Russian nutrition expert Yelena Solamatina has warned that the body absorbs some valuable nutrients from plant-based foods much less efficiently than those found in animal products.
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“Protein from animal products has better bioavailability. The human body needs this nutrient continuously,” she said.
The expert noted that protein is a fundamental building block of the body, forming muscles, skin, hair, enzymes, blood vessels, joints, the immune system and much more.
On this basis, Solamatina warned that a vegan diet is entirely unsuitable for children, arguing that growing bodies need increasingly large amounts of protein. Without it, children may become ill more frequently and fail to develop normally.
Giving up animal products can also be particularly risky for older adults, whose protein requirements increase with age. Protein deficiency raises the risk of fractures and muscle loss, a condition known as sarcopenia.
The expert also noted that a vegan diet may harm the health of women of childbearing age, who are more susceptible to iron deficiency than others. Iron from meat is absorbed more efficiently, she said. A deficiency in this micronutrient can lead to anemia and, in severe cases, may cause miscarriage or fetal abnormalities.
