Harvard: Vegetarians, Elderly Need Enough Vitamin B12

US : Vegans (people who do not eat any meat, dairy, or eggs) are more prone to developing a B12 deficiency, as most reliable sources are from animal-derived product. However, consuming eggs and dairy products meet less than half the adult recommended dietary allowance of 2.4 mcg of B12, a report by the Harvard Health Letter.
Also, up to 30 percent of percent of people ages 50 and over suffer from atrophic gastritis, a thinning of the stomach lining, which reduces the amount of B12 absorbed by the small intestine. Certain other digestive conditions and surgeries also can interfere with B12 absorption.

Vegetarians and older people with atrophic gastritis are advised to take a multivitamin, eating fortified breakfast cereal, or both to counter the problems.
A deficiency of vitamin B12 may affect balance, memory, and perhaps mood. Sometimes, the only symptoms of a B12 deficiency are subtle cognitive and neurological changes, says the report.
More serious shortages can result in dementia or anemia. Breast-fed infants of mothers with a B12 deficiency are at risk for severe developmental abnormalities and irreversible neurological damage, it adds.

Source: Asia Pacific Food Industry September 2005 , p.22

Banana and Innovative Banana Products

We all know Thai bananas well. But it is a question whether the advantages of bananas are learned. Presently, European people pay more attention to banana consumption; and the quantity of bananas eaten is larger than that of apples as it may be said that “A banana a day keeps the doctor away” instead of “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Banana contains carbohydrate, fructose, glucose, and fructo-oligosaccharide, vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12, A and E, and very high potassium. As a consequence, banana is a rich source of minerals and vitamins which are extremely useful to a body.
Banana has amino acid, a natural substance, which is a vital factor for building a compound, acting as a neurotransmitter e.g. Dopamine, Serotinin, to regulate functions of body and emotion. In addition, banana contains very high typtophan and vitamin B6. Currently, the innovative banana products, arranged as a series of Banana Gallery, are a result of processing bananas not in a very high temperature. Consequently, nutritional values are not lost. The said products include banana juice, banana syrup, V-banana, banana wine, fermented banana wine and banana chili sauce.
Source: A document on “A banana a day keeps the doctor away”, Office of SMEs Technology, University of Technology Prajomklo Thonburi