Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24667752›Full record

ReviewEuropean journal of clinical nutrition2014

The prevalence of cobalamin deficiency among vegetarians assessed by serum vitamin B12: a review of literature.

R Pawlak, S E Lester, T Babatunde

Erratum issuedAbstract readReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in European journal of clinical nutrition, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 115 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
115citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

115 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  9. Vegetarian diets in children: a systematic review.European journal of nutrition · 2017
    Pooled it
  10. Trial
  11. The role of nutrition on thyroid health and disease: myths and facts.Journal of endocrinological investigation · 2026
    Review
  12. Review
  13. Understanding the Motivations, Perceptions and Nutritional Implications of Plant-Based Milk Consumption Compared to Dairy-Based Milk.Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association · 2026
    Article
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  20. Indian journal of hematology & blood transfusion : an official journal of Indian Society of Hematology and Blood Transfusion · 2025
    Review

55 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

R PawlakDepartment of Nutrition Science, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA.
S E LesterDepartment of Nutrition Science, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA.
T BabatundeDepartment of Nutrition Science, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Individuals following vegetarian diets are at risk for developing vitamin B12 deficiency owing to suboptimal intake. As vitamin B12 is essential for the synthesis of nucleic acids, erythrocytes and in the maintenance of myelin, deficiency may result in a variety of symptoms. Some of these symptoms may be severe while others may be irreversible. The objective of this review was to assess vitamin B12 deficiency, based on reported serum vitamin B12, among individuals adhering to different types of vegetarian diets. A systematic literature search was carried out using multiple search engines including PubMed, Medline, CINAHL plus, ERIC, Nursing and Allied Health Collection and Nursing/Academic Edition. The inclusion criteria consisted of original studies that assessed serum vitamin B12, studies written in English, non-case studies and studies that reported actual percentages of vitamin B12 deficiency. Forty research studies were included. The deficiency prevalence among infants reached 45%. The deficiency among the children and adolescents ranged from 0 to 33.3%. Deficiency among pregnant women ranged from 17 to 39%, dependent on the trimester. Adults and elderly individuals had a deficiency range of 0-86.5%. Higher deficiency prevalence was reported in vegans than in other vegetarians. Thus, with few exceptions, the reviewed studies documented relatively high deficiency prevalence among vegetarians. Vegans who do not ingest vitamin B12 supplements were found to be at especially high risk. Vegetarians, especially vegans, should give strong consideration to the use of vitamin B12 supplements to ensure adequate vitamin B12 intake. Vegetarians, regardless of the type of vegetarian diet they adhere to, should be screened for vitamin B12 deficiency.

Indexed as

Diet, VegetarianNutritional StatusAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overChildChild, PreschoolDietary SupplementsFemaleHumansInfantMaleMiddle AgedPregnancyPrevalenceVitamin B 12

Identifiers

PMID24667752

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.