Vegan diet wrecks girl's body
Published 10 June, 2008, 13:03
A 12-year-old girl in Scotland is being treated for severe bone degeneration that has left her with the spine of an 80-year-old woman. Her parents brought her up on a strict vegan diet from birth, which forbids meat and dairy products, reports British newspaper The Times.
The girl suffers from a severe form of rickets. She has also suffered a number of bone fractures.
The condition is caused by a lack of vitamin D. It allows the absorption of calcium which gives bones strength. The vitamin is found in liver, oily fish and dairy products.
The paediatrician who's treating the girl refused to discuss the case. However, he said that in his view the dangers of forcing children to follow a strict vegan diet needed to be highlighted.
Doctors are under pressure to report the case to police and social workers.
This is not the first case where diet has caused controversy. Last year, an American vegan couple was sentenced to life in prison for starving their baby to death. In a similar case in London in 2001, a couple was sentenced to three years' community rehabilitation.
discuss it Show comments (1)
