If the other side effects don’t kill you: Is A Vegan Diet The Best Option For Your Heart Health? Cardiologists Weigh In
Vegetarian eating led to 2 years of horror as I developed a B-12 deficiency causing:
- non-specific ST anomaly in my heart, irregular heart rate. The irregular heart rate ended once I was on B-12 supplements, although another test is set for early in 2025.
- non-viral hepatitis (can be cause or an effect of B-12 deficiency)
- gall bladder inflammation (can be caused by B-12 deficiency)
- tri-geminal nerve pain (can be caused by B-12 deficiency)
- migraines (was definitely caused by B-12 deficiency)
- visual auras/scotomas up to 10x per day (was definitely caused by B-12 deficiency)
- anemia (can be and likely caused by B-12 deficiency)
- chronic fatigue (was definitely caused by B-12 deficiency)
- Memory problems (was definitely caused by B-12 deficiency)
- hair loss (can be caused by B-12 deficiency but can be other causes)
- More
All of these physical problems cleared up after the B-12 deficiency was treated[1]. I spent $6000 out of pocket, mostly on tests that found nothing wrong; stumbled onto the B-12 deficiency entirely by accident (then confirmed by my doctor who now has me on B-12 supplements – after which all problems ended).
Unfortunately, I can’t get those 2 years back or permanent effects, like hair loss.
It’s a great diet as long as you ignore the problems!
Also never take health advice from a magazine writer.
If you want to go down the vegan or vegetarian path, talk to your doctor, consult with a dietician, have your blood levels tested at least annually, and use an app or spreadsheet to track your food intake.
[1] 11 months later the physical effects are gone. That’s good, however, recent blood tests had 4 results that suggested I might still have slight deficiency. I was taking B-12 and vitamin C together – and vitamin C inhibits the absorption of B-12. Eliminating vitamin C and switching to sublingual vitamin B-12 restored my energy levels and has likely solved the problem. While the irregular heart rate and ST anomaly is now gone after getting on B-12, the ECG found something else that will be reviewed again next year (it is likely a false positive finding).
