Fortified foods and dietary supplements key to bone health in vegan diets, says study

From medicalxpress.com

The MIRA2 study conducted at the University of Helsinki investigated bone metabolism and the intake of nutrients critical to bone health, such as calcium, vitamin D and protein. The study involved children residing in Helsinki aged between two and seven who followed a vegan, vegetarian or omnivorous diet, as well as their caregivers.

The findings are published in the European Journal of Nutrition.

The study subjects following a vegan diet adhered almost without exception also to the recommendations on the consumption of dietary supplements and fortified foods, and they had on average adequate vitamin D and calcium intakes.

The children on a vegan diet had higher vitamin D intake than those on an omnivorous or a vegetarian diet due to more active consumption of vitamin D supplements with higher doses. On average, vitamin D status measured from blood was also adequate in all diet groups.

The study found that the more plant-based diets, namely vegan and vegetarian ones, were in adults associated with higher concentrations of bone formation and resorption markers, which may indicate accelerated bone metabolism.

In contrast, more plant-based diets among children were associated with higher parathyroid hormone concentrations, which have been associated with more active bone resorption. While these observations can indicate long-term adverse effects on bone health, their clinical significance is unclear.

"The calcium naturally occurring in plant-based foods is fairly poorly absorbed. In fact, the widespread vitamin D and calcium fortification of plant-based dairy alternatives in Finland is important for the adequate intake of these nutrients among vegans and, consequently, for their bone health," says Docent Suvi Itkonen from the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki.

Many international studies have raised concerns about the potential adverse effects of vegan diets on bone health. However, these studies have typically targeted populations where vitamin D intake is low, the selection of vegan products on the market is narrow, and the consumption of fortified foods or dietary supplements is less widespread than in Finland.

                                                                                      Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Vegan diets require careful planning, especially for children

The researchers found that vegans and vegetarians had lower protein intake compared to those who followed an omnivorous diet, although on average it was adequate. Proteins are composed of amino acids.

"It's possible that the poorer absorption and different amino acid composition of plant-based proteins compared to animal proteins partly explain the observed differences in bone metabolism, but more research is needed on the topic. In fact, we will next investigate amino acid intake among the MIRA2 subjects and the amino acid composition of vegan diets," Itkonen says.

The MIRA2 dataset was collected in Helsinki, where vegan food in daycare centers and various vegan food products are abundantly available. The families who participated in the study were well versed in guidelines for vitamin D supplementation and fortified food consumption.

"People in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area live in a kind of veggie bubble. Due to that, one has to keep in mind that the findings of the study are not directly applicable to the populations of other regions or countries," Itkonen points out.

The nutrition recommendations published last autumn emphasize a predominantly plant-based diet, restricting meat consumption and moderating milk consumption.

If a food is entirely excluded from the diet, it is important to replace it with nutritionally comprehensive alternatives. When planning a vegan diet for children and adolescents, a visit to a registered dietitian is recommended.

"In terms of bone health, it is essential when consuming plant-based drinks and yogurt-like products to choose the option fortified with calcium and vitamin D," Itkonen notes.

"Children should take a daily vitamin D supplement throughout the year. If the daily diet contains no margarines, dairy products or plant-based drinks fortified with vitamin D, and if fish is eaten less than two to three times per week, it's important to ensure adequate vitamin D intake, especially during the dark season, by taking a vitamin D supplement. Among vegans, the need for vitamin D supplementation is common."

Other findings in the MIRA2 study related to, among other things, lipid metabolism, metabolomics and the intake of other nutrients will be published in the future.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-fortified-foods-dietary-supplements-key.html 

New plant-based pork ribs to feature edible vegan bones

From theguardian.com

Exclusive: Company says some may see the bones as ‘ideological provocation’ but motivation was avoiding waste 

Plant-based pork ribs with a twist – edible vegan bones – will soon make their debut on diners’ plates, a vegan food company has announced.

The idea of the edible bones, produced by Juicy Marbles, began with the manufacturer wanting the bones to be compostable, but then realising they could also be eaten. The first products will be available from the end of August in the UK, EU and US.

The price has yet to be set and the company will gather customer feedback from the first batches to tweak the product’s recipe, name and packaging before the full launch. The cost will be higher than regular ribs, which are generally a cheap meat product.

Makers of plant-based meat are continuing to innovate, but some big companies in the sector have had a slump in sales as the cost of living crisis pushes shoppers towards cheaper regular meat.

Cutting traditional meat consumption in rich nations, where people already eat more red meat than is healthy, is vital to tackling the climate crisis. Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture are dominated by those from livestock, particularly cattle, which make up 15% of all global emissions.

Plants cause far lower emissions. Cutting meat and dairy consumption also slashes pollution, and land and water use, with scientists saying it is the single biggest way for people to reduce their impact on the planet.

“To some, bones from plants may be an ideological provocation, but we shouldn’t take these things too seriously,” said Vladimir Mićković, co-founder of Juicy Marbles, which is based in Slovenia. “It’s just fun. Bones invite you to eat with your hands and share [food] with the whole table.”

“There is a culture of celebration, sharing, and belonging around meat [and] anyone cutting down on meat can feel excluded from cultural traditions,” he said. “That’s why we chose ribs as our next product.” The company started selling a marbled plant-based steak and a tenderloin in 2022.

The bones, which have the same amount of protein as beef jerky, need to be baked or fried to produce a crispy snack, after the plant-based meat has been eaten. “We started off just by not wanting the bones to be garbage,” Mićković said. “My hope is that we can also infuse the bones with flavour, so you could also cook them in a broth. The most important thing is that we see how people react.”

                   The first batch of the soya-based ribs will go on sale in late August. Photograph: Juicy Marbles

The first batch of the soya-based ribs will go on sale in late August. “We want to gather as much feedback as possible because friends and family can only take you so far with honest criticism.” The ribs would be on general sale in early 2024, he said.

Earlier in August, the vegan burger pioneers Beyond Meat reported sales had fallen by almost a third, with its stock market 90% down on its 2019 peak. Vegan specialists such as Meatless Farm and Plant & Bean in the UK went bust earlier this year.

The cost of regular meat does not reflect its environmental impact and many plant-based meat companies are still scaling up production and reducing their costs. But as well as the price factor, Mićković said the sector had had lots of “copycat brands” trying to take market share without a focus on quality.

“The stock market performance of one company does not make the category viable or not, and nor does a couple of plant-based companies dying,” said Mićković. “Business is hard and companies, including meat and dairy, die. Our sales are only going up, although we are a new company.”

Other meat alternatives are continuing to expand. The Israeli company Aleph Farms recently submitted an application for sales approval to the UK’s food regulator for its steak, cultivated by growing real meat cells in vats. It was the first such application in Europe and followed approval of two cultivated chicken products in the US in June. The Czech company Mewery unveiled a burger made from cultivated pork in June.

Meat and dairy production uses 83% of farmland around the world and causes 60% of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions, but provides only 18% of calories and 37% of protein. A 2022 report from the Boston Consulting Group said plant-based meat was by far the most effective climate investment.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/aug/17/new-plant-based-pork-ribs-to-feature-edible-vegan-bones