Risks of vegan diets laid bare, from bone disease to severe depression,
The death of a university student linked to a vitamin deficiency thought to be triggered by her veganism has sparked fears about the safety of the plant-based diet.
Georgina Owen, 21, from Essex, avoided eating meat, dairy, eggs and all other animal products for three years due to ‘environmental concerns.’
The ‘bright and able’ geography student took her own life while ‘suffering delusional beliefs brought about by a vitamin B12 deficiency developed as a result of her vegan diet’, an inquest heard.
Her death has reignited debate over the safety of the trendy diet, which studies suggest can also raise the risk of depression, bone breaks and even miscarriages.
An estimated 3.5million people in the UK are now thought to follow a plant-based diet, according to research by comparison site Finder, with numbers steadily increasing since 2023 – mainly driven by concerns about the environment.
Its popularity has also surged as a result of the so-called Veganuary trend – where people take up the diet for January. It’s thought that as many as a fifth of Britons now take part in Veganuary.
Experts say that, with the right precautions, a vegan diet has a number of health benefits. Studies show that vegans are less likely to suffer from heart disease, diabetes and cancer than meat eaters.
However, experts say that veganism can also trigger a number of harmful vitamin deficiencies.
Georgina Owen had followed a vegan diet for three years but took her own life in the midst of a delusional episode linked to B12 deficiency
Chief amongst these is a lack of vitamin B12 – a nutrient crucial to healthy bodily function which is not found in plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables and grains.
Instead, vitamin B12 is primarily found in meat, fish, milk and eggs – all products that vegans do not eat.
Research shows vitamin B12 is essential for the proper function of blood vessels and brain tissue.
For this reason, the NHS advises that vegans take a daily vitamin B12 supplement.
‘This is a vitamin that is fundamental to the function of the human body, and it is almost entirely absent from a vegan diet,’ Dr Julian Owen, consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, previously told The Daily Mail.
‘If supplements are not taken, after six months of going vegan, people can start to experience neurological symptoms such as anxiety, depression and even psychosis – symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency.’
Experts believe it was her failure to take a vitamin B12 supplement that led to the death of Georgina Owen.
The Swansea University student had not been taking her vitamin B12 supplements for at least six months prior to her suicide, the coroner was told.
A coroner’s court heard that her symptoms and blood tests correlated with signs of B12 deficiency
Instead, Miss Owen had switched to an ‘organic’ B12 oral spray supplement that delivered around one microgram of the vitamin every day. Adults need around 1.5 micrograms according to the NHS, roughly equivalent to one chicken breast, three eggs or two cups of milk.
Elizabeth Gray, the coroner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, concluded that a vitamin B12 deficiency caused Miss Owen to suffer anxiety and ‘psychiatric manifestations’ prior to her death.
Experts say that pregnant women are most at-risk of a B12 deficiency because they are more likely to have low levels in the first place.
In 2022, a major research paper, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, found that vegan diets were potentially dangerous for pregnant women, putting them in danger of developing pregnancy complications, low birth weight, pre-eclampsia and miscarriages.
Research shows the first symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency are often fatigue, brain fog, muscle weakness and tingling in the hands and feet.
However, experts say a vegan diet can trigger other serious deficiencies beyond vitamin B12.
Oat milk has come under fire for contributing to the rise in the number of people with vitamin deficiencies
In 2018, a University College London study warned that a lack of nutrients in a vegan diet, such as calcium (crucial for healthy bones), zinc and high-quality protein, could leave children malnourished and with ‘irreversible’ nerve damage.
In 2021, experts raised the alarm over the increasing popularity of dairy alternatives such as oat and almond milk – which are now drunk by a third of Britons – after Government figures revealed that nearly half of all girls aged 11 to 18 had an iron deficiency.
Dairy milk is an important source of iron, needed to make red blood cells which carry oxygen around the body. Countries such as Spain and Germany already actively warn parents against putting their children on a vegan diet.
