Should athletes adopt a vegan diet?

From theargus.co.uk

Over the past decade, there has been a rapid rise in the veganism movement amongst sports performers across the globe. Its benefits have been promoted and advertised world-wide with focus on how the diet can greatly improve a person’s health and, furthermore, their athletic performance. In fact, multiple footballers who competed in the 2022 World Cup are vegan, including Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, who made the change after acquiring injury, Gareth Bale and World Cup winner Leonel Messi, often referred to as the world’s best football player, was reported to have adopted elements of veganism into his dietary choices. 

So, there is scientific evidence to support the claim to an increase in health, but is following a vegan diet actually the key to success for athletes?

                      The vegan diet. Should athletes make the change? (Image: Anna Pelzer, Unsplash)

Research has shown that a vegan diet is often rich in foods containing nitric oxide, which has an anti-inflammatory effect; highlighting that by following this diet, athlete’s can benefit from reduced inflammation and therefore recovery times. Further studies reveal that athletes on a plant-based diet increase their VO2 max—the maximum amount of oxygen they can use during intense exercise—leading to better endurance. Factors such as these are some of the main benefits experienced by vegan athletes following the change in diet. In an interview with vegan basketball player, Wilson Chandler, he said, “my energy levels are higher, I recover faster, I feel stronger and I feel lighter”. Ultra-marathon winner Scott Jurek has also adopted this diet and wrote how since becoming a vegan, he too became stronger, faster, had reduced recovery time and felt that he could keep going when other athletes had stopped, quoting, “I wasn’t just a runner now, I was a racer.”

Following a vegan diet has already proven to have had a positive impact on many athletes, so why is there reluctance for a majority of athletes to make this change? The answer given is often concerns over the lack of protein a vegan diet has to offer. Low levels of vitamin B12 and sodium are also associated with people who are vegans, bringing about consequences such as muscle cramps, stiffness and an increased risk of stroke. Athletes can address this problem by supplementing their diet with other sources of these vital vitamins and minerals, but they must be aware of the deficiencies. 

The vegan diet can bring about great benefits for athletes when it is adhered to correctly, but it’s up to the individual themselves to decide if they will be disciplined enough, to ensure they are consuming enough of essential nutrients to avoid it having an undesired effect.   

https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/23201010.athletes-adopt-vegan-diet-zoe-neal-weald-school/