Vegan diets are growing in popularity in young individuals, especially females. This new trend is a purposeful approach for better nutrition, ethical issues, using the earths resources and avoidance of antibiotics and growth stimulants in animals themselves. What is real health and nutritional status of a vegan diet?
To summarize a multitude of research*, vegans are thinner, have lower cholesterol and blood pressure, lower cardiovascular disease risk and lowered cancer of both colorectal and prostate.
Studies also have concluded that vegan diets could negatively affect bone health, BMD, poor supplementation and poor Vitamin D levels. You also need to watch Iron, Protein and B12 levels. More studies are needed and will follow but with adequate insight and supplementation a vegan diet looks at least as good as vegetarian and lactovegetarian diets.
“My only concern is more studies to address any association with diabetes and vegan carbohydrates and long-term potential protein depletion on muscle mass”- Dr. James Lewerenz. (*Presented at the “Fifth International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition. 2018. CA.)