Veganism

Hello, I have encountered the claim that veganism could reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes or potentially help those affected by it. Is there any truth to this?

If a vegan diet demonstrates nutritional balance (which can be ensured) and is simultaneously based on the consumption of unprocessed foods, then yes, this is proven by numerous studies. In practice, however, it is not absolutely necessary to address the situation of diabetes with this extreme; a smaller proportion of meat or, in general, animal products does not harm metabolism in relation to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Hello,
I would like to inquire about the issue of pregnant vegans, specifically concerning their developing offspring and vitamin K2M4. I am interested in whether it is possible to obtain enough of this form of vitamin K2 from a well-rounded vegan diet for a pregnant woman and what its richest sources are.
Thank you.

A good source of K2 is fermented foods (the richest being natto), theoretically, the vegan population should not have a problem with this. A significant amount of K2 is also produced by the gut microbiome, which is another reason why individuals following a vegan diet with sufficient fiber intake should not exhibit signs of deficiency. However, the effects of this vitamin, whose role includes optimizing calcium metabolism, are up for debate. The intake of this element among vegans is significantly insufficient over the long term, and calcium present in plant-based foods is poorly utilized due to its binding to antinutritional factors. Personally, I would focus more attention on ensuring an adequate amount of well-utilized calcium for vegans, which is potentially a bigger issue/challenge at a general level than the hypothetical K2 deficiency (which most often occurs due to a disruption of gut microbiome diversity or absence of fermented foods in the diet).

Good evening,

I am considering how to achieve the ideal Ca-Mg ratio in a vegan, or at least get close to it. It is very difficult for me to reach this balance, and I tend to end up with an imbalance in favor of magnesium. In such a case, or generally for vegans, is it advisable to include calcium in the form of a supplement? Especially due to the more problematic absorption of Ca because of the higher content of antinutrients.

Thank you in advance and have a nice day.

In this task, you are addressing a situation that is a genuine problem in practice. For vegans, a higher magnesium-to-calcium ratio is typical, and it is a challenge to achieve balance at this level, especially without supportive supplementation. An increasing number of food manufacturers are attempting to fortify (not just purely vegan) products with calcium, so when planning a diet in real life, it's important to leverage the potential of these options.

If you do not ensure an adequate calcium intake, its long-term deficiency (or imbalance with magnesium) will primarily affect neuromuscular coordination (= reduces "tension") and decrease bone density (here, the presence of proteins in the diet, the Ca:P ratio, and the level of physical activity also have a significant influence).