Swapping from dairy to plant-based milk, cheese and yoghurt ‘could lead to micronutrient deficiencies’

Young people and women most at risk, study finds, as researchers call for vegan products to be fortified with iodine in particular

Switching from dairy products to plant-based alternatives could lead to deficiencies in vital micronutrients, especially among young people and women, a study has found.

Even moving partly to vegan alternatives to milk, cheese and yoghurt could lead to falls in iodine, calcium, riboflavin and vitamin B12 if the substitutes, often based on soya, almonds or oats, are not fortified, scientists said.