Of all the nutritional concerns that can plague vegetarians, nothing is more daunting than the specter of vitamin B12 deficiency (which can lead to anemia and neurological disorders). Conventional wisdom has it that this essential vitamin is virtually unavailable from plant foods. Surprisingly, Cow dung, is very rich in the vitamin.B12 Breakthrough - Missing Nutrient Found in Plants
Dr. Mozafar's investigation, showed that plants fertilized with cow dung have higher levels of B Vitamins including B12. Mozafar hypothesized that B12 produced by soil microorganisms might be absorbed through the roots into the plant itself.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Vegan diet, the missing element
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Nothing special about cow dung. Almost all animal excreta have vitamin B12, because it is synthesized by bacteria in the large intestines. However, almost NOTHING is absorbed into the blood stream from the large intestines. In cattle, it is produced by rumen bacteria, and is easily available to the cattle.
Hares and rabbits get their B12 by a process called "refection": they produce two types of droppings, fecal pellets and "caecotropes", which look like soft capsules, and are produced the rabbit's caecum. The rabbit eats the caecotropes as they exit the anus, and get its supply of Vit-B12, and perhaps other vitamins too. Thus, rabbit eats its food virtually twice. If the rabbit is prevented from eating the caecotropes, or if it is fed some antibacterial drug that will inhibit bacterial growth in the caecum, (sulfadiazine is used for creating the condition in laboratory animals) for several days on end, it will develop Vit-B12 deficiency.
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