Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian Women who are Pregnant May Need to Supplement With Vitamin B12

Category: Women's Health

A recent study published in December 2004 in the Journal of Nutrition concluded that women who are pregnant and have been an ovo-lacto vegetarian for a long period of time might not be reaching adequate intake of Vitamin B12.

Vitamin B12 deficiency can be related to several conditions in the mother and newborn. These include pre-eclampsia, anemia, growth failure, neural tube defects, and developmental abnormalities. Serum levels of homocysteine, an agent recognized to cause oxidative damage, and a known marker for increased risk for several diseases including heart disease, are also elevated in women with low Vitamin B12.

Previous studies suggested that women who are vegetarian could consume adequate amounts of Vitamin B12 in their diet if strict guidelines and careful consideration were followed. In this study pregnant women who consumed eggs and dairy (ovo-lacto vegetarians) were compared to low meat eaters and women who followed the standard western diet.

The study measured the levels of Vitamin B12 in the serum as well as dietary intake of Vitamin B12. It also assessed the levels of homocysteine in the blood. Assessment of the previous parameters was made at baseline (weeks 9-12), weeks 20-22, and weeks 36-38 of the pregnancy.

Both the ovo-lacto vegetarians and low meat eaters had lower serum Vitamin B12 concentrations than the standard Western diet group. The statistically significant difference was that homocysteine was elevated as a result of the low Vitamin B12 in the ovo-lacto vegetarians and not the low meat eaters.

The study concluded that women who have followed an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet for more than 3 years are more at risk for a Vitamin B12 deficiency and an elevated homocysteine. Also, the diets of pregnant women who follow this particular diet are not sufficient to supply the necessary intake of Vitamin B12. The study suggests that reevaluation is needed for the current recommendations for Vitamin B12 intake in this at-risk population.

Posted by Kristopher Foster on November 28, 2008 10:00 AM