losing weight has become an obsession among people and suddenly switching to healthy eating causes vitamin B12 deficiency
  • Orthorexia nervosa is the obsessive healthy eating disorder that can lead to social isolation, psychological disturbance, and physical harm
  • If vitamin B12 deficiency is left untreated, it can lead to vision loss, weakness, fatigue, and light-headedness, nerve problems, depression, memory loss and heart palpitation
Individuals have become obsessed with losing weight and shifting to healthy eating without knowing the risks has become a common problem causing vitamin B12 deficiency, reveals a new study. //
These days people are becoming more and more obsessive for losing weight, and tend to shift to healthy eating suddenly and most of them do not realize what they are eating, which could lead to the common health problems.

Obsession of Healthy Eating
A pure vegetarian diet can lead to the B12 deficiency leading to various health problems, said Nutritionist Patrick Denoux. Individuals who are obsessed with healthy eating might put themselves at a risk of endangering their own lives, reveal health experts in The Independent.

The body can not make vitamin B12. Many people meet their daily recommended needs from animal products such as eggs, dairy products, meat or fish.

When vitamin B12 deficiency is left untreated, it leads to vision loss, weakness, fatigue, and light-headedness, nerve problems, depression, memory loss and heart palpitation.

In previous studies, children who lacked vitamin B12 deficiency performed poorly in cognitive tests.

Orthorexia Nervosa

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Another issue with healthy eating is orthorexia nervosa, which is a term that was first coined by the physician Steven Bratman in the year 1990.

Orthorexia nervosa is the obsessive healthy eating disorder. Orthorexia is when enthusiasm can become a pathological obsession in individuals leading to social isolation, psychological disturbance, and physical harm.

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Orthorexia nervosa is still not part of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is set by mental health professionals in the United States and scientists are still debating if this condition exists.

Scientists believe that cognitive behavioral therapy can help in treating people suffering from orthorexia. The treatment can aid in dealing with situations that might cause anxiety about eating, few relaxation techniques and also discussing beliefs.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Vitamin B12 or Cobalamin, a water-soluble vitamin is one of the components of the Vitamin B complex present in dairy and meat products.

The recommended allowance of vitamin B12 is 2 micrograms per day and is necessary for the routine hematological and neurological functioning of the body.

Deficiency in vitamin B12 can lead to various health problems. Hence, it is necessary to shift from the obsession with healthy eating to foods that are rich in B12 vitamin. Foods that are rich in vitamin B12 are seafood, eggs, liver, kidney and dairy products.

Reference:
    Vegetarian Diets - (http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Vegetarian-Diets_UCM_306032_Article.jsp#.Wd866lSCzIU)


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