ArticlePloS one2024
Vitamin B12 deficiency and neuropsychiatric symptoms in Lebanon: A cross-sectional study of vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores.
Article in PloS one, 2024. 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 6 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Sleeping green: an Italian survey for the assessment of the relationship between sleep and vegetarian diet.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2026Article
- Vitamin B12 and D status in long-term vegetarians: Impact of diet duration and subtypes in Beijing, China.Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition · 2026Article
- Plant-based diets and depression: epidemiological evidence, biological mechanisms, and implications for prevention.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Review
- Causal Influences of Micronutrients on Anxiety: Insights From an Observational and Mendelian Randomization Analysis.Food science & nutrition · 2025Article
- Article
- Dietary changes as a risk factor and remedy for meditation-related challenges.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
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. METHODOLOGY: A 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 < 0.001). Regarding the diet type, vegans/vegetarians were more susceptible to developing depression compared to omnivores (mean scores of 11.92 vs 8.02 on the PHQ-9 scale, respectively, with p < 0.001). Of the patients with vitamin B12 deficiency, 81.1% reported having paresthesia compared to 43.7% of individuals with no vitamin B12 deficiency (p < 0.001).
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.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
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 Socratic graph.