Abstract
The study aimed to assess the prevalence and rate of development of a low (below normal) serum B12 level in clinically well persons on a total vegetarian diet (TVD) with and without supplementation/fortification with B12.Serum B12 and red cell mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) were measured in participants on a TVD for 12–340 months. Ability to absorb B12 orally was tested. In addition, urinary methylmalonic acid/creatinine ratio (UMMMCr) was measured in a subgroup of 27.In 47 of 78 adults the B12 level was below 200 pg ml-1, and the MCV was 94.2 ± 4.0. The other 31 adults had a B12 level of 200 or above, averaged 293 ± 85 pg ml-1 and an MCV of 92.6 ± 4.6. Eight children and 12 adults were on the same TVD, but were using B12-fortified soy milk instead of cow's milk. Their B12 level ranged from 255 to 690 (average 417 pg ml-1) with a mean MCV of 88.8 ± 3.5 fl. The serum B12 level of seven of 16 adults with a low serum B12 who chewed a 100 μg tablet of B12 once a week for 6...
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