# Vegetarian diet shrinks your brain
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-diet-shrinks-your-brain/463873
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [September 16, 2008, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-diet-shrinks-your-brain/463873 "2008-09-16T19:06:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)
#### Post date: [September 16, 2008, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-diet-shrinks-your-brain/463873/1 "2008-09-16T19:06:11Z")
> **[The Sun](https://www.thesun.co.uk/)**
>
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This explains a lot
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### Author:  [@poker\_in\_the\_rear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/poker_in_the_rear)
#### Post date: [September 16, 2008, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-diet-shrinks-your-brain/463873/2 "2008-09-16T19:42:53Z")
what are you implying that vegetarians are stupid?
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### Author:  [@Interconnected\_Series\_of\_Tubes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interconnected_Series_of_Tubes)
#### Post date: [September 16, 2008, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-diet-shrinks-your-brain/463873/3 "2008-09-16T19:46:00Z")
This isn’t going to go particularly well.
Your statement is disingenuous, though. A diet _deficient in certain nutrients_ shrinks your brain - this isn’t exactly a leap of logic. Many of these nutrients are lacking in the typical vegetarian diet.
Granted I think voluntary vegetarianism is a crock of pretentious shit (unless, of course, you simply don’t enjoy meat) but lets try to stay reasonable.
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### Author:  [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)
#### Post date: [September 16, 2008, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-diet-shrinks-your-brain/463873/4 "2008-09-16T19:47:36Z")
This vegetarian notes that this is the second time in as many days that she has pointed out to an omnivore that [the topic has already been done](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=483347). (That thread is the merging of the original and the last thread.)
It should also be noted that only the really ignorant (discounting anyone with a health problem leading to this or someone with inadequate food supplies) suffer a B12 deficiency. Plus the study looks at elderly people, who may have other eating problems/disorders due to loss of appetite or taste/smell with age. Most vegans know full well that they have to eat foods enriched with B12 (like many/most breakfast cereal), and that’s not that big of a problem for vegetarians, who can get it from eggs and milk.
Oh, and you didn’t mention the booze. Too easy to pick on us vegetarians I guess, and shrug off the effects of two beers/glasses of wine a day.
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### Author:  [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)
#### Post date: [September 16, 2008, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-diet-shrinks-your-brain/463873/5 "2008-09-16T20:01:11Z")
Most vegans know full well that they have to eat foods enriched with B12
Do they? Most vegans I’ve met look pretty emaciated.
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### Author:  [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)
#### Post date: [September 16, 2008, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-diet-shrinks-your-brain/463873/6 "2008-09-16T20:19:15Z")
Mmkay. Enough trolling for one day.