Question

Eileen is a strict vegan and therefore eats no animal products. She develops an anemia that her doctor thinks is caused by a nutritional deficiency. Which of the following is the likeliest candidate?

iron-deficiency anemia
aplastic anemia
sickle cell anemia
vitamin K deficiency
vitamin B6 deficiency

Answer 1

Iron deficiency anemia. Since vegans do not eat animal products they lack iron. Iron is mainly consumed in meats, which comes from animals. Therefore vegans don’t get the needed amount of iron. They can get iron from nuts though.

Answer 2

Iron-defiency anemia. For vegans who eliminate meat, anemia can be caused by iron-defiency anemia. This means that she is not getting enough iron in her diet.