Vitamin B12 deficiency is a serious risk for vegans and vegetarians
In a nutshell
Vitamin B12 deficiency represents a real health risk for vegans
This has been highlighted in recent updated American dietary guidelines
The Vegan Society describes as a “dangerous experiment” a diet without B12 supplementation
I highlight teachable articles on lifestyle from the mainstream press from time to time. This is a tragic story of vitamin B12 deficiency from Britain’s Daily Mail. The article’s headline says it all:
“University student took her own life after suffering from ‘delusional beliefs caused by her vegan diet’, inquest finds”
I’m not going to dwell on the article as it is accessible from the link. Sufficient to say, this is a tragic story and I hope that more people will pay attention to the consequences of specialty promoted dietary choices, especially in younger people.
Summary
Nutrient deficiencies caused by dietary choices can be a real health risk, something highlighted in the updated American dietary guidelines in which vegetarians and vegans are named as at-risk from nutrient deficiency.
The newspaper article highlights advice from The Vegan Society as follows:
“If for any reason you choose not to use fortified foods or supplements you should recognise that you are carrying out a dangerous experiment - one that many have tried before with consistently low levels of success.”
Additional popular press articles
2026 - The Times - Children should not drink plant “milk”
2026 - Sunday Telegraph, A misleading article on dietary fibre
2025 - Wall Street Journal, Positive results of eliminating ultra-processed-food for one month
2025 - Sunday Telegraph, The six signs that you may have a food addiction
2025 - Daily Mail, Nutrient-Dense Low Carbohydrate Diets Outperform GLP-1 Drugs for Weight Loss
2025 – Daily Mail, Carnivore diet replaced drugs for ADHD and Depression
2025 - Guardian, A lack of vitamins and minerals from food increases NHS hospital admissions
2024 - Sunday Telegraph, “…a healthy brain requires a meaty diet”