How often should a vegan have a blood test?

Question

I read (e.g. in this vitamin B12 question) that it is important for a vegan to monitor some nutrient levels by taking blood tests periodically.

Excluding exceptional situations, how often a vegan should have those tests?

For example, what is the minimum number of times per year a vegan should seek a blood test to ensure they are obtaining correct nutrition?

I have heard that it is advised to see a doctor at least once a year to make sure everything is okay, even if I feel good. Is this accurate?

Answer 1

I agree with GabrielF in that there is no reason to needlessly complicate veganism.

When you start a new diet, it is definitely good idea to monitor the changes this may induce in your body and so if you just became vegan, I would say a blood test after few months and then one after a year since becoming vegan (for example because of the B12 and other fat-stored nutrients whose deficiency takes a longer time to kick in) is a good idea, but if you are vegan for quite some time, yearly blood tests are not that much useful. This may be less true for elderly people, due to the absorption of some nutrients decreasing with age.

If you are really worried about veganism related deficiencies, I find blood donation to be a great way of helping others while checking whether everything is okay with your body - at least in the countries where CBC (complete blood count) is part of the donation process.

Answer 2

Don't take this as a medical advice, I'm not a doctor. But personally, I don't like the idea of problematizing the vegan diet that much. Either you go all the way and say that everyone should take a blood test once a year, or you just drop the paranoia altogether and take your blood tests when you actually need them. I'm for the latter one.

So, my opinion is: follow a good diet to be healthy (and that doesn't apply exclusively to vegans, of course), take the supplements your diet needs (for vegans, it seems to be just B12, and maybe vitamin D + iodine, depending on where you live - have a doctor and/or nutritionist help you with that), and you're done. If you want to be extra careful, have a full medical check up every now and then, after all, it's not just your diet that might kill you. But once a year seems too much for me, at least at my age (28).

Answer 3

It depends on the type of blood test, on one's health problems, and on one's diet and supplementation. Each test should be carried as frequent as it is needed.

Nonetheless, complete blood count (CBC) and Comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) should be carried out yearly by everyone.

If preliminary blood tests come out bad, one may carry the blood test more frequently afterwards, to check whether diet/lifestyle changes have improved the parameters.

Other blood tests, specific for potential health problems in vegans, may be performed more rarely (or more frequently), depending on multiple factors, as listed below.

• previous results from the same test were on the desired interval, at the edge, or outside of the interval
• how well and often you supplement for a particular (potential) vegan diet deficiency e.g. B12, folate, vitamin D, DHA
• particulars of a diet e.g. high in plants containing oxalates (e.g. kidney or urine tests)
• after a drastic change in dietary preferences
• male or female (or female wanting to become pregnant): e.g. iron, folate
• known genetic or lifestyle liabilities (such as low exercise): e.g. blood lipids

Follow my answer to a related question for more details on each common blood test for vegans. It follows that the tests should be taken at least once, to have a good sense of one's health parameters, and decide afterwards (with a specialist preferably) when to retake them.

Disclaimer: not medical advice.