Vitamin B12 and vegetarianism in india.

Apparently healthy Indian lactovegetarians have significantly lower serum levels and urinary excretion of vitamin B12 as compared to non-vegetarians. The low levels of serum vitamin B12 in lactovegetarians are not due to defective absorption but to low dietary intake of this vitamin. Inspite of considerably low serum vitamin B12 values, the lactovegetarians have no apparent signs or symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency and their response to injected cyanocobalamin mixed with tracer radioactive B12, as judged by urinary excretion pattern and liver uptake, was similar to that observed in nonvegetarians.