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The rise of veganism -

For years now, veganism has been on the rise. Whether for moral, environmental, or health reasons, more and more people are choosing to eat vegan.

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Defining the term - Of course, veganism goes one step further than vegetarianism. Its followers avoid not only meat, but all animal products, including dairy and eggs.

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Health benefits for adults -

The number of vegans globally is on the up, and there is a growing body of research that suggests following a vegan diet can be beneficial to the health of adults.

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What about children? -

When it comes to children, however, the jury is still out. The cost-benefit analysis of veganism in children is a lot more complex than for adults.

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Nutritional need -

The first point to consider is that children need different nutrients at different stages of their development. If they don’t get the nutrients they need, the consequences can be disastrous.

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Small stomachs -

Children also need to eat food that is particularly nutrient-dense: they need lots of nutrients to support their growth and development, but they only have small stomachs.

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Feeding infants -

For infants, breast milk is widely considered to be the best way of providing all the nutrients and energy a baby needs to grow and thrive.

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Sad stories -

In fact, there have been tragedies in the past involving parents who misguidedly tried to nourish their infant by feeding them a vegan diet.

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Low calcium case -

In 2016, authorities in Milan took a one-year-old away from his parents after blood tests revealed he had dangerously low levels of calcium due to his vegan diet.

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Low calcium case -

According to media reports, the infant had the same levels of calcium in his blood as a three-month-old. It was barely enough for him to survive.

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Malnutrition case -

In 2017, a court in Belgium convicted the parents of a seven-month-old who had tragically died of malnutrition and dehydration.

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Malnutrition case -

His parents had been feeding him a diet of vegetable milk made from a mixture of oats, buckwheat, rice, and quinoa.

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Toddlers and young children -

For toddlers and young children, a vegan diet must be carefully planned to ensure they are getting all the nutrients they need at each stage of their development.

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Information deficit -

For a long time there was actually very little information available about the exact benefits and disadvantages of a vegan diet in children.

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2021 study -

That changed in 2021 when the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study comparing the outcome of vegan, vegetarian, and omnivorous diets in kids aged five to 10 years.

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Biggest study of its kind -

There were more than 50 children in each group, making this the largest study of its kind thus far (although the study was still relatively small).

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Good and bad - The study identified the good and the bad when it comes to veganism in kids. The good news was that the vegan kids were leaner with lower blood cholesterol.

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The good -

According to the authors of the study, this, along with other lower markers of cardiovascular risk, could mean that vegan kids will be at lower risk of heart disease later in life.

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The bad -

The bad news was that the children who followed a vegan diet were shorter and had lower bone mass than expected for children their age.

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Shortness -

According to Jonathan Wells, co-author of the study, the fact that the vegan children were shorter than expected is not necessarily an issue.

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Shortness - He suggested that these kids may reach puberty later and therefore extend their growing period, meaning they may grow taller as adults.

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Cause for concern -

The only finding that the researchers highlighted as concerning was the lower bone mineral density of the vegan children.

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Bone density -

According to Wells, "The bone reaches its optimal density by the early 20s. And so, if you don't build bone density at the time, you're not going to be able to do that later.”

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Consequences -

People with low bone density tend to feel its impact later in life, suffering from diseases such as osteoporosis as their bones grow more brittle.

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B12 -

It was also noted that nearly one third of the vegan and vegetarian children in the study were not taking any B12 supplements.

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Common knowledge -

Nowadays it is widely recognized that vegans in particular should supplement their diet with B12 tablets to ensure their levels are high enough.

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Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics -

Indeed, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in the US states that well-planned vegan and vegetarian diets are suitable for all ages.

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Supplements -

It also states, however, that vegetarians and vegans need to take B12, either in the form of supplements or in the form of fortified foods.

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Possible conclusion -

It might therefore be concluded that the plant-based diets of the children in the study may have had better results if they had been more nutritious.

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All in all -

As it stands, the authors of the paper wrote, "Vegan and vegetarian children need guidelines on how to eat healthfully, beyond advice on supplementation."

Sources: (BBC)

See also: The benefits of the rainbow diet

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