Page 40 - Spring2013

Our goal examining the relation between vegetarianism health by considering the neurological and cog-

is not to and mental disorders are observational in design nitive consequences of severe vitamin B defi-
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and therefore incapable of determining cause and ciency. This condition involves nervous system
increase or effect, which would require an experimental de- degeneration, loss of sensation beginning in the
decrease sign. Nevertheless, it is reasonable to suggest the toes and progressing to the feet and hands, stiff-
methylation possibility that seven out of eight of them found ness and involuntary muscle spasms, disturbed
vegetarians are more likely to suffer from mental gait, and mental disturbances ranging from mild
but to disorders at least in part because nutrient-dense personality changes and memory loss to psycho-
provide our animal foods are required for optimal mental sis and occasional delirium. Although we do not
brains with health. yet completely understand the exact mechanisms
by which vitamin B deficiency causes these
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the raw SUPPORTING METHYLATION problems, the primary role of vitamin B within
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materials There are a number of potential deficien- our bodies is to support the process of methyla-
they need to cies and imbalances that could develop on a diet tion, so a breakdown in this process is almost
devoid of nutrient-dense animal foods: some certainly an important part of the picture.
regulate the people may become deficient in cholesterol if Methylation is a fancy biochemistry term
process they do not make enough of their own; plant that simply means the addition of a carbon atom

properly. goitrogens, some of which require vitamin B with a small assortment of hydrogen atoms (a
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and sulfur amino acids for their detoxification, “methyl group”) to a wide variety of molecules.
could contribute to thyroid problems; deficiencies Methylation is required for the synthesis of many
of vitamin B , long-chain omega-6 and omega-3 compounds such as creatine, and the regulation
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fatty acids, zinc, and fat-soluble vitamins A, D of many others, such as dopamine. As such, it is
and K could also develop. This article, however, critical for a broad range of biological processes
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will focus on the role of vitamin B , sulfur amino including tissue growth and repair, cellular com-
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acids, and glycine in supporting and regulating a munication, and controlling cancer. Among the
process known as methylation, which is critical many molecules whose production or regulation
for mental health. is dependent on methylation, both creatine and
We can see how important these nutrients dopamine are critical to mental health. This
and the process of methylation are to mental article, however, will focus on dopamine.

FIGURE 2: Tonic dopamine (A) is the modest amount of dopamine that is always present in our brains, and could be thought
of as a stable body of water, or the background level of water in a sea through which waves pass. It is responsible for the
stability of neural responses. Phasic dopamine (B) is a pulse of dopamine that lasts only a fraction of a second. It is responsible
for the flexibility of neural responses. Tonic and phasic dopamine are distributed differently in the brain, allowing the brain
to control their levels through different mechanisms. We inactivate tonic dopamine primarily by methylating it. By contrast,
we inactivate phasic dopamine primarily by oxidizing it or by removing it from the area in which it is active. Thus, a greater
degree of methylation will decrease the level of tonic dopamine, but will have little effect on the level of phasic dopamine.
40 Wise Traditions SPRING 2013 SPRING 2013 Wise Traditions