Vitamins & Minerals

A five-point bone checklist for vegans on World Osteoporosis Day, 20 October: a daily calcium target of 950 mg, vitamin D in winter, enough protein, strength training at least twice a week, and knowing when to ask about a bone scan.

Pins and needles or numbness in the hands and feet is a common sign of B12 deficiency, and vegans without regular B12 are at risk. Which test to ask for, how to read the result and which numbness is an emergency.

This is one of the few places where the evidence on vegan diets is genuinely uncomfortable. In the largest prospective study, vegans had more than twice the rate of hip fracture of meat eaters. But the same studies show where the difference comes from, and what closes it: supplementation and resistance training.

Serum B12, the test most vegans are given, is the weakest one on the list. A meta-analysis of 17 studies and a review of 141 studies set out what serum B12, homocysteine, ferritin, 25(OH)D, zinc and urinary iodine can and cannot tell you.

Choline is an essential nutrient found mainly in animal foods, and vegans eat less of it. What EFSA and the US recommend, which plant foods supply it, what studies measured in vegans, what a 2025 trial found, and when pregnancy makes choline worth planning for.

Why the soil sets how much selenium plant foods carry, how EFSA, US and TÜBER reference intakes and upper levels compare, what two Brazil nuts actually delivered in a trial, what studies show about vegan selenium status, and why large supplement trials argue for enough rather than extra.

Why phytate changes the zinc arithmetic on a vegan diet, how the European, US and WHO reference intakes differ, the best plant sources per portion, the kitchen methods that improve absorption, and how to use a supplement safely.

How much vitamin D adults need, what sunlight provides at Turkish latitudes, UV-exposed mushrooms and fortified drinks, vitamin D2 versus lichen-derived D3, label reading and safety limits.