B12: Of Beef and Bacteria

Just as hamburgers, steaks, chicken wings, pork chops, and other meat products bring unique flavors and aromas to the dinner table, they provide many components necessary for human health.  In fact, meat and other animal products provide some nutrients not found in other foods.  Among those is cyanocobalamin, more commonly known as vitamin B12.

Vitamin B12 is produced by microorganisms that can be found in the environment and inside animals.  Those inside animals make the vitamin in the intestine, and the vitamin can then travel to other organs, muscles, and products (milk and eggs) which can then be incorporated in the human diet (Vitamin B12, n.d.).  Beef liver and clams are the best sources of the vitamin, followed by fish, poultry, meat, milk, eggs, and other dairy products (Office of Dietary Supplements [ODS], 2011).  Red meat is a particularly affordable and diversifiable source of B12.  For example, a single 100 g serving of red meat (such as a 3.5 oz. hamburger patty) can provide 66% of an adult’s daily need for the vitamin (McAfee et al., 2010).  If an insufficient level of vitamin B12 is maintained, weakness, weight loss, tiredness, confusion, loss of appetite, and other health problems may develop (ODS, 2011).  However, though some people may consume enough of the vitamin B12 through their diet, they may not be able to use it.  Vitamin B12 must first be separated from its bound protein and then affiliate with an “intrinsic factor” in the stomach before being absorbed (Vitamin B12, n.d.).  When dietary vitamin B12 cannot be utilized, a supplement is necessary to avoid a deficiency.

According to the National Institute of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements, the amount of vitamin B12 people need to consume each day varies by age but is essential during all stages of life, as shown in Table 1 (2011).  Problems with metabolism, red blood cell formation, and nervous system performance can result from a vitamin B12 deficiency, and the best way to ensure adequate vitamin B12 levels is to incorporate a variety of animal products into the diet (New York Times, 2011). 

Table 1: Daily recommended amount of vitamin B12 in micrograms (mcg).  The daily recommended amounts increase due to age or special conditions such as pregnancy or lactation (ODS, 2011).

Life Stage	Recommended Amount
Birth to 6 months	0.4 mcg
Infants 7–12 months	0.5 mcg
Children 1–3 years	0.9 mcg
Children 4–8 years	1.2 mcg
Children 9–13 years	1.8 mcg
Teens 14–18 years	2.4 mcg
Adults	2.4 mcg
Pregnant teens and women	2.6 mcg
Breastfeeding teens and women	2.8 mcg

While adults can endure a vitamin B12 deficiency for several years before showing its symptoms, newborns can show its effects soon after birth (Dror & Allen, 2008).  In a healthy pregnant woman, vitamin B12 will travel to the placenta and then to the growing child (Vitamin B12, n.d.).  If the mother, unable to absorb the vitamin or, by choice or not, lacking vitamin B12 in her diet, maintains a low level of this vitamin before and during pregnancy, her unborn child will not receive enough of the vitamin (Dror & Allen, 2008).  In a study by Majchrzak and colleagues (2006) comparing B-vitamin levels in people with different diets, omnivores possessed adequate levels of vitamin B12 whereas vegetarians and vegans displayed inadequacies of the vitamin.  It could then be conjectured that pregnant women eating a balanced diet that includes meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy are much more likely to deliver enough B12 to their unborn children than women avoiding these foods.  Being unable to absorb vitamin B12, not having access to animal products, or choosing not to consumer animal products can cause irritability, failure to thrive, poor development, and apathy in newborns if the mother does not receive a vitamin B12 supplement.

In conclusion, people who enjoy a variety of protein sources including red meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy and effectively absorb and use these food’ nutrients can avoid multitudes of deficiencies, especially that of vitamin B12.  Those who cannot absorb the vitamin, cannot obtain animal products, or choose not to consume animal products need to receive a vitamin B12 supplement to avoid a deficiency.  As for me, I am happy to obtain my vitamin B12 from a bacon-topped turkey burger or ham and cheese omelet rather than the encapsulated products of a bacteria culture. 

References

Dror, D.K., Allen, L.H.  (2008).  Effect of vitamin B12 deficiency on neurodevelopment in infants: current knowledge and possible mechanisms.  Nutrition Reviews 66(5), 250-255. DOI: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2008.00031.x

Majchrak, D., Singer, I., Maenner, M., Rust, P., Genser, D., Wagner, K.H., Elmadfa, I.  (2006).  B-vitamin status and concentrations of homocysteine in Austrian omnivores, vegetarians and vegans.  Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism 50(6), 485-491. DOI: 10.1159/000095828

McAfee, A.J., McSorley, E.M., Cuskelly, G.J., Moss, B.W., Wallace, J.M.W., Bonham, M.P, Fearon, A.M.  (2010).  Red meat consumption: An overview of the risks and benefits.  Meat Science 84(1), 1-13.

New York Times (2011, February 15).  Vitamin B12.  Retrieved from http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/nutrition/vitamin-b12.

Office of Dietary Supplements (2011, June 24).  Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin B12.  Retrieved from http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-QuickFacts/.

Vitamin B12 – Compound Summary. (n.d.)  In PubChem Compound.  Retrieved from http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/summary/summary.cgi?cid=16212801&loc=ec_rcs

Meaty Mondays

   The phrase “Meatless Monday” is spreading through social and news media lately, and rather than remaining a personal preference is creeping into legislation.  Recently, the San Diego Unified School District Board voted to bring Meatless Mondays to its elementary school lunchrooms.  One board trustee reportedly said the board’s job “is to improve our students’ prospects for a healthy, happy and successful life.  …Learning how to make good food choices is an essential component” (CBS 8, 2013).  However, whether children experiencing at least one meat-free school lunch will establish and enforce healthy ideas about food and nutrition remains uncertain.  And is this fear-mongering about meat actually inspired by hard evidence that meat is “bad” for human health?  Let’s take a closer look at the value of meat in a well-balanced diet.

   In the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, Americans are encouraged to embrace three major ideas concerning their health: 

1)      Balance calories with physical activity to manage weight. 

2)      Consume more of certain foods and nutrients such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, and seafood. 

3)      Consume fewer foods with sodium (salt), saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, and refined grains. (USDA and USDHHS, 2010)

   Nowhere within the Guidelines is “Meatless Monday” found, and, in fact, “seafood, lean meats and poultry” are mentioned among the nutrient-dense foods Americans are encouraged to eat.  Protein sources are suggested to be varied, and may come in the form of “seafood, lean meat and poultry, eggs, beans and peas, soy products, and unsalted nuts and seeds” (USDA and USDHHS, 2010).  However, protein sources vary in the nutrients they contain.  While some may be high in protein, they might also be high in fat, sugar, or sodium.  The following table presents the nutrient data of several entrees that may be served for lunch at elementary schools.  All data are from the “What’s In the Foods You Eat Search Tool” powered by the USDA Agricultural Research Service (USDA, 2013).  All entrees highlighted yellow may be served for Meatless Mondays as long as fish and eggs are not considered “meat.”

Food	Calories	Protein (g)	Total Fat (g)	Carbohydrate (g)	Sugars (g)	Iron (mg)	Sodium (mg)
3.5 oz hamburger patty	180	14	13.32	0	0	1.48	47
3 oz. skinless chicken breast, roasted, broiled, or baked	119	22.35	2.83	0	0	0.36	466
4 chicken nuggets	189	9.56	12	11	0.57	0.56	383
1 cup beef stew with potatoes and vegetables, tomato-based sauce	207	16.68	5.85	21.5	2.49	2.49	554
Low-fat beef hot dog, no bun	134	7.28	11.22	0.97	0	0.7	600
Vegetarian burger/patty; no bun	124	11	4.41	10	0.75	1.69	398
Grilled cheese sandwich	282	9.45	14.64	28.04	4.31	2.12	669
2.5" x 4" slice meatless lasagna	334	17.62	10	43.56	6.74	2.72	804
Fish sandwich, on bun, with spread	360	13.16	13.48	45.54	6	2.73	675
1 cup black bean soup	114	6	1.63	19.04	3.06	1.85	1203
1 cup red beans and rice	284	7.8	11.16	38.57	3	2.26	645
1 enchilada with beans and cheese	231	9.05	11.53	24.44	2.58	1.53	379
2 scrambled eggs	159	13.65	10.16	2.22	1.94	1.77	313
Tuna salad sandwich	290	19.67	7.06	36.52	8.57	3.01	686
Peanut butter sandwich	337	12.95	16.14	37.4	5.88	2.86	447

   
   From these comparisons, we see that protein sources contribute different levels of fat, protein, carbohydrate, iron, and other nutrients to the human diet.  Despite its negative reputation as a processed meat, the low-fat beef hot dog contains half the amount of sodium as a cup of black bean soup.  Beef stew trumps a bean and cheese enchilada for protein and iron levels.  And the classic hamburger patty has fewer calories, more protein, and less fat than a grilled cheese sandwich.  Granted, the nutrient data presented here may be improved by using whole grain bread for sandwiches and including vegetables in the scrambled eggs, but the point is to show how a lack of meat does not necessarily make a food the better choice for human health. 

   Children are impressionable.  Hearing the phrase “Meatless Monday” may prompt them to see meat as something to be avoided instead of incorporated into a well-balanced diet.  Why not teach children, and adults, more about meat composition rather than generalize meat as “a bad thing”?  Meats come from many animals, are cut or processed in a multitude of ways, and can be cooked and prepared through limitless means.  Perhaps instead of unjustly blaming meat as the root for so many health concerns, we can concentrate on what really affects health: overloads of saturated fats and sodium, and deficiencies of vitamins and fiber, for examples. “High Fiber Friday” may not have the same ring as “Meatless Monday,” but the focus on nutrients is more beneficial than the exclusion of an entire food group.

References

CBS 8.  (2013, June 5).  San Diego school board approves “Meatless Monday” lunches.  Retrieved from http://www.cbs8.com/story/22504828/san-diego-school-board-approves-meatless-monday-lunches.

U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  (2010, December).  Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, 7^th Edition.  Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

U.S. Department of Agriculture.  (2013, May).  What’s in the Foods You Eat Search Tool, 5.0.  Retrieved from http://reedir.arsnet.usda.gov/codesearchwebapp/(nypr1cqxfmt1zf45anr2sm55)/codesearch.aspx.

It's NOT a "Jungle" in There

   This last week I had the privilege to tour several meat processing facilities, and I was utterly amazed at what I saw.  If I had any notions of dirty, dank, blood-flecked rooms, they quickly vanished on the first tour.  Such unsanitary conditions would not be in harmony with the respect every decent meat product business holds for the needs of consumers.  After all, who wants to make food that makes a person sick?  This attitude of respect has caused a great revolution in the meat industry since the days of the infamous Chicago stockyards.  Now, companies strive to attain the greatest levels of cleanliness to ensure high-quality products are made on their grounds.  At each stage of meat processing, from procuring ingredients to shipping products, the highest standards of care are followed to optimize product wholesomeness.

  Prior to each tour through the facilities, my group’s tour guides provided us with attire meant not only to keep us safe but also to avoid contaminating the facility and meat products.  We removed our jewelry and watches and donned hairnets, hard hats, ear plugs (safely attached to the hard hats by a cord), safety glasses, frocks, and rubber overshoes.  We took every tour backwards: first we saw the shipping department, then packaging, then cooking, and lastly formulation.  If any little buggies happened to hop on us at the shipping department and hopped off in the formulation area, they would be killed as they ventured on raw product through the cooking process.  At strategic points we washed our hands and shuffled through white sanitation foam or across boot-scrubbing machines.  We DID NOT touch the machinery or products as we followed our guides through the plant.  As products moved from one phase to the next, they were scrutinized by trained workers looking for defects.  At certain stages, ingredients or products were removed for quality tests.  Quality assurance teams were on site to check for both product quality and safety.  Products were frozen or stored in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) to ensure their safety as they traveled to consumers.  If a product looked suspicious at any stage in this process, it was removed from the line and dealt with accordingly.

   In addition to striving for product safety and quality, we saw that companies are making great efforts to reduce waste, be environmentally friendly, and treat workers fairly.  No company wants to make a person sick, and at each facility we saw innovations to improve the wholesomeness of meat products.  These clean, well-lit, inspected places were far cries from the filthy and foul factories portrayed in Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle.  Modern facilities are filled with personnel and equipment to ensure that every product made will nourish and satisfy the customer.  Also, consumer handling instructions are applied to every package to inform the consumer on how best to prepare the product.  When companies respect the consumers’ needs for safe products and consumers follow the companies’ advice, everybody wins.