Dinu et al., (2017) definition of a vegan
A vegan is a person who does not use or eat animal products; they do not use soaps, clothes or other animal-sourced products nor consume dairy, gelatin, eggs or honey. In this regard, a vegan diet is a food lifestyle that excludes the consumption of any animal products. In the present day, there exist mixed views and perceptions among people and scholars on implications of vegan diet towards the health of the users. Some argue that vegan diet has may have adverse health effects on the individuals due to deficiency of some nutrients rich in animal products. Others contend that vegan diet has numerous health benefits because it comprises more dietary fiber, and less saturated cholesterol and fats. If strictly observed, a vegan diet exhibits numerous health benefits reducing multiple risks of lifestyle diseases, but it needs careful planning to avoid deficiencies of some nutrients.
Health benefits of a vegan diet
Vegan diet is richer in nutrients; for instance, it contains more antioxidants, fiber, and plant compounds that are beneficial besides having adequate vitamins E, C, and A, folate, magnesium, and potassium (Dinu et al., 2017). The vegan diet also plays a crucial role in enabling people to live a healthy lifestyle by helping them lose excess weight. Mishra et al., (2013) observed that in over an 18-week study period, a vegan diet enabled the research subjects to lose 4.2 kilograms more than a control diet. Furthermore, it was observed that a majority of the vegans have lower body mass indexes.
Additional health benefits of a vegan diet
Additionally, vegan diet reduces the pain from arthritis due to the probiotic-rich food, which significantly improves symptoms such as morning stiffness, joint swelling, and pain (Clinton, 2015). More so, health benefits of vegan diets include the ability to improve kidney function and lower blood sugar levels. Research by Dinu et al., (2017), shows that vegans have up to 50 to 78 % reduced threat of suffering from type 2 diabetes, higher insulin sensitivity, lower blood sugar levels besides being able to relieve symptoms of systematic distal polyneuropathy in people with diabetes that causes sharp and burning pains.
Reduction of heart diseases
Another health benefit of the vegan diet is the reduction of the occurrence of heart diseases. Vegan diet such as fiber, legumes, vegetables, and fresh fruits are said to lessen the possibility of developing heart ailments with observational studies projecting that vegans have 42 percent lower risk of death due to heart ailments and 75% reduced chances high blood pressure development (Dinu et al., 2017). Mishra et al., (2013) attributes these rates to the tendency of vegans in consuming nuts and wholes grains as well as the effectiveness of the vegan diet in reducing total cholesterol levels, LDL cholesterol, and blood sugar than other diets, a factors beneficial to the heart health in that it lowers the risk of heart diseases.
Protection against certain types of cancer
Vegan diet is said to protect individuals against certain types of cancer. Fruits are high in antioxidants to help protect the body from forming some types of cancer. More so, Oyebode et al., (2014) established that regular intake of legumes lowers the threat of acquiring colorectal cancer. The probability of dying from cancer is also checked by the consumption of seven portions of fresh vegetables and fruits per day. Soy products also protect individuals, especially women from breast cancer. Furthermore, Oyebode et al., (2014) claim that the tendency of vegans to eat considerably more vegetables, fruits, and legumes, and to avoid certain products from animals help in decreasing the chances of developing colon, breast, and prostate cancers.
Concerns about nutrient deficiencies
In spite of the multitude of health benefits discussed above, other researches hold a different opinion on the vegan diet. They argue that it leads to the deficiency of some essential nutrients such as zinc, iodine, calcium, iron, vitamin B12, and fatty acids (Craig, 2010). This trend affects the vegan's health, and in most cases, they are forced to take supplements like vitamin B12. However, this supposition only holds for those who take poorly planned vegan diets and therefore cannot be used to dismiss the health benefits realized by taking the vegan diet. Individuals can easily evade such nutrient deficiency situations by properly planning their diets to incorporate fortified foods and nutrient-rich whole plants.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a vegan diet exhibits an overly healthy lifestyle including reducing pain from arthritis, lowers the risk of developing heart diseases, protects the individuals against certain cancers, plays a critical role in improving kidney function and lowering blood sugar levels, vital in helping one lose excess weight, and is richer in particular nutrients. The argument that the vegan diet increases the risk of deficiencies of specific nutrients, found in animal products, especially fatty acids, calcium as well as vitamins B-12 and D does not hold if its intake is properly planned.
References
Clinton, C. M., O’Brien, S., Law, J., Renier, C. M., & Wendt, M. R. (2015). Whole-foods, plant-based diet alleviates the symptoms of osteoarthritis. Arthritis, 2015.
Craig, W. J. (2010). Nutrition concerns and health effects of vegetarian diets. Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 25(6), 613-620.
Dinu, M., Abbate, R., Gensini, G. F., Casini, A., & Sofi, F. (2017). Vegetarian, vegan diets and multiple health outcomes: a systematic review with meta-analysis of observational studies. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 57(17), 3640-3649.
Mishra, S., Xu, J., Agarwal, U., Gonzales, J., Levin, S., & Barnard, N. D. (2013). A multicenter randomized controlled trial of a plant-based nutrition program to reduce body weight and cardiovascular risk in the corporate setting: the GEICO study. Journal of clinical nutrition, 67(7), 718.
Oyebode, O., Gordon-Dseagu, V., Walker, A., & Mindell, J. S. (2014). Fruit and vegetable consumption and all-cause, cancer and CVD mortality: analysis of Health Survey data. J Epidemiol Community Health, jech-2013.
