CDC: Vegetarian mothers gave children vitamin B-12 deficiency

ATLANTA - The federal government said Thursday that vegetarian mothers should make sure they take in enough vitamin B-12 to avoid having infants with vitamin B-12 deficiency. <br> <br> The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the most common cause of vitamin B-12 deficiency in infants and young children is maternal dietary deficiency. The CDC said persons who follow vegetarian diets should ensure adequate cobalamin intake.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> CDC and Emory University officials examined two cases of Georgia infants in 2001 who suffered neurological problems because of vitamin B-12 deficiency. One case involved a 15-month-old girl in August 2001 and the other a 30-month-old boy in March 2001. <br> <br> The children, breast-fed by vegetarian mothers, suffered delays in speech, walking and fine motor skills. They showed symptoms of undernutrition, such as growth failure, federal officials said. One mother took a nutritional supplement in which the vitamin B-12 content was unknown; the other said she intermittently took a supplement with the vitamin. <br> <br> The CDC recommends pregnant mothers and lactating mothers take 2.6 micrograms and 2.8 micrograms, respectively, of the vitamin a day.