Dear Friends,

Vegan women and their babies should not be at increased risk of
vitamin K deficiency, because the richest food sources of vitamin K are
green leafy vegetables.  The only animal food high in vitamin K is
liver.  According to my introductory nutrition textbook, half of the
vitamin K an adult needs is supplied by diet and half is produced by his
or her intestinal flora.  I am not aware of any studies examining the
risk of HDN for babies of mothers who have different dietary intakes of
vit K, although this information would be very good to have.

Perhaps the person who posted that babies of vegan women are at
increased risk of vitamin K deficiency was confusing vitamin K and
vitamin B12.  Vitamin B12 is also produced by the intestinal flora of
animals.  Most humans need to eat animal foods in order to supply enough
B12, although some persons produce enough for their own use in their own
digestive tracts.  Exclusively breastfed babies of vegan women who do
not take supplements of B12 are at risk of B12 deficiency.

Cindy, apprentice midwife, LLLL, Madison, WI
--
tenth moon doula service &
virtual midwifery study group
http://www.execpc.com/~charmon/tmds.htm

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