Scientists find vital missing ingredient for healthy vegan diet – algae

Natural aquatic supplement could be used to make up for lack of key vitamin B12 in plant-based diets

Vitamins for vegans made from algae could soon prove to be the most effective solution to replacing an important nutrient missing from plant-based diets, thanks to recent research by scientists at Cambridge University.

The popularity of meat- and dairy-free foods in western diets is leaving many people potentially exposed to vitamin deficiency. In particular, they can suffer from a lack of the vitamin B12, a key nutrient involved in blood and nerve cell manufacture.