The information in this article on protein deficiency seemed interesting to me. It seems like some of the symptoms I was attributing to B12 deficiency symptoms might be due in part to insufficient protein.
The entire article is available at no charge.
thank you👍
Scientist, not medic.
Fascinating article, and they've learned some useful information, although it's about rats. I'm left wondering how B12 supplementation in protein malnourished rats might have some benefit, but that's one to think about.
This work may not translate to humans as much as we'd like to hope. From my vague recollections, the Thalidomide story is littered with animal studies that showed no issues, but in humans it was 'somewhat different'.
There is little doubt that protein malnutrition causes all sorts of issues, and a low serum ferritin in the absence of iron deficiency is only one of them.
Consequently, unexpected low results on individuals with unusual diets are best investigated carefully because things might not be what they seem.
Thank you once again for your informed comments.I sometimes listen to a podcast called "We Do Science", which focuses on physical effects related to nutrition.
One of the most common statements made by the host and guests refers to how little people, even elite athletes at major universities, know about nutrition. One example often discussed is how little is known among even the most educated, generally speaking, people about protein - what it is, how much a person needs, and what a person needs to eat in order to get the suggested level of protein. I personally fall into the population of people who know next to nothing about protein or other aspects of nutrition, which is why the article mentioned in my original post struck such a chord with me. I don't think I am that different from the majority of people in my ignorance of nutrition. Of course, a person ignorant of the most basic constructs of nutrition will be incapable of planning a nutritious diet. Yet, it seems like the general outlook in medical articles (that are not specifically focused on nutrition) is that people in advanced nations can be assumed to have balanced, nutritious diets. To me, there seems to be a serious disconnect.
I think you've hit the nail on the head there. We 'advance' and then ignore what went before.
There was a WW2 UK regulation that bread couldn't be sold the day it was baked [far too tasty!]. The common loaf was a wholemeal-sort of thing, which kept the nation's bowels working OK. Then at the end of the war, regulations eased and 'white bread' came back, made easier eating, and then we probably saw a rise in bowel disorders. My pet hate [I might be going off topic, but it's Year End] is the dreaded Chorleywood Process, introduced in ??1961, and able to make 'fluffy white bread' out of wheat that I'd prefer to feed to pheasants. Of course, the mixture needs a laboratory shelf-full of chemicals to get it to work, but it's quick, it's cheap to run and gets calories into the masses. So we have masses who have probably never tasted real 'bread', which is a shame. For centuries, all we had was 'sourdough' breads, and they were all different. I prefer to avoid 'dietary supplements' to get essential nutrients, as there's enough variety in general. However, if we start moving away from the Caveman's Omnivore Diet to Vegan and Vegetarian options [come on, folks, tell me I'm wrong] then the plastic bottles of pills become required. If we need something and it needs injecting then that's fine, because something inside us is 'broken' but if we can gorge ourselves on nutritious stuff, that's preferable.
Happy New Year to all, and stay healthy.
"However, if we start moving away from the Caveman's Omnivore Diet to Vegan and Vegetarian options [come on, folks, tell me I'm wrong] then the plastic bottles of pills become required. "
You're not wrong (on vegan diets), but over the winter in places like the UK, everybody needs vitamin D supplements to stay in optimal health. And many omnivorous women or endurance athletes often run into problems with their iron levels due to menstruation or extreme exercise and often require supplements. In the US and many other countries the entire population is supplemented with iodine through their food via iodized salt which also turns up in bread etc. Then there are fortified cereals and other foods, folic acid fortification in the US, B12 injections provided to farm animals etc. Only once you step outside of consuming an average (unhealthy) diet to consuming more wholefoods would you end up receiving less supplementation than the general population receives through less fortification.
It's possible to follow an almost vegetarian diet without any supplements other than Vitamin D (depending on where you live) and arguably B12 but that depends on the frequency/variety of animal food consumption, but on a fully vegan diet, apart from getting adequate protein, there are around 8 nutrients you need to either supplement or in some cases make a conscious effort to include in adequate amounts, namely B12, Vitamin D, Omega 3 EPA/DHA, Calcium, Iron, Zinc, Selenium and Iodine. But fortunately there are specially designed supplements these days you can find that supply only the above nutrients, as a "complement" to the diet. A multivitamin may work adequately too but that depends on the formulation and then you're also supplementing stuff that is surplus to requirements in such a diet like folate or Vitamin C.
Cavemen didnt get their Calcium from dairy but its unlikely that most people will suddenly begin foraging for large amounts of wild greens or making nettle tea infusions for their calcium (one cup can contain up to 500mg). I think it makes more sense to look at what kind of diets have the best long-term health outcomes today rather than looking at what our ancient ancestors may have survived on, since they werent generally concerned with living to 100 and what gets you to a healthy 25 years of age can look very different to what gets you to a healthy 85 or 95. The "Blue Zones" book series have some great information on this.
Oh and sourdough bread is awesome! I try and pick up a wholegrain sourdough any chance I get. It works great for the centenarians of Sardinia, Italy.
Thank you for sharing this, it's really helpful
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