A one-year-old girl who was
admitted to hospital with severe vitamin B12 deficiency due to a
vegan diet is responding to treatment, doctors at Gaslini
Pediatric Hospital in Genoa said Thursday.
The child named as Martina was admitted two weeks ago on
referral from public health authorities who found her to be
severely underweight and underdeveloped.
Tests ruled out infections and genetic diseases, leading
doctors to diagnose malnutrition.
Doctors say that because the mother has been a vegan for
years, the child was breast-fed on milk lacking in essential
nutrients, and that her mother failed to integrate her
daughter's diet with non-animal proteins and vitamins once she
was weaned.
"Her condition is improving but her recovery will take a
long time," said Gaslini Director Silvio Del Buono. "It's still
too early to say whether she sustained neurological damage, but
she is responding to treatment and the parents are cooperating
with doctors".
"Maybe the mother was not correctly informed on how to
integrate a vegan diet," Del Buono added.
"I don't think this is a case of abuse, maybe some small
oversights".
The hospital is conducting an investigation and will report
to social services.
The Genoa case brings to three the cases of children
hospitalized for malnutrition due to veganism in the last year.
A one-year-old boy was admitted to the Mayer Pediatric Hospital
in Florence last July, and a two-year-old ended up in hospital
in the city of Belluno last October.
Martina's parents could be investigated for child abuse or
bodily harm depending on the hospital or social services, Genoa
prosecutors said.
Dietary vegans refrain from consuming animal products
including meat, fish, eggs, and dairy.
Vitamin B12 plays a key role in the functioning of the
brain and nervous system and the formation of red blood cells.
Meat, fish, and dairy are proven food sources of B12, and it can
also be synthesized artificially.
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