Could being on a vegan diet increase your chances of blood clots?
Veganism is going mainstream. According to the Washington Post, in a 2009 survey, Vegetarian Resource Group reported about 1 percent of Americans are vegan, roughly a third of the people who reported being vegetarians.
But there have also been questions about how to live a healthy vegan life. Is supplementation required? A new study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and reported on Nutra Ingredients suggests that following a vegan diet may increase risk of developing blood clots and atherosclerosis. As a result, the authors suggest supplementation of Omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin B12 to mitigate risks.
According to review author, Duo Li from Zhejiang University, China:
On the basis of the present data, it is suggested that vegetarians, especially vegans, could benefit from increased dietary intake of omega-3 PUFA and vitamin B12 and thus improve the balance ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 PUFA and vitamin B12 status … which may reduce any thrombotic tendency that might increase their generally low risk of cardiovascular disease.
