Interesting. Thank you, Tim. I think I'll be more active in watching my B-12 intake now. ;-) (I knew to watch it, but between this and seeing a show mentioning pernicious anemia, perhaps someone is hinting that I should look at my intake...)

Note that you do get B-12 from milk and eggs, which, thankfully I can digest. It's not a vegetarian-per-se diet but the vegan diet that lacks B-12. That diet is just plain stupid anyway.

(For those unfamiliar with my condition: Vegetarian by force, not by choice.)

You saw that episode "Mystery Diagnosis" yesterday also, eh? Too funny: I almost never watch TV, so it's a bit odd that we both caught it.

You're right: I should have more clearly focused on veganism.

People often refer to India as a sign that vegetarian diets can be safe -- but of course, they got their vitamins from milk and (don't mean to gross anyone else out, but) dung, which was often present in the diet due to, um, traditional sanitary conditions.

Funny coincidence that, since I usually ignore television also, but Michelle had that show on. (I didn't even know that was the show...)

Unfortunately, people referring to India don't seem to know much about it actually. It's not a very nice place.

[The World Bank's] ...report "Wasting Away - The Crisis of Malnutrition in India" blames poverty and low status of women for some of its most shocking statistics - half of all children under four are malnourished, it says, and 60% of women are anaemic

Most of that has to do with food prioritization within the family according to their report, but still not quite a good statistic.

Michael - if you're listening- you may want to consider sublingual B12 in particular. It routes around absorption issues. Also, creatine apparently may be beneficial, at least according to one recent study.

Also, interesting evidence that small amounts of creatine supplementation, which appears to be part of the process by which the body creates ATP (used for energy) also helps with memory in vegetarians.