Nutritional Deficiencies of Vegans

SeaBreeze

SeaBreeze

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Here's some useful dietary information and nutrition recommendations for any vegans here, or those who are thinking about going completely meatless.

Vegans adhere to nutrition recommendations in varying degrees, according to a new Finnish study. Some vegans who participated in the study followed a balanced diet, while others had dietary deficiencies. Typical deficiencies were an unbalanced use of protein sources, a low intake of berries, fruits and nuts, as well as failure to use nutrient fortified food products. The majority, however, used vitamin B12 and D supplements and calcium-fortified drinks as recommended. The findings were published in PLOS ONE.

The serum vitamin D concentrations were below the reference values in 24% of the vegan group. They also had lower concentrations of beta-carotene, selenium, iodine and essential fatty acids than the control group following a non-vegetarian diet.

According to the researchers, the findings highlight the need of vegans to get nutrition guidance and to use the recommended nutrient supplements. Moreover, closer attention should be paid to the intake of vitamin D and iodine among vegans.

Vegetarian and vegan diets are increasingly common in western societies. However, in order to ensure the intake of all the necessary nutrients, vegetarian and vegan diets need to be composed in a well-rounded manner. Research into the nutritional status of vegans nevertheless remains scarce.

The study analysed the nutritional status of young adults who had been following a vegan diet for an average period of eight years. The study involved six male vegans and 16 female vegans, and the matched control group comprised eight men and 11 women who followed a non-vegetarian diet. The researchers were especially interested in the intake and concentrations of nutrients that are limited or lacking in vegetarian foods, for example vitamin B12, vitamin D, selenium, iodine and essential fatty acids. The food intake of the study participants was analysed from three-day food records, and their nutritional status was measured from blood and urine samples.

Some vegans follow an unbalanced diet

The diet of the vegan group was exclusively limited to plant-based foods, and their intake of legumes, tofu and soy flour was higher than the control group's, but no other significant differences were observed. Nutrient supplements were used by 91% of the vegan group and 78% of the control group. Vitamin B12 supplementation was used by 91% of the vegan group, vitamin D supplementation by 77%, and the majority also used calcium-fortified drinks.

The vitamin B12 concentrations of the vegan group were within the reference values, as were the values of the control group. The serum vitamin D concentrations were below the reference values in 24% of the vegan group and in 6% of the control group. Vegans also had lower concentrations of beta-carotene, selenium, iodine and the essential EPA and DHA fatty acids. All in all, however, vegans had higher polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations and lower saturated fatty acid concentrations than the control group. In addition, the concentrations of soy polyphenols were high in vegans.

The median concentration of iodine in urine was below the recommended levels in both groups. Earlier research shows that the intake of iodine has decreased in Finland over the past years. Iodine is present in milk and iodine-fortified salt, the use of which have declined.

According to nutrition recommendations, a vegan diet should involve a balanced, daily intake of whole grain products, legumes, seeds and nuts as sources of protein, as well as vegetables, fruits, berries and unsaturated fats. In addition, vegans should consume calcium-fortified drinks and use vitamin B12, vitamin D and iodine supplements to complement their diet.

The article published in PLOS ONE constitutes part of a larger study addressing vegetarian foods and analysing the exposure of vegans to pesticides and nitrate. The leaders of the study are Professor Anna-Liisa Elorinne from the University of Eastern Finland's School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education, and Senior Officer Juha Laakso from the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency. The study also involved researchers from the University of Eastern Finland Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, the National Institute for Health and Welfare, and Helsinki University Hospital.

Food and Nutrient Intake and Nutritional Status of Finnish Vegans and Non-Vegetarians. Anna-Liisa Elorinne, Georg Alftan, Iris Erlund, Hanna Kivimäki, Annukka Paju, Irma Salminen, Ursula Turpeinen, Sari Voutilainen, Juha Laakso. PLOS ONE, February 3, 2016.

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/art...l.pone.0148235
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I think any diet, including the Standard American Diet can be unhealthy if it's balanced. Eating a Vegan or plant based diet and eating a steady diet of potato chips and processed foods would likely be unhealthy, just like a person eating only meat and starches would likely be unhealthy. Here's a video of the twin daughter's of the owners of the Vegsource.com website who were raised on a strictly vegan diet. They look pretty healthy to me:

http://www.vegsource.com/news/2015/06/raising-vegan-kids---meet-nina-randa-video-1.html

There's a lot of information on this site about eating a plant based diet.

Vitamin D. I don't know anyone who has had their Vitamin D tested that hasn't been deficient without taking fairly large doses of supplements. The study doesn't say how much they took.
 
I agree Blondie, regardless of the diet we choose, we have to be aware of the nutritional value. People who always eat junk food, chips and processed foods likely don't care very much about their health to begin with. Vegans/vegetarians are usually more health conscious, but may not be aware of the vitamins they may be lacking.
 

Then too, we read so much conflicting information about calcium which that article mentions. One day we're told to take at least 1,000 mg of calcium per day and then they decide it may actually be harmful, or the supplements may be harmful but not food sources. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/calcium-supplements-may-not-be-heart-healthy/

Not that I would ever be suspicious of the very powerful and taxpayer subsidized dairy industry but....
 
I just had one D test that I paid for out of pocket just out of to be curious, and I forget the exact number but I think it was 35, and that was lower than I wanted to be. I was already taking 1,000 to 2,000 IUs of Vitamin D3 a day before that. Now I take 2,000 in the summer months and 5,000 in winter. I was just hearing a researcher who was saying that high doses of D3 was very beneficial for Macular Degeneration in the eyes, and my sight has been noticeably declining in the last five years or so. I think I'll do the 5,000 IUs year round, along with 20mg of Lutein and some other supplements.

I've stopped taking Calcium Citrate supplements years ago, as I'm concerned with absorption and blockages in the arteries leading to stroke. I do take Magnesium Citrate and Vitamin K2 to keep any calcium I get from foods to my bones and not into my blood. I think that's where so many people have hardening of the arteries and narrowing with calcification.

I eat meat, but I still take a B-50 complex daily, I think that's beneficial for the nerves.
 
Regarding vitamin D, I think for many of us in the northern regions, it is self evident that we need to supplement and especially as more and more spend less and less time out doors. During the summer, we are outside every day for about 45 minutes walking the dog so I don't take any D, but the minute the weather changes, out come the vitamin D tablets.

And you brought up vitamin B12 SeaBreeze and while most vegans are deficient because they don't understand the necessity, at the same time, I was surprised to discover (after doing an extensive amount of research into it) that a huge number of the general population is also deficient. Reading a PubMed statement which said they'd looked at 18 studies that identified the following groups to be seriously deficient.

pregnant women 62%
children 25-86%
Adolescents 21-41%
Seniors 11-90%
Vegetarians/vegans 68-83%

The reasons for a B12 deficiency range from not getting it in your diet, to the overuse of Tums, an assortment of other medications, as well as a variety of disease processes.

"...PEOPLE WHO SUFFER FROM THE FOLLOWING are also at risk: crohn’s, pancreatic disease, weight loss surgery, fibromyalgia, celia disease, lack of intrinsic factor,alcoholism, those infected with h. pylori which causes ulcers, HIV, diabetes, people with eating disorders, people with gastrointestinal cancers.


Helicobacter pylori infection which causes stomach ulcers, indigestion, gastritis, stomach cancer and MALT lymphoma, can also cause a B12 deficiency. Curing the infection and the deficiency ceases to be a problem. (Stock, Alison. Links between Helicobacter pylori infection, cobalamin deficiency, and pernicious anaemia. Archives of Internal Medicine, Volume 160, May 8, 2000, pp.1229-30 (editorial)...'




I also found it interesting that there seems to be a link to autism like symptoms when it comes to B12 deficiency. Apparently, if a child is born to a deficient mother, she doesn't supply enough B12 pre-birth to build up his stores and then if he's breastfed, her milk won't provide enough either. A normal baby is born with about 25 mcg of B12 stored in his liver and once that runs out (potentially around 4-6 months) various functions start to become impaired. I read that in cases where it's determined that 'autistic' children are diagnosed early enough and are deficient, find some easing of the symptoms once they begin getting a B12 supplement. Unfortunately by then in some cases, neurological damage is already done and brain function can remain impaired.

I think that in this day and age, considering the growing obesity, cancer, heart disease and other medical problems around the world, it's pretty obvious that knowledge about diet and nutrition is not widespread.

The above table and my own research is one of the reasons that I'm becoming more outspoken about using B12 for almost everyone. My one uncle used to eat Tums like after dinner mints because he constantly complained about stomach pains. By the time he died at the age of 77, he was mentally foggy all the time, argumentative, had difficulty understanding much of anything, etc., and yet he was never diagnosed with Alzheimers. Because a B12 deficiency causes dementia like symptoms as one of its effects, my hunch is that his brain was suffering the effects of not getting enough of that vitamin. And yes, he was old school as are many/most here and had to have meat/dairy at almost every meal.
 

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