Oooo, sorry, vegetarians…

Scientists at Oxford University in England have found that adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet may be bad for your brain.

Researchers found that those who adopt a meat-free diet are 6 times more likely to sustain brain shrinkage than those who gobble hamburgers, chicken or liver.

The reason: Vegetarian or vegan diets are more likely to be deficient in Vitamin B-12, found in meat, fish and dairy products such as cheese.

“Many factors that affect brain health are thought to be out of our control, but this study suggests that simply adjusting our diets to consume more Vitamin B-12 through eating meat, fish, fortified cereals or milk may…prevent brain shrinkage and so perhaps save our memory,” said Anna Vogiatzoglou, a member of the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics at Oxford, in a prepared statement.

Well, just add that to the forward-facing eyes, canine teeth, meat-digesting acid in our stomachs, and need for plenty of protein, eh? According to this report, yeast extract, something vegans eat, has high levels of B12; however, we have to be thoughtful here and realize that the chemical form of B12 may be different, and not as beneficial (no, really).

Reading this, I wondered if supplements can replace the meat-borne B vitamin, though (and this is circumstantial) I seem to function much better when I start my day with bacon or eggs instead of a fruit smoothie. However, the study did not investigate the effect of B12 supplements and whether or not they were a suitable replacement for meat.

Keep in mind, though, a very good rule of thumb: everything in moderation (your own overeating can even damage your kids). We still need the goodies in veggies and fruits, so don’t ignore them in favour of T-bones.