Have any of you got checked out medically after becoming a vegan?

[Circlingthedrain]

Have any of you got checked out to make sure you're not deficient in anything?

[thegreenjudy]

Yes..I'm in the uk and my gp said they don't usually do that unless I have symptoms of deficiencies but as I needed to get a test done for something else anyway she said she'll put it on the form...it was only 3 months after becoming vegan and I am perfectly healthy:-)

[harpy]

Mine did a B12 check and said that was "fine" - that was after I'd been vegan for about 17 years

[Firestorm]

I have an annual poke and prod at the diabetes centre every 12 months and the results are always normal.

[Daffodil]

will the NHS do a blood test for vitamin/mineral deficiencies for free then? I'd love to have one done.

[AaronM]

Mine did a B12 check and said that was "fine" - that was after I'd been vegan for about 17 years

I've always been intrigued by how much truth there is to the b12 thing, every source I see is insanely biased one way or the other. How much supplemented stuff do you eat at that, or is it just from a variety of vegetables? Just been trying to figure if the multivitamins are really necessary.

[Daffodil]

well 4 or 5 cups of tea a day made with alpro soya milk (which is fortified with B12) is a day's B12 RDA. so i always have too much B12.

[deniselynn]

I was low for B12, I am supplementing.

[Robinwomb]

I've been vegan for 14 months now and so far all my test results have been excellent, some even improved from omnivore days.

Feb of this year (one year vegan), I had a free screening offered at work (I work at a medical hospital/complex) as part of a health assessment. Here are those results:
total cholesterol: 125 mg/dL
LDL cholesterol: 60 mg/dL
HDL cholesterol: 56 mg/dL
triglycerides: 46 mg/dL
glucose: 83 mg/dL (fasted for 24 hours prior and also for the other above tests)
blood pressure: 106/62

As an omnivore in 2010 my total cholesterol was 155 mg/dL (30 mg/dL higher than as a vegan) and HDL 62 (slightly better than as a vegan but not by much).

Last August, 7 months into being vegan, my vitamin D levels tested at a healthy 70 ng/ml (I supplement with D2 but was also riding my bike for an hour a day outdoors and I did not use sunblock). Levels might be lower now as I live in a northern climate and dont get as much sun in the winter.

Last summer I also had my B12 levels checked just to be safe and while I dont have those results on hand, I was told they were well within normal range. Of course that was only 7 months into being vegan. I do supplement with a b complex to be safe and consume nutritional yeast and plant milks fortified with B12.

I also had my thyroid levels checked recently as I have hypothyroidism and get them checked two or three times a year. My free T4, free T3, and TSH were all smack in the middle of normal range.

So I guess I am good to go for a while. I havent had iron levels checked but I do consume several cups of leafy greens daily and other sources and my energy level is fine. I am also post menopausal.

forgot to mention I was diagnosed with osteoporosis in 2006 as an omnivore at the age of 34. I consumed yogurt daily. Guess that didnt matter. I also had a full hysterectomy/removal of ovaries the year before that and had been on thyroid meds for many years so it's assumed those factors contributed to it as well as being small and at times underweight. I have not broken anything yet but I do supplement with calcium and vitamin D, eat a very healthy whole foods diet, lift weights and carry heavy packs on hikes (10-40 lbs depending on the type of hike), and am on a bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. I have been able to improve my dexa scores with this strategy.

[harpy]

will the NHS do a blood test for vitamin/mineral deficiencies for free then? I'd love to have one done.

I think it may be up to the individual GP - I didn't actually ask but mine decided to do it because they were doing a cholesterol test anyway and I had mentioned being vegan. No harm in asking. (I think mine just checked for B12 though I have had iron ones done in the past.)


I've always been intrigued by how much truth there is to the b12 thing, every source I see is insanely biased one way or the other. How much supplemented stuff do you eat at that, or is it just from a variety of vegetables? Just been trying to figure if the multivitamins are really necessary.

I eat yeast spread fortified with B12 virtually every day (used to be Marmite, now Natex) but not in vast quantities. As far as I can remember (;)) since being vegan I have always popped the odd tablet containing vitamin B12 (now Veg-1 from the Vegan Society) - probably only about twice a week on average though I'd say. I wouldn't rely on vegetables for it personally, I don't think enough is known about that.

[Lilystein]

Yes, all vitamin levels are good (Veganism actually resolved my vitamin D deficiency ha!). I'm healthy except for a low functioning thyroid - most likely due to the fact I don't consume anything with Iodine in so I've ordered a supplement.

[LouiseAbel]

I've been vegan for just over 2 and a half years and had blood tests done a few weeks ago, which all came back fine.