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Studies in the Netherlands have revealed that a strict macrobiotic diet in early childhood can cause a mild deficiency in vitamin B12. This deficiency can affect the functioning of the brain in later life.
In normal diets, animal products are the main source of vitamin B12. A macrobiotic diet excludes most animal products. It allows cereals, pulses, vegetables and, occasionally, seaweed, nuts and fruit.
In the study, 31 out of 48 adolescents raised on such a diet until the age of 6 years were found to have a deficiency of the vitamin, when compared with similar youngsters brought up on an omnivorous (containing animal products) diet.
When cognitive function (ability to learn and understand things) was tested during adolescence, the group of children who had had a normal diet in early childhood performed better on most tests, according to the researchers.
