- Vegan diets are often associated with good health
- A recent study, however, found that following a vegan diet may lead to nutritional deficiencies
- The results indicate that vegan diets could lead to poor bone health
Veganism, a practice that involves abstaining from all animal products, has become increasingly popular in recent years.
Many studies have been done on the topic, with most highlighting the benefits of being vegan, such as helping with weight loss, reduced levels of inflammation and improved moods.
The potential risks associated with following a vegan diet have not been explored as much. Fortunately, a recent cross-sectional study followed up on existing scientific evidence which suggests that a vegan diet may be associated with impaired bone health. The findings indicate that people following a vegan diet appeared to have poorer bone health compared to another group who ate a mixed diet.
Assessing heel bones
A team of German researchers conducted the study which involved 72 participants – 36 vegans and 36 omnivores (people who eat a mixed diet of meat and plant-based foods).
In order to evaluate the bone health of participants, their heel bones were assessed by means of ultrasound measurements, and the team also looked at the differences between vegans and omnivores in levels of nutrition and bone-related biomarkers in blood and urine.
Nutrition vital for bone health
The team identified 28 biomarkers, of which 12 were deemed essential for bone health: lysine, urinary iodine, thyroid-stimulating hormone, selenoprotein P, vitamin A, leucine, α-klotho, n-3 fatty acids, urinary calcium/magnesium, vitamin B6, and FGF23.
Results of the study indicate firstly, that vegans have lower levels of vitamin A, B2, lysine, zinc, selenoprotein P, n-3 fatty acids, urinary iodine, and calcium.
Secondly, the results indicated that compared to participants who ate a mixed diet, vegan participants had poorer bone health.
“A vegan diet is often considered health-conscious. However, our scientific findings indicate that a vegan diet does affect bone health,” said Dr Andreas Hensel.
The research team noted that further studies are needed to confirm their findings.
Image credit: Pixabay
