long term medical effects of vegan

greenpilot

Hi, just read an article about a bloke who was vegan for 17 years and became seriously ill and was advised by doctors to return to meat. Is he the exception to the rule? I have two vegan friends and both of them are always sick but refuse to seek medical advice. To any docs looking at this, is there a large elephant in the room that vegans ignore..with regard to their health?

Killer_banana

I think veganism, like any diet, is as healthy or unhealthy as the person allows it to be. I'm not vegan (but hopefully will be some day) and I think it's only unhealthy if you don't find a way to replace the nutrients you would have been getting from animal sources. Basically I think whether you're a meat eater, a vegetarian or a vegan you'll be as healthy as long as you have a balanced diet which contains all the nutrients you need.

As for the guy who was told to return to meat I can't really comment since I don't know why he was ill. Like what was wrong and what caused it?

spiralbound

greenpilot wrote: »

Hi, just read an article about a bloke who was vegan for 17 years and became seriously ill and was advised by doctors to return to meat. Is he the exception to the rule? I have two vegan friends and both of them are always sick but refuse to seek medical advice. To any docs looking at this, is there a large elephant in the room that vegans ignore..with regard to their health?

Do you have a link to the article?

What's wrong with your vegan friends?

Serendipity99

Hi Greenpilot,
Do you mind if I ask are you vegetarian or vegan yourself?
Also, can you please give us the link to the article where you read this?

The doctor absolutely should NOT have encouraged this person to return to meat, since he was obviously ethically opposed to the idea of using animals for food.

There are plenty of vegan nutritionists who could have been consulted and could have given advice and direction on a properly-planned vegan diet.

Btw - if you are based in Dublin and you'd like to consult a vegan nutritionist, there is a lady called Malgorzata Desmond who specialises in these types of diets - she also appeared on TV3's morning show recently.

Vegan diets are HEALTHY and COMPASSIONATE. They are good for people, for animals and for the planet. I know many, many people who are vegan -ALL of them say that they would NEVER go back and that they love the diet and cruelty-free lifestyle.

GO VEGAN.

Slaphead07

Serendipity99 wrote: »

The doctor absolutely should NOT have encouraged this person to return to meat, since he was obviously ethically opposed to the idea of using animals for food.

Absolutely right. I never tell a medical professional that I'm vegetarian because they'll often use that to explain away whatever ailment I might have (I'm very rarely ill btw, just sayin').

A vegan diet should have the "long term effect" of great health and peace of mind... but, like all diets, not if it's unbalanced.

Breezer

Killer_banana wrote: »

I think veganism, like any diet, is as healthy or unhealthy as the person allows it to be. I'm not vegan (but hopefully will be some day) and I think it's only unhealthy if you don't find a way to replace the nutrients you would have been getting from animal sources. Basically I think whether you're a meat eater, a vegetarian or a vegan you'll be as healthy as long as you have a balanced diet which contains all the nutrients you need.

This.

Unfortunately, many people aren't very good at this. Eating meat is a much simpler way to get all your nutrients, which requires less thought. It also leads to increased rates of heart disease and cancer mind you.

Yours,
Vegan Doctor

Serendipity99

Breezer wrote: »

Unfortunately, many people aren't very good at this. Eating meat is a much simpler way to get all your nutrients, which requires less thought. It also leads to increased rates of heart disease and cancer mind you.

"Lack of thought" is what is causing meat and dairy consumers to die in large numbers from heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity. FAR more people die from lack of thought related to meat-eating than lack of thought related to a vegan diet.

So please everyone, do your research, find out what you need to eat on a well-planned vegan diet, and make the change - GO VEGAN!

spiralbound

Serendipity99 wrote: »

The doctor absolutely should NOT have encouraged this person to return to meat, since he was obviously ethically opposed to the idea of using animals for food.

You don't know his reasons for being vegan, it might have been for health reasons or environmental reasons.

bythewoods

A vegan lifestyle CAN undoubtedly be unhealthy if it's not balanced, and of course that is recognised by Medical Professionals.

A lot of vegans don't get the correct nutritional requirements, notably perhaps Vitamin B12, Iron and Calcium, and that's something which can have a huge impact on a person's health and it would be irresponsible for a Doctor not to advise their patient to alter unhealthy lifestyle habits which were negatively impacting on their health.

I don't think vegan lifestyles are necessarily unhealthy, I'm actually a vegetarian myself, and I don't eat a lot of dairy or eggs, so my diet is largely vegan. However, I'm meticulous in ensuring I get my vitamin/mineral requirements whereas a lot of people are not! A diet consisting of rice and apples isn't adequate, and there are of course vegans out there who do eat poorly-balanced diets like that, just as there are vegetarians who survive on cheese pizzas (and meat eaters who just eat sausages and chips!)

I'm a Medical Student, we are taught that poorly-managed veganism can be a risk factor for the development of certain illnesses and conditions. If you are a vegan (even vegetarian) then you are in a risk group for developing iron-deficiency anemia, for example. The consequences of a poor diet are far-reaching so of course it's important for healthcare professionals to be aware of it. A lack of Vitamin B12 can lead to pernicious anaemia, to reduced vision and colour blindness (optic neuritis), psychiatric complaints, numbness of the extremities... such a wide array of seemingly unconnected and almost random symptoms!
But, similarly, someone with a diet high in meat may be in a risk group for colorectal cancer, so that would be noted too. It's not some sort of discrimination like... pretty sure Doctors don't hate vegans or anything like that! If someone came into a Doctor with a bad cough they'd ask if they smoked, and similarly if diet is relevant to the presenting complaint then of course the Doctor will ask about it, and if it's seen to be the cause of the problem, then of course the Doctor will advise it's altered.

Slaphead07

bythewoods wrote: »

I'm a Medical Student, we are taught that poorly-managed veganism can be a risk factor for the development of certain illnesses and conditions. If you are a vegan (even vegetarian) then you are in a risk group for developing iron-deficiency anemia, for example.

Anyone with a poorly managed diet is in a risk group. That line of thinking is EXACTLY why I don't ell doctors upfront about being vegetarian.

Serendipity99

bythewoods wrote: »

A lot of vegans don't get the correct nutritional requirements, notably perhaps Vitamin B12, Iron and Calcium.

Hi,
How do you know that 'a lot of vegans' don't get the correct nutritional requirements? Do you have access to statistics on this, and if so, would you be kind enough to provide the link or source?
If what you are saying is in fact correct, then the vegan community needs to pull up its socks and ensure that every vegan is educated on what a proper, balanced diet entails.

Breezer

Serendipity99 wrote: »

Breezer wrote: »

Unfortunately, many people aren't very good at this. Eating meat is a much simpler way to get all your nutrients, which requires less thought. It also leads to increased rates of heart disease and cancer mind you.

"Lack of thought" is what is causing meat and dairy consumers to die in large numbers from heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity. FAR more people die from lack of thought related to meat-eating than lack of thought related to a vegan diet.

I think I said that.

Serendipity99

Breezer wrote: »

I think I said that.

You did.

I just said it again for emphasis.