Fitness Confidential Podcast

Why Vegans Have Smaller Brains with Dr. Anita Tagore and Dave Ellis – Episode 2591

January 10, 2025

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Episode 2591 – On today’s show, Vinnie Tortorich welcomes authors Dr. Anita Tagore and Dave Ellis to discuss their new book  ‘Why Vegans Have Smaller Brains and How Cows Reverse Climate Change’. Their conversation explores several key topics: brain atrophy in vegans due to B12 deficiency, the dangers of vegan diets for children, the problems with current dietary guidelines, and the misconceptions about cattle’s impact on climate change. 

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Listen · Episode 2591Why Vegans Have Smaller BrainsJan 10, 2025 · 69 min
0:001:09:00
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Why Vegans Have Smaller Brains

  • Vinnie introduces the book ‘Why Vegans Have Smaller Brains and How Cows Reverse Climate Change.’ The third co-author, Allie Morgan, couldn’t attend due to illness.
  • The discussion begins with references to Frank Mitloehner from UC Davis and his work and appearance in Beyond Impossible.
  • Dr. Tagore presents research from Oxford University (2008) showing how B12 deficiency leads to brain shrinkage.
  • She explains that while everyone’s brain shrinks with age, those with the lowest B12 levels (correlating with meat-free diets) experience the greatest shrinkage. She also discusses cases of severe brain atrophy in babies exclusively breastfed by vegan mothers, noting that this condition is reversible if caught within six months through B12 supplementation. (00:04:57)
  • The discussion turns to how current dietary guidelines promote excessive carbohydrate consumption. Vinnie criticizes the food pyramid, noting it recommends 21 servings of carbohydrates before any animal protein. 
  • Additionally,  Dave Ellis explains how their book challenges these guidelines and proposes returning to an ancestral diet based on animal foods, meat, fat, and organ meats. (00:07:02)

Climate Change and Cattle Farming

  • As a geophysicist, Dave Ellis explains how livestock farming’s impact on climate has been misunderstood. He details how well-managed livestock farming helps sequester soil carbon, while arable farming releases carbon through soil disturbance. (00:51:42)
  • He notes that world soils hold approximately 2.5 trillion tons of carbon, making them the largest carbon store after oceans. The discussion challenges common misconceptions about cattle’s contribution to climate change.

You can find the book  ‘Why Vegans Have Smaller Brains and How Cows Reverse Climate Change‘ in Vinnie’s BookClub https://amzn.to/40spD25. 

You can get more info about the book at https://whyveganshavesmallerbrains.com  and at X (twitter)  https://x.com/vegansmallbrain and  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/whyveganshavesmallerbrains/

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