First of all, it isn't clear whether by vegetarian they actually mean vegan. They repeat that this or that isn't available in plant based products and only animal products. It seems to assume vegetarians don't eat dairy which probably is a false assumption for most vegetarians.

Secondly with the deteriorating quality of farmed meat with the increased hormones, Antibiotics and other toxic chemicals, the health proposition of being a meat eater for the vast majority that don't eat naturally raised livestock has changed dramatically vis a vis vegetarians.

I've been able to drop 5 meds and dramatically improve my health by going vegetarian FWIW.

These "facts" are about vegans. The author needs to be much more clear about that. His arguments simply do not apply to the majority of vegetarians out there.

"In this issue I am not presenting an
argument regarding vegetarianism, I prefer to present facts. They are what they are and can be
demonstrated. Being presented with the facts we can then choose to accept or reject them."

These are not "facts", they are your opinions.
You write this whole article as if you are highly opposed to vegetarianism, and that all vegetarians should begin eating meat. But most of the points are not valid. You ignore the large body of favorable evidence and cherry-pick a few minor studies that demonstrate your points.

GENERAL BLOOD CHEMISTRY PARAMETERS

"Some time ago, a friend and colleague of mine accepted a challenge to identify any vegetarian
patients in a group of blood chemistry panels. To make a long story short, he succeeded in
identifying 6 out of 6 vegan patients in the group. How did he do it?"

Why do you confuse vegetarian and vegan? B-12 deficiency is very easy to diagnose, so your friend is nothing special. B-12 deficiency isn't just found in vegetarians, it is also found in the elderly, those with stomach issues, people with parasites, and those with no known cause. The vegan population has been circulating articles about how they need to supplement with B-12 for years now and a good deal of the vegan cereals, nut and seed milks, etc. are now fortified with B-12.

Vegetarians do not have this same issue, so one should not be so sloppy with terminology.

"It should not be surprising that the majority of vegetarians, especially vegans, present significant
anemia due to eating a Vitamin B12 deficient diet.1 2 This is not my unsupported opinion. I have
seen it on blood chemistry panels of vegetarians and it is supported by peer-reviewed literature
and even vegetarian literature acknowledges the B12 issue of vegan diets."

The majority of vegetarians are not B-12 deficient and there is no large-scale study that demonstrates this fact. B-12 is readily abundant for one that eats products such as yoghurt or kefir, takes a multi-vitamin, or eats B-12 fortified foods. Fermented dairy has a

There are many articles in the peer-reviewed literature that show vegans are at-risk for being B-12 deficient. Once again, you need to get your terminology correct.



"Another common observation on blood chemistry panels of vegetarians is generally decreased
cholesterol of less than 160 mg/dL, which explains common vegetarian complaints of low
energy, lack of stamina and difficulty dealing with stress. (Adrenal insufficiency.) Adrenal insufficiency is a lot more complicated than merely being low in cholesterol"

Are you suggesting cholesterol is a nutrient? The body has very eloquent systems in place for synthesizing cholesterol. There is no article in the peer-reviewed literature that is going to back up your argument here. Even vegetarians have to worry about their cholesterol levels. Dairy products such as butter, whole milk, and eggs are plentiful in cholesterol already-- and most vegetarians already consume these foods.


"One of the most common myths relating to vegetarian diets we have already touched on and that
is that Vitamin B12 can be obtained from plant sources. Claims are made that B12 is present in
certain algae, tempeh (a fermented soy product) and brewer's yeast. All of them are false."

I will agree with this point. It is well-known that plant foods do not supply adequate amounts of B-12. This is why all vegans should take a B-12 supplement and why all vegetarians should focus on eating enough B-12 rich foods such as kefir.


"The fact that Vitamin B12 can only be obtained from animal products is one of the strongest
arguments against veganism being a "normal" way of human eating."

Historically, people ate more fermented foods. Many of the tempeh varieties from the east actually had b-12 in them, most likely due to some type of b-12 fixing bacteria that was present in the environment during the fermentation process. Many vegans never become b-12 deficient, even without a b-12 supplement. It is believed that some people have a bowel flora that fixes the bodies own supply of B-12. It is clear, however, that many vegans no longer have this flora that can fix b-12.

There are many arguments that can be made, and it isn't a simply one sentence argument like you suggest.



"Another potentially dangerous myth promoted by some vegetarian “authorities” is that the
human body has the ability to convert excess omega 6 fatty acids (from plant sources) into
omega 3 fatty acids obtained from animal sources. The work of Dr. Mary Enig, of the University
of Maryland, and other real authorities have shown that the body CANNOT change the omega
number of fatty acids!! The body can change the fatty acid's degree of saturation and also its
molecular length, but not its omega number5. In other words, omega 6 fatty acids can only be
converted into other omega 6 fatty acids; omega 3s only into other omega 3s."

Omega 3 fatty acids are readily available in the vegetarian diet, as well as the vegan diet, so I'm not sure what point you are trying to make here.

"Two very well known omega 3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) are critically involved in the health
of the brain and immune system. To think that following a diet that intentionally eliminates
these essential fatty acids is a healthier way of eating is insane!"

The latest research I read on this issue demonstrates that only a small amount of omega-3 need be converted to DHA and EPA. The human body converts omega-3 into DHA and EPA. The conversion is not very high because it only needs so much DHA and EPA. Too much fish oil is not good for the human body as it can interfere with the oxygen permeability of cell membranes-- Brian Peskin has some very interesting articles about this on his website http://www.brianpeskin.com.
Too much fish oil can also be create skin tags and other unsightly dermatological conditions.

There is some proven cardiovascular benefit of taking fish oils. However, vegetarians already have a decreased incidence of cardiovascular disease due to their diet.

Many people misunderstand that the body only converts a limited of omega-3 to DHA and EPA for a reason. There are some types of pathology, granted, that disrupt the enzymes that do the conversion-- these groups of people may need to supplement with EPA and DHA such as those breast-feeding, those with inflammatory disorders, diabetes, or neurological disorders. If a vegetarian does not want to take a fish oil, there are now extracts of DHA from algae. The fish oil industry, as a whole, has been very over-hyped. If people did not eat so many rancid, processed, fried, trans-fatty, and garbage can oils, it would not be the big deal that it is now.


"Another fact that is not widely published in vegetarian circles is the danger of consuming too
many omega 6 fatty acids. Both omega 3 and omega 6 EFA’s are needed by the body, but when
the balance is weighted significantly to the omega 6 side of the equation the body’s ability to use
the omega 3 family of EFA’s is impaired. Many researchers today are telling us that the ratio
of omega 3 to omega 6 EFA’s in the standard American diet is significantly weighted to the
omega 6 side of the scale. As you are aware, the standard American diet is hardly vegetarian by
anyone’s estimation. Independent researchers like Enig, Yohuda and others, feel a good balance
between omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids is a ratio of 1:1 or possibly as high as 1:4. Estimates
of the actual, where the rubber meets the road ratio in the standard American diet range from
1:25 to as high as 1:50."

Overdosing on omega-3 fatty acids can have deleterious health effects, as reported by Brian Peskin. A healthy vegetarian avoiding too much processed food should should not have too much difficulty getting the proper balance of omega 3's and omega 6's.

"It appears from this that our diet is absolutely overloaded with omega 6 and we have the health
problems to prove it! We could wonder, what is the ratio of omega 3 to 6 in a standard
vegetarian diet that virtually eliminates the omega 3 family of EFA’s?? available only from
animal sources with the exception of flax seeds? From this alone it seems hard to conclude that
this is a healthier way of eating."

I am surprised flax seeds are the only vegetarian source of omega 3's this author is aware of. There are far more sources available-- do a quick search on the internet. All vegetarian options should be aware of these options and incorporate them in their diets. I am especially in favor of hemp seeds.

"SUPPLEMENTATION:

Optimal EFA’s a new product from Biotics Research Corporation providing
omega 3, 6 and 9 EFA’s in the correct balance 2 capsules with each meal.
Biomega 3 provides marine source omega 3 EFA’s purified to remove mercury,
PCB’s etc. May be the better choice for the vegetarian patient.
2 capsules with each meal.
Flax Seed Oil provides omega 3, 6 and 9 EFA’s with more omega 3 than 6 or 9.
2 capsules with each meal."

What is the deal with all this supplementation stuff? I would be skeptical of any EFA product that advertised having 'omega 9.' Omega 9 is oleic acid which is incredibly easy to get in the diet from sources such as olive oil. Don't spend more for this as it is not neede d. Look for a product with good parent omega 6 fatty acids and good omega 6 derivatives such as GLA. The product should also have good parent omega 3 and omega 3 derivatives such EPA, and DHA. There are many products out there that fit this bill. One also get a product that just has EPA and DHA in it.

"What about Vitamin A? Vitamin A is principally found in animal products. Plants do contain
beta-carotene, a substance that the body can convert into vitamin A. The impression given by
some vegetarian sources is that beta-carotene is just as good as vitamin A. This is not true.
First of all, the conversion from carotene to vitamin A can only take place in the presence of bile
salts and zinc. This means that fat must be eaten with the carotenes to stimulate bile secretion.
Additionally, infants and people with hypothyroidism, gall bladder problems or diabetes either
cannot make the conversion or do so very poorly. Finally, the body's ability to convert carotene
to vitamin A is not very efficient: it takes 46 units of carotene to make one unit of vitamin A.
What this means is that the sweet potato (containing about 25,000 units of beta-carotene) you
just ate will only convert into about 4,000 units of vitamin A (assuming you ate it with fat and do
not have a thyroid or gall bladder problem)6."


Your facts are incredibly wrong here. The conversion of dietary beta-carotene to vitamin is 12:1 (one molecule of beta-carotene is cleaved into two molecules of retinol but a good deal of efficiency is lost in the absorption, distribution, and conversion phases).

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminA/


Most vegetarians do not have to worry about vitamin A unless they have a health condition that may prevent conversion of carotenes to vitamin A. Those conditions are listed on the Linus Pauling monograph above.

The body only converts a limited amount of carotenes to vitamin A for a reason: Vitamin A is toxic in large amounts. People need to very careful when considering mega-doses of vitamin A. For example, too much vitamin A in pregnant women can cause birth defects. Once again, the Linus Pauling monograph linked above convers this very well.


"Relying on plant sources for vitamin A is not a good idea. This is why good-old-fashioned butter
is a virtual must in any diet. Butter is rich in vitamin A and will provide the intestines with the
fatty material needed to convert vegetable carotenes into active vitamin A. Vitamin A is allimportant
in our diets, for it enables the body to use proteins and minerals7, is essential for
kidney function, needed by the eyes and the reticuloendothelial system (R.E.S.)."

Vegetarians eat butter and whole milk, so you need to direct your reply more to vegans.



"Last but not least—the real bottom line—WHO LIVES THE LONGEST—vegetarians or meat
eaters???

Studies have shown the annual all-cause death rate of vegetarian men to be slightly more than
that of non-vegetarian men (0.93% vs 0.89%). Similarly, the annual all-cause death rate of
vegetarian women was shown to be significantly higher than that of non-vegetarian women
(0.86% vs 0.54%)8."

Your "facts" are really off here. Large-scale epidemiological studies on the Seventh-Day Adventists show that vegetarians have a slightly longer life-expectancy than omnivores.

"Russell Smith, PhD, in his authoritative study on heart disease, showed that as animal product
consumption increased among study groups, death rates decreased! Such results were not
obtained among vegetarian subjects. For example, in a study published by Burr and Sweetnam in
1982, analysis of mortality data revealed that, although vegetarians had a slightly (.11%) lower
rate of heart disease than non-vegetarians, the all-cause death rate was much HIGHER for
vegetarians9."

This study does not concur with a far larger data pool that show that vegetarians are at less risk for cardiovascular disease.

" In contrast,
the largely vegetarian inhabitants of southern India have the shortest life-spans in the world."

I have not been able to track down any reliable data on this subject other than a few articles from the highly-biased Weston Price Foundation. One has to be careful when considering what the Weston Price Foundation says. For example, Weston Price admired the health of the vegetarians in India in his books. This is a point that most of his modern-day followers fail to acknowledge when espousing a high-animal product diet.

Vegetarianism has flourished in China and India for thousands of years. I haven't seen much written other tha the "China Study" which was highly in favor of vegetarianism in this area. Other than that, I can not make to many other points.