Poland veg children study-importance of B12,D etc

David3

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Poland-Veg children study highlights importance of B12, D, calcium, iron

In March 2021, the peer-reviewed American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study on the comparative health status of omnivorous, vegetarian, and vegan children living in Poland: Growth, body composition, and cardiovascular and nutritional risk of 5- to 10-y-old children consuming vegetarian, vegan, or omnivore diets

The study highlights the importance of educating parents about the importance of vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, and iron in the diets of their veg children.

27% of the vegetarian/vegan children consumed no vitamin B12 supplementation (either as tablets, or as supplemented food).

Only 33% of the vegetarian/vegan children consumed vitamin D supplementation.

The consequences are predictable. The report showed that, on average, the vegan children in this study:
  • Had poorer vitamin B12 status than the omnivores.
    • 13% of the vegan children had B12 levels that likely indicated deficiency.
    • Veg children who regularly took B12 supplementation had normal B12 levels.
  • Had poorer bone mineral density than the omnivores.

The study doesn't criticise vegetarian/vegan diets, but it does demonstrate that vegetarian/vegan parenting education is not sufficiently effective, as least in the region of Poland where the study was conducted.
 
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