IMA draws flak over vegans prone to memory loss remark

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has courted another controversy by saying that vegetarians, who do not consume any animal products, are at a high risk of developing nutritional vitamin B12 deficiency, which can lead to neurologic abnormalities.

IMA general secretary KK Aggarwal said: “If you are forgetting things often, it is recommended that you get your vitamin B12 levels checked, instead of worrying that you may be suffering from dementia. Animal products (meat and dairy) are the only dietary source of B12 (cobalamin - <g data-gr-id="22">Cbl</g>) for humans,” He added: “Strict vegetarians who do not consume any animal product are at a high risk of developing nutritional Cbl deficiency.” 

“The usual western diet contains 5 to 7 micrograms of cobalamin per <g data-gr-id="21">day,</g> while the minimum daily requirement is 6 to 9 micrograms daily. Total body stores of Cbl are 2 to 5 mg and one-and-a-half of this is in the liver. It takes years to develop vitamin B12 deficiency, after absorption of dietary B12 ceases,” Dr Aggarwal said.

Aggarwal's comments <g data-gr-id="19">has</g> drawn flack from vegetarians and they have dubbed it as baseless. “If he is saying such a thing, he need to revisit some medical journals. The vegan logic has no merit as there are several medical journals supporting the vegetarian diet having all the nutritional values which <g data-gr-id="17">is</g> required for developing memory power,” said a Health Ministry official, requesting anonymity.