Vitamin B12 deficiency and neuropsychiatric symptoms in Lebanon: A cross-sectional study of vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores.

Abstract

BackgroundVitamin B12 deficiency is responsible for a variety of complications, particularly neurological/neuropsychiatric complications, including depression, irritability, paresthesia and insomnia. Since vitamin B12 is found in animal-derived products, vegans/vegetarians are at a greater risk for developing vitamin B12 deficiency.AimsThis study aims to investigate the occurrence of vitamin B12 deficiency among a sample of adult Lebanese population, with a particular emphasis on assessing the severity of its neurological/neuropsychiatric signs and symptoms, especially among vegans/vegetarians.MethodologyA cross-sectional study was conducted among a sample of 483 Lebanese adults. Data was collected through a standardized questionnaire that included socio-demographic characteristics, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized anxiety disorders-7 (GAD-7), and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) scales.ResultsAmong the participants, 11.4% were in the vegan/vegetarian group, and about 43.1% had vitamin B12 deficiency. After analyzing the PHQ-9, GAD-7 and ISI total scores, higher scores were reported in participants with vitamin B12 deficiency, compared to individuals with normal vitamin B12 serum levels (p ConclusionVitamin B12 deficiency in Lebanon is notably high and is linked to an increased risk of developing depression, generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia, and paresthesia. Vegans/vegetarians exhibit a higher susceptibility to developing depression compared to omnivores, whereas the risk of developing insomnia, generalized anxiety disorder and paresthesia was statistically insignificant when comparing vegans/vegetarians to omnivores.