Semen contains vital vitamin that vegans might be missing out on

For many of us, January has been a month of change. Some may have given up the booze to help with that 'New Year, new me' schtick.

Others, however, have gone a step further, instead taking part in Veganuary and giving up meat.

If this is you, and you've somehow managed to keep it going into Feb, well done - but you'll want to read on.

When you start any kind of diet, it's important that you're making sure to get the right nutrients and vitamins into your body - to keep you in tip top condition.

And according to doctors, one of the most important vitamins a person requires is B12, which is often found in meat and dairy products.

As a result, it will not shock you to learn, vegans struggle to get it into their diet naturally.

While they could take supplements to make sure they're getting the required dose every day, there is a more natural spring from which it doth flow.

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My apologies if you're of a nervous disposition, though the fact you've read beyond the headline means you're most likely anything but, however, I am, of course, talking about semen.

Yep, in a pretty delicious example of irony, jizz is jam packed with vitamins.

According to a study from 2019, researchers found that one in five vegans were at risk of becoming B12 deficient as a result of their strict diet.

Around 20 percent of the 172 vegan men who took part in the study were found to be lacking in the vitamin,

Now, because the human body has enough natural stores of B12 to last several years, it takes some time for the impact to be felt.

But a severe deficiency can lead to someone developing anaemia, pale skin, heart palpitations, a loss of appetite, weight loss, and even infertility.

Discussing his findings, Professor Sanders said: "Many vegans think B12 deficiency is a myth thanks to self-appointed experts on the internet."

Grechanyuk Aleksandr/Alamy

Professor Tim Key is the deputy director of the cancer epidemiology unit at the University of Oxford, and he explained: "Of all the micronutrients, B12 is the one we're most concerned about. I'm concerned many people think B12 deficiency is a myth.

"If people become vegan because of that, and don't ever bother to read up about what you need to eat as a vegan, I would be worried they won't know about B12.”

But don't go jumping on the dark web just yet to get a special order in.

Dr Michael Reitano, from men's health service Roman, warned that while it does contain B12 and other vitamins, it's not enough to fulfil our needs.

"The quantity of actual nutritional components is tiny," he said.

So yeah, don't stop taking your supplements.

Topics: Science, Health, Vegan

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers is LADbible's Editorial Lead. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History, he went on to write for the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express. So as you can imagine, he’s spent many a night wondering just how useful that second language has been. But c'est la vie.

@SmithersDom