The vegan movement is very active in digital media and has been pursuing a determined awareness campaign which often provokes strong reactions in omnivores, managing to challenge long-established habits and attitudes. The polarization of the debate between opposing fanaticisms risks diverting the discourse from its logical tracks, namely, evaluations of the consequences for personal health of a choice made for ethical reasons.
Therefore, with this article we want to absolutely objective attitude, outline the merits and demerits of the vegan diet (which also lacks eggs and dairy products) from the perspective of food quality and health consequences.
The AND (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) a U.S. institution among the most authoritative in the field, published research in 2009 that explicitly confirms what had already been published in 1996 and 2003, outlining a 20-year trend which leaves little doubt. The conclusions of the AND report, which is based on 256 international scientific articles, are clear: "properly planned vegetarian diets - including vegan diets-are healthy, nutritionally adequate, and can confer health benefits in the prevention and treatment of some diseases typical of modernity." Let's see together which ones.
Hypertension
When blood pressure values exceed 140 for maximum and 90 for minimum, the risk of vascular problems such as heart failure, stroke, and heart attack increases considerably. In addition, hypertension also damages the small vessels of the kidney and eye, causing kidney failure and visual problems.
This is a very common condition in Italy, affecting 33% of adults. A diet of plant foods keeps blood pressure values in the normal range, an effect that depends on the high potassium contents of the chosen foods and on the effects on body weight reduction and blood viscosity.
Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is a disease characterized by chronic inflammation of large- and medium-caliber arteries. Inflammation due to the accumulation and oxidation of lipoproteins in the arterial wall, an event that produces a set of lesions, the most typical of which is atherosclerotic plaque. Over the years, atherosclerotic plaques cause heart attack, brain stroke and obstructive arteriopathy of the lower limbs. Atherosclerosis is the major cause of death in industrialized countries and can occur even in young people.
Obesity and overweight
Many medical studies agree in associating overweight people (with body mass index between 25 and 30) with a Reduction in life expectancy by at least 10 years, with high prevalence in the later years of life of diseases affecting the osteo-articular structure and circulatory system.
Obesity (BMI over 30), on the other hand, has been named the second leading cause of "preventable death" after smoking. Keeping weight under control is therefore a priority for the health of men and women.
By choosing to eat natural, low-calorie plant foods and adopting a non-sedentary lifestyle it is then possible to increase both life expectancy and quality of life.
Diabetes mellitus
It is a disease generated by the body's inability to control sugar metabolism, due to the lack of the right amounts of insulin, the hormone responsible for this regulatory action.
To prevent type 2 diabetes, the most common, one must adopt a diet in which there is an abundance of complex carbohydrates and fiber, with limited amounts of fat, calories and sugar.
Cancer
An increasingly common disease in our society, caused by environmental pollution, incorrect lifestyles and poor eating habits. In particular. Some types of cancer, such as colorectal and breast cancer, have been associated with the typical diets of different peoples in research lasting several years. In our country, a high incidence of such cancers is found in the population of Emilia Romagna, a land where pork consumption is particularly high.
These studies led to the World Health Organization's October 2015 warning about the risks of eating processed meats. The cancer prevention guidelines recommend the consumption of fruits and vegetables and not surprisingly, the vegetarian groups involved in the research have shown a lower statistical incidence (even 30%) of these types of cancer.
The shortcomings of the vegan diet
The most common problem with regard to the vegan diet is that of theInsufficient supply of certain minerals and vitamins, such as iron, calcium, vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Moreover, even from a protein point of view, the average daily amount can easily fall below the threshold of sufficiency, as the protein content in plant foods is low.
It should also be emphasized that the absorption of iron in the human body depends on its form in the food in question. Hemic iron is better absorbed than non-hemic iron, and the difference in absorption can go as far as 75%.
Excessive fiber intake can also generate problems, creating an excess of phytic acid, a substance that hinders the absorption of certain minerals, mainly calcium, iron and zinc, which we have seen are already low in the vegan diet.
Sources:
nutritionsuperior.co.uk
my-personaltrainer.com
