Research paper
Cross-Sectional Study of the Prevalence of Cobalamin Deficiency and Vitamin B12 Supplementation Habits among Vegetarian and Vegan Children in the Czech Republic
Study answer
What this study found
Key findings: supplementation differs between VG and VN (p=0.019). There was a statistically significant difference in B12 levels across diet groups, with omnivores showing the lowest B12 measures (B12 [µg/L]: VG ≈ 572, VN ≈ 546, OM ≈ 433; aB12 (holotranscobalamin) did not differ significantly (p=0.257). Vitamin B12 hypervitaminosis was common in VG/VN/OM, with n=35 VG, n=28 VN, and n=9 OM meeting laboratory criteria (p=0.004), indicating over-supplementation in some children. Lab-defined B12 deficiency was rare (n=3 across groups). Among breastfed children aged 0–3 years (n=46), 78.3% of…
- Study & population
- Cross-sectional observational study in the Czech Republic.
- Intervention
- Vitamin B12 supplementation regimens observed in Czech VG (vegetarian) and VN (vegan) children and their mothers.
- Key limitation
- Cross-sectional design limits causality; potential selection bias due to recruitment via general practitioners and social networks; subgroup sizes (infants/toddlers and schoolers) are limited; reliance on self-reported supplement use and 3-day dietary records may introduce reporting bias; did not measure…
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Open PDFOriginal abstract
Vegetarian (VG) and vegan (VN) diets in childhood are of growing interest due to their perceived health and environmental benefits. Concerns remain due to the possible disruption of healthy growth and development of children because of the scarcity o…