The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND, USA) have published a new position paper, this time only regarding vegetarian/vegan non-pregnant adults: Vegetarian Dietary Patterns for Adults: A Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. As before (2016), they combined ovo-lacto-vegetarians and vegans in one paper.
Note that the currently published version of the paper is a journal pre-proof. Some minor changes might still be made. Side note: I found some disceprancies in the paper and contacted the first author, but these I will not address here. --> Update: the final version has now been published, and they did in fact correct some of the mistakes I pointed out!
Interesting points for your enjoyment:
This will probably be widely cited again by vegan organisations:
"It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that, in adults, appropriately planned vegetarian and vegan dietary patterns can be nutritionally adequate and can offer long-term health benefits such as improving several health outcomes associated with cardiometabolic diseases."
Potential benefits and risks of vegetarian diets:
"[...] Moderate quality evidence indicates that vegetarian, including vegan, dietary patterns are associated with reduced cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence compared to non-vegetarian dietary patterns. Low and very low quality evidence demonstrates several other potential benefits of following vegetarian and/or vegan dietary patterns, including reduced risk of CVD mortality and overall cancer incidence, reduced blood pressure, reduction in some blood lipids and C-reactive protein concentrations, and lower body mass index (BMI). However, low and very low quality evidence also describes some potential concerns of following vegetarian and vegan dietary patterns for adults in the general population, including lower bone mineral density as well as increased risk of fractures and lower vitamin B12 and vitamin D concentrations for those following vegan dietary patterns. [...]"Healthy dietary patterns:
"[...] Through an emphasis on:
a) consuming a variety of nutrient-dense whole foods that provide essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytonutrients; and
b) moderating intakes of highly processed foods that are often high in saturated fats, sodium, refined carbohydrates and added sugars,
individuals can improve and maintain cardiometabolic health. [...]"
Calcium:
"[...] To ensure adequate calcium intake, vegetarians and especially vegans should consume at least 2-3 daily servings of calcium-rich foods with good bioavailability including calcium-fortified soymilk and other calcium-fortified plant-milk alternatives, cruciferous dark leafy green vegetables such as kale, calcium-set tofu, and calcium-fortified orange juice. [...]"Vitamin D:
"Vegan women taking vitamin D and calcium supplements had the same risk of hip fractures as non-vegetarians, while vegans who did not take these supplements had almost a 3 times higher risk. [...]"Bones:
"[...] Vegan clients should also be aware of the potential for increased fracture risk, reduced bone mineral density, and low concentrations of vitamins B12 and D, though available evidence was of low or very low quality. [...]"
--> My recommendation: Make sure to get enough vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, and protein (see here).
EPA/DHA:
" [...] In adults, DHA is essential from a physiological perspective, particularly for normal brain functioning. However, only ALA is essential as a dietary requirement through food or supplements, as ALA can be converted to EPA and further into DHA, though conversion may be limited. [...][...] vegetarians and vegans consistently show decreased risk for CVD and other adverse outcomes that have been associated with low long-chain n-3 intake. Although DHA/EPA supplements (ie, fish or algal oils) up to about 5g/day are generally considered safe [I am not sure 5 g per day is safe for everyone (see here)], increased risks [!] for certain CVD outcomes and depression in some individuals have been reported. EPA and DHA can be obtained through vegan algal supplements if desired or recommended by a nutrition and dietetics practitioner, although this may not be a requirement for health or disease prevention [...].
Until consistent evidence from intervention trials can establish daily dosages for EPA/DHA in vegetarians and vegans, advice for healthy adults should focus on sufficient and regular intakes of ALA-rich foods, which also provide an array of health-promoting phytonutrients and fiber. [...]"
Choline:
"[...] Micronutrients of concern when consuming vegetarian, including vegan, dietary patterns include vitamin B12, iodine, iron, choline, and vitamin D. Calcium can also be a concern for vegans. Individual assessment of dietary intake, clinical status, and biochemical indices is necessary before making specific supplement recommendations [I don't agree (see here)]. [...]
Limited evidence suggests choline intake among vegans and vegetarians may be considerably below the adequate intake. Vegans and vegetarians should ingest a variety of nuts, legumes, soy products, cereal, and wheat germ daily to improve their choline intake.
[...]"
[Choline sources:] "Nuts, legumes, soy products, quinoa, wheat germ, cereal"
Reference:
Sudha Raj, Nanci S Guest, Matthew J Landry, A Reed Mangels, Roman Pawlak, Mary Rozga: Vegetarian Dietary Patterns for Adults: A Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, J Acad Nutr Diet, 2025 Feb 7:S2212-2672(25)00042-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2025.02.002. Online ahead of print.
