Is Veganism Healthy or Harmful?

This video defines veganism and explores the benefits and pitfalls of following a vegan diet. This video explores the effectiveness of vegan diet and the related health results. We also interview a vegan, Aïda Retta, of the Vegans of UBC club in order to get their first-hand experience of following the vegan diet and to dispel any myths associated with veganism.

This video was created by McMaster University students Najih Shabir, Viraj Sharma, Gabrielle Retta, and Abanoob Tawadrous in collaboration with the McMaster Demystifying Medicine Program.

This video is provided for general and educational information only. Please consult your health care provider for Information about your health.

Copyright McMaster University 2019.

Resources:

CNN. (2015, April 08). 100 year-old shares secrets to long life - CNN Video. Retrieved
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Vegetarian, vegan diets and multiple health outcomes: A systematic review with meta-analysis of observational studies.
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3640–3649.
Herrmann, W., & Geisel, J. (2002). Vegetarian lifestyle and monitoring of vitamin B-12 status. Clinica Chimica Acta; International Journal of Clinical Chemistry, 326(1–2), 47–59.
Kaltenbach, J. (2015, November 04). Vegetarian, Vegan, Pescatarian, Beegan – decoding different plant based diets. Retrieved from

[michaelhart]

Went vegan for 2 months. I felt week and tired all the time. I had 2 slices of cheese in my subway veggie sandwich. Swear to god it saved my life!

[Sarina]

In my country, around 1% of people are vegan, yet many more people have a B12 deficiency. Same goes for iron, Vitamin D and Zinc. It's not just a vegan problem, it's about the way people eat. If you eat a balanced vegan diet, you only have to substitute B12. Then again, the animals get that as a substitute in their food as well. So you don't necessarily have to eat meat if you don't want to.

[sleeplesshead]

I don't know this kind of vegan trend until I discover on Youtube. Lol. In my country, meat is part of the food culture as well. The well balanced food is along with vegetables and fruits.

[indreamluo]

I will admire vegan as long as the person doesn't stand on a moral high ground.

[arnoldcohen]

Vitamin B12 is supplemented in factory farming due to the animals also being low in vitamin B12 due to low cobalt in the soil from modern farming methods. Why eat the animal for B12 which is being supplemented when you can supplement direct?

[evedestructionbroadcasting]

The vegan risk of stroke is due to lack of B12. B12 is derived primarily from bacteria, not meat. That's an unfortunate thing. Most meat is factory farmed. The animals aren't fed a natural diet which would normally contain B12. They're fed the same kinds of grains and beans that a vegan would eat. Because of that, farmers supplement their livestock with B12. This supplement ends up in the meat. This is called fortification. The whole reason the meat contains B12 is because of human intervention (supplementation) just like Vitamin D fortified milk.
So, in short, omnivores are unknowingly supplementing b12 through fortified foods. It's unfortunate that vegans are marginalized still, and as a result don't really have any fortified foods. So, we have to supplement or eat a vast array of foods that omnivores don't have to eat because of fortification and supplementation.

This is one of the main arguments I get from people "well, if you have to supplement your diet with vitamins, then your diet is inferior." The fallacy here is... Most omnivores supplement, or at the very least consume fortified foods, which for all intents and purposes is the same thing as supplementation. If we're all supplementing, then can supplementing even be grounds to throw out the vegan diet? I mean, the human body adapted to needing B12 because of the B12 present in untreated water which we drank up until just 150 years ago or less. Everybody has to supplement or fortify. It's not a case of which diet is better, but a case of "our bodies became accustomed to this being present in our water, we now remove it from the water, so what are we going to do about it?" Shall we continue fortifying meat and eating meat to get our B12? A food product known to increase risk of cancer and heart disease? Or fortify vegan foods and eat those instead?

[jennifert]

I've been a vegetarian for 28 years, now starting a vegan diet. I have never been healthier. I have no health problems and I am almost 50 years old.

[siennamay]

One of my friends was a strict vegan for 10 years and he was recently hospitalised with a number of health problems - and the doctors told him it's due to his poor diet, specifically he's not getting enough protein.

[blessedlife]

I'm trying out a wholefood plant based diet, but I'm slightly skeptical with regards to fish (EPA/DHA - I get that fish gets it from algae but I'm unsure if the ones that I'm buying is a healthy or harmful). Doing my research, its a bit frustrating when there are mixed messages online but that's all part of the process I guess - I'm not talking about this video, just in general

[ster]

Bruh that's the worst Euler diagram I've ever seen in my life. Vegans are a subset of lacto-vegetarians and those are a subset of lacto-ovo-vegetarians

[卢军宏台长心灵法-ud]

Always maintain a pure heart and refrain from telling lies, then you will have a clear conscience even if you have done sth worng.

[fin]

Apparently a pescatarian diet (vegetarian diet that includes fish) is actually better than cutting out all animal products

[lauralima]

I would like to highlight that any human being can have a b12 deficiency because it’s a bacteria that’s commonly found on water, and because we consume clean water, we don’t get it naturally. Non- vegans get it from meat taking into account that animals are drinking water with b12. Even if you’re vegan or not you should worry about b12, due to the lack of this vitamin in our daily lives.

[Rolando_Cueva]

Meat is good, we need proteins.

Sugar tho, we don’t actually need sugar.

[silentmountain]

I'm vegan and I don't feel hungry

[dukenukem]

the only thing i hate about vegans is how they think everyone else should be vegans too. like bro, you do you. don't try to convert everyone else lmao

[CosyBibi]

“One of the most important books I’ve read about veganism when I started was How Not To Die”

[someguy]

Bottom line- A vegan diet can be very healthy as long as you take a B12 supplement.

[Awesommmm]

“Vegan and vegetarian diets are associated with increased risk for nutrients deficiency such as B12 ....primarily derived from animal meat.” Wrong!
While a vegan diet is lacking in B12, a vegetarian diet is not. Milk, cheese, eggs are some of the best sources of B12. In fact, as the body ages it’s effectiveness to absorb B12 diminishes. However, B12 in dairy has been shown to have one of the highest bioavailabilities (better than synthetic or chemically derived B12 found in supplements).
Saying all that, one should point out that although studies have shown a plant based diet is indeed associated with better heath overall (is that because Vegans generally prioritise health more like exercising often, take supplements, going to bed early, meditating, eating well, being good...etc. in comparison to say meat eaters ?), but the same studies also found that the most effective anti cancer diet profile was a vegetarian (and pescatarian) diet, possibly due to its high nutrient content like B12 and the presence of good microorganisms (found in cheese, yogurts, kefir).
Dude, please get your facts right. Kids watch these videos when deciding on whether they should be vegan/vegetarian etc. These kind of points are hella important.

[louisaugust]

Netflix -The Game Changers got me into finding out more about veganism. 72 years old exactly what I need to hear at this point in my life. Health and weight are always on my mind for most of my life. I've always admired slim people