Veganism: Healthy Boon or Just a Fad Diet?

(Photo : Henry Geddes, Burst)
A study found out that the vegan diet has been associated with low BMI and bone-mineral density, which can lead to a higher risk of some fractures.

Veganism is not just abstaining from eating meat but also using all animal-derived, non-food products - including products that have been tested on animals. However, we cannot deny that the craze for this lifestyle came from the desire to have a healthier body. After all, in the current settings where obesity has become an epidemic, low-calorie superfoods like vegetables have shed hope.

Yet eating vegetables is different from completely eradicating animal-derived foods. And even the most optimistic scientists were raising questions about the long-term consequences of veganism, including whether it is true that it is really better than the omnivorous diet.

The cure for the cardiovascular epidemic?

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of premature death in the world, according to the World Health Organization. In the United States alone, at least one in every four people dies from a heart attack.

This is what David Rogerson at Sheffield Hallam University hoped to find a solution. According to his study published in 2017, one reason you should go vegan is to reduce the risk for the disease. He even cited some previous study that suggests reducing animal consumption will reduce inflammation.

Yet based on a small-scale study that involved both vegans and vegetarians, non-meat eaters were found to have a higher risk of haemorrhagic stroke. Tammy Tong, a researcher at the University of Oxford's Nuffield Department of Population Health, explained that it is possible because of vitamin B12 deficiency, which is common among vegans.

The study, however, acknowledged that more studies with wider scope must be done to prove this.

Various deficiencies?

There are many vegetables rich in calcium, like kale and broccoli, and it is proven that it is just as beneficial as their animal-derived alternative. However, these two population studies have found out that many vegans suffer from calcium deficiency which results to 30 percent increase of risk of bone fracture.

Tong explained that it could just be an association. For example, low BMI might also increase the risk for some fractures, and there are multiple studies that claimed vegans usually have lower BMI and bone-mineral density.

The craze for the vegan diet has also reached the athletes who are looking for ways to be "faster, higher, and stronger" legally, according to Richard Brennan, managing director of Sports Science Consultants. He is currently studying the changes in performance among meat-eaters athletes who shifted to a vegan diet.

There were some published studies that showed well-planned vegan diets for the elite athletes, but scientists have warned that there was not enough evidence to prove that it is ideal. They also feared that the diet could be "too restrictive" for competitive international athletes, who might suffer from malnutrition and various deficiencies, especially vitamin B12 (which plays a major role in oxygen transport) and calcium.

A health fad?

It is a common practice among capitalists to spend money on biased research and marketing tactics to create a fraudulent health fad that will make them earn money. By claiming their products will do some miracles, people will be encouraged to buy it.

Some capitalist might also be taking advantage of the craze for veganism. For instance, the recent Netflix documentary The Game Changer was criticized for presenting a selective, low-quality and anecdotal "facts" in the hope of encouraging people to go to an animal-free lifestyle. Moreover, the intention of the executive producers were questioned, after it was revealed that they co-founded a vegan food company.

The economic experts have predicted that the vegan food market will grow up to US$ 24.3 Billion by 2026.