Page 45 - Spring2013

and fresh fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin two additional experimental papers for peer review. Chris has a PhD in
C, polyphenols, and glutathione. Nutritional Sciences from the University of Connecticut and is currently
working as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Illinois
VIBRANT MENTAL HEALTH where he is studying interactions between vitamins A, D, and K. This ar-
Overall the evidence supports a key role for ticle represents his independent work and does not necessarily represent
nutrient-dense animal foods in mental health. the positions of the University of Illinois.
Seven out of eight relevant studies show vegetar-
ians have a higher risk of mental disorders than REFERENCES
omnivores. These studies cannot demonstrate 1. Perry CL, Mcguire MT, Neumark-Sztainer D, Story M. Characteristics of vegetarian adolescents
in a multiethnic urban population. J Adolesc Health. 2001;29(6):406-16.
cause and effect, but both dietary and biochemi- 2. Neumark-Sztainer D, Story M, Resnick MD, Blum RW. Adolescent vegetarians. A behavioral
cal data suggest that vegetarians are less able 3. profile of a school-based population in Minnesota. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1997;151(8):833-8.
Bas M Karabudak E, Kiziltan G. Vegetarianism and eating disorders: association between eating
than omnivores to support methylation, and are attitudes and other psychological factors among Turkish adolescents. Appetite. 2005;44(3):309-
thus likely less able to support the appropriate 4. 15.
Robinson O'Brien R, Perry CL< WAll MM, Story M, Neumark-Sztainer D. Adolescent and
balance between mental stability and flexibil- young adult vegetarianism: better dietary intake and weight outcomes but increased risk of
ity needed for optimal mental health. Standard 5. disordered eating behaviors. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009;109(4):648-55.
Larsson CL, Klock KS, Nordrehaug Astrom A, Haugejorden O, Johansson G. Lifestyle-related
meat-inclusive diets are hardly ideal, however. characteristics of young low-meat consumers and omnivores in Sweden and Norway. J Adolesc
We should emphasize a wide variety of nutrient- 6. Health. 2002;31(2):190-8.
Baines S, Powers J, Brown WJ. How does the health and well-being of young Australian
dense foods, including not only meat, but also vegetarian and semi-vegetarian women compare with non-vegetarians? Public Health Nutr.
many animal foods banished from our modern 7. 2007;10(5):436-42.
Beezhold BL, Johnston CS, Daigle DR. Vegetarian diets are associated with healthy mood
menus, especially bones (usually as bone broth), states: a cross-sectional study in Seventh Day Adventist adults. Nutr J. 2010;9:26.
skin, and organs. Such a diet is the surest way 8. Michalak J, Zhang XC, Jacobi F. Vegetarian diet and mental disorders: results from a representa-
tive community survey. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2012;9(1):67.
to obtain the robust and vibrant mental health of 9. Carmel R. Cobalamin (Vitamin B ). In Shils et al., eds. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease.
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our ancestors. Baltimore, MD and Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (2006): 482-497.
10. Bilder RM, Volavka J, Lachman HM, Grace AA. The catechol-O-methyltransferase polymor-
phism: relations to the tonic-phasic dopamine hypothesis and neuropsychiatric phenotypes.
Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is creator and main- 11. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2004;29(11):1943-61.
Rasch B, Spalek K, Buholzer S, Luechinger R, Boesiger P, de Quervain DJ, Papassotiropoulos
tainer of Cholesterol-And-Health.Com, a web A. Aversive stimuli lead to differential amygdala activation and connectivity patterns depending
on catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met genotype. Neuroimage. 2010;52(4):1712-9.
site dedicated to extolling the benefits of tradi- 12. Mier D, Kirsch P, Meyer-Lindenberg A. Neural substrates of pleiotropic action of genetic varia-
tional, nutrient-dense, cholesterol-rich foods tion in COMT: a meta-analysis. Mol Psychiatry. 2010;15(9):918-27.
and to elucidating the many fascinating roles that 13. Kalita J, Misra UK. Vitamin B12 deficiency neurological syndromes: correlation of clinical,
MRI and cognitive evoked potential. J Neurol. 2008;255(3):353-9.
cholesterol plays within the body. Cholesterol- 14. Masterjohn C. Beyond Good and Evil: Synergy and Context with Dietary Nutrients. Wise
Traditions. Fall 2012.
And-Health.Com is home to his blog, The Daily 15. Hermann W, Schorr H, Obeid R, Geisel J. Vitamin B-12 status, particularly holotranscobalamin
Lipid. Chris is a frequent contributor to Wise II and methylmalonic acid concentrations, and hyperhomocysteinemia in vegetarians. Am J Clin
Nutr. 2003;78(1):131-6.
Traditions, the quarterly journal of the Weston 16. Watanabe F. Vitamin B12 sources and bioavailability. Exp Biol Med (Maywood).
A. Price Foundation, is a perennial speaker 2007;232(10):1266-74.
at the annual Wise Traditions conference, and 17. Jackson AA, Persaud C, Meakins TS, Bundy R. Urinary excretion of 5-L-oxoproline (pyro-
glutamic acid) is increased in normal adults consuming vegetarian or low protein diets. J Nutr.
writes a second blog on the foundation's web 1996;126(11):2813-22.
site, Mother Nature Obeyed. He has written five 18. Krajcovicova-Kudlackova M, Simoncic R, Bederova A, Brtkova A, Magalova T, Bartekova S.
[Alternative nutrition and glutathione levels.] Cas Lek Cesk. 1999;138(17):528-31. Article in
peer-reviewed publications and has submitted Slovak, only abstract available.

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