A headline circulating around says that eggs, meat and dairy
are essential for brain development.
So what does this mean for vegetarians and vegans?
Anthony, here, for DNews.
And on the sliding scale of vegetarianism,
I'm kind of like beginner to middle.
I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian, which
means I eat eggs and dairy, but no other animal products.
And then on the far end, of course,
you have vegans who don't eat any animal products at all.
It's tricky to stay healthy as a vegetarian or a vegan,
because you've always got to watch what you're eating
and make sure you get replacement
sources for everything you'd normally get from an animal.
Except a new study from the University of Montreal
is going around online saying there's
a nutrient only found in meat, eggs and dairy
that's essential for brain development.
It's called asparagine.
It is an amino acid that we've always considered an essential
to get through our diet.
It's one of the 20 most common amino acids on earth.
Amino acids are used to make the proteins
that you need to survive.
They're responsible for strength, repair and rebuilding
inside your body.
The asparagine is mostly involved with the development
and operation of your nerves.
Our liver actually makes a lot of it out of other amino acids
automatically, enough to provide for our whole body.
So here's where the study's framing and headline sort of
fall apart, compared to the actual content.
Even though just about all of us make enough asparagine
automatically, there is a small percentage
of the population with a genetic defect that
causes them to not make as much as everyone else, which
can lead to severe intellectual disability
and even atrophy in their brain.
It just doesn't grow or change.
The headline seems to imply that if you have this defect,
you will need eggs, meat and dairy.
So a vegan or vegetarian diet could be dangerous.
First of all, how rare is this defect?
Well, so far only nine children around the world
have been found to have it.
And in those children, the addition
of asparagine in the diet can help
boost the amount in their body and get more of it
across the blood brain barrier, which could counteract
the effects of the genetic issue.
So it seems like being vegan would only be dangerous
for those people, right?
Well, not even that.
See while the headline calls out meat, eggs and dairy,
remember that asparagine is one of the most common amino acids
on earth.
It's also in whole grains, legumes, soy, basically
the staples of a vegan diet.
I love saying the word legume.
So if you're a veggiesaurus and you're
seeing this story floating around, and it got you nervous.
Don't worry.
Your brain is fine.
Well, as fine as it ever was.
I cannot speak for how your brain was before.
Though if your friends are like mine,
they think your brain is crazy and the only cure is bacon.
And I don't think there's any research that
will ever change that.
What food myths are floating around that drive you nuts?
Is there anything you wanted to know about food that you'd
like us to clear up for you?
Let us know down below, and subscribe for more DNews.