What! You mean no one gets out alive? Damn! The funny thing is, and I felt
very bad about this, I've teased him for years that he was going to die of
B12 deficiency. He is Indian and comes from a long line of strict
vegetarians. We've had a running discussion over the years about B12, vegans
and the incidence of Pernicious Anemia in the very large population of Hindu
vegans in India. He maintains that without vitamin supplements they are able
to maintain adequate serum levels of B12, but he doesn't know how it
happens. The only living things on the planet able to synthesize vitamin B12
are bacteria...no plants and no other animals. Grazing animals have B12
producing bacteria in their gut, specifically the rumen (sic). The bacteria
in our large intestine can produce B12 but our lower GI tract lacks the
transport mechanism to absorb it. Guinea Pigs get around this by
coprophagous behavior (yes that means exactly what you think it does). Their
intestinal flora produce B12 in the colon and the pigs recycle it to be
absorbed in their stomach.
End of Biology Lesson,
Charlie
On Thu, Sep 15, 2011 at 9:58 AM, Ken Norton <ken@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Which brings up a point, Charles. We're all terminal.
>
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> Ken Norton
> ken@xxxxxxxxxxx
> http://www.zone-10.com
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