Influence of a Vegan Diet on Child Health and Development: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Recently, more people have adopted plant-based diets for health, environmental and ethical reasons. These diets offer significant health benefits for adults, including reduced chronic disease risk. However, research on plant-based diets for children is limited and often focuses on the risks of poorly planned diets. The lack of comprehensive studies leads to inconsistent recommendations for vegan (VN) diets in children, underscoring the need for a synthesized knowledge base to guide future research and clinical practice. This review aimed to analyze existing literature on the impact of a VN diet on children's health and development, identify knowledge gaps, and outline clinical and research recommendations. A systematic search across databases with key words was conducted to identify relevant articles on VN diets in pediatrics. Screening of 128 articles yielded 27 studies that remained after removing duplicates and irrelevant studies. The studies were primarily from Europe, especially the United Kingdom and Italy, and used cross-sectional designs, limiting causal conclusions and long-term impact assessments. Small sample sizes and self-reported data introduced biases and affected accuracy. The review emphasized the need for careful planning and supplementing VN diets to prevent nutrient deficiencies in children. Further research is needed to optimize VN diets, improve public health guidance and support healthcare professionals. Vegan diets can support healthy growth in children but require careful planning to prevent deficiencies. Healthcare professionals should be equipped to support families choosing VN diets for their children.

Keywords: children; development; growth; health outcomes; nutritional deficiencies; pediatric; plant-based; supplementation; vegan diets.