Health · Medical Research · 7 hrs ago
Study warns plant-based dairy swaps may leave some people short of nutrients
Researchers from the University of Surrey and Queen’s University Belfast warn that replacing dairy with plant-based alternatives could leave some people short of nutrients.
They examined 289 plant-based milks, yoghurts and cheeses sold in the UK.
Only 12 per cent of the products contained added iodine, and fewer than half had vitamin B12.
The researchers calculated that replacing a third of dairy with plant-based alternatives could leave 65 per cent of teenage girls short of iodine.
Older people may also get less protein, because some oat drinks contain much less protein than cow’s milk.
These nutrients support thyroid function, bone health and muscle maintenance, and iodine is especially important before and during pregnancy.
The findings concern nutritional content, so the nutrient levels in plant-based products vary.
A study published in The Lancet Planetary Health warns that replacing some dairy foods with plant-based alternatives could leave people short of key nutrients.
Teenage girls and young women may face the greatest risks, including insufficient iodine.
Researchers examined nutritional information for 289 plant-based milks, yoghurts and cheeses sold in the UK.
Only 12 per cent of the products contained added iodine, fewer than half contained vitamin B12, and one in five contained vitamin B2.
The article also highlights concerns about protein intake among people over 65 and calcium intake among teenage girls.
- Who
- Researchers from the University of Surrey and Queen’s University Belfast. The study’s findings concern people who replace dairy with plant-based alternatives.
- What
- A study warns that replacing dairy with plant-based alternatives may leave some people short of nutrients.
- When
- Published the week before the article, which was published on 10 November 2026.
- Where
- The study examined plant-based products sold in the UK.
- Why
- Some alternatives may contain less iodine, vitamin B12, vitamin B2, protein or calcium than dairy products.
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- Products examined
- 289 plant-based milks, yoghurts and cheeses sold in the UK
- Products with added iodine
- 12 per cent
- Products containing vitamin B12
- Fewer than half
- Products containing vitamin B2
- One in five
- Adolescent girls missing iodine
- 65 per cent if a third of dairy is replaced with plant-based alternatives
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What people are saying
Iodine is especially important prior to and during pregnancy
Lower food intakes [of these two B vitamins] in older people can put marginal insufficiency into deficiency
Low calcium can stunt growth in younger people and exacerbate osteoporosis in older people