People following a vegan diet may require additional omega-3 and vitamin B12 supplementation to reduce an excess risk of heart disease.
The review authors said that although meat eaters are known for having a significantly higher combination of cardiovascular risk factors than vegetarians, people following strict vegetarian and vegan diets are not immune from risk, as their diets tend to lack several key nutrients, including iron, zinc, vitamin B12, and omega-3.
Published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the reviewsuggests that following a vegan lifestyle that is low in omega-3 and vitamin B12, may have a high risk of developing blood clots and atherosclerosis – both of which increase the risk for heart attacks and stroke. As such, the authors suggest that an increased intake or supplementation of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin B12 may help to alleviate such risks.
“On the basis of the present data, it is suggested that vegetarians, especially vegans, could benefit from increased dietary intake of omega-3 PUFA and vitamin B12 and thus improve the balance ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 PUFA and vitamin B12 status … which may reduce any thrombotic tendency that might increase their generally low risk of cardiovascular disease,” said the review author, Duo Li from Zhejiang University, China.
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