Dietitians Call Attention to Errors in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Vegetarian and Vegan Position Paper, Correcting Low Vitamin D Myth

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Dietitians should encourage their patients to adopt a plant-based diet, say dietitians with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in a letter to the editor responding to the recently updated Vegetarian Dietary Patterns for Adults: A Position Paper of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, which recommends that dietitians only share information on vegetarian and vegan diets with patients who “express interest.” The position paper also contains several errors, including statements that vegans have low vitamin D.

“Just as smoking cessation is recommended to all patients, regardless of their interest or motivation, so too should dietitians be allowed and encouraged to recommend adoption of a plant-based eating pattern to all patients,” write Anna Herby, DHSc, RD, CDCES, and Noah Praamsma, MS, RDN, dietitians for the Physicians Committee.

Dr. Herby and Praamsma also say that the position paper, which was published in June 2025 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, mistakenly links vegetarian and vegan diets with vitamin D deficiency.

In their letter, they point out research cited in the paper showing that diet is a poor predictor of vitamin D status, and that people following vegetarian and vegan diets are not at higher risk: “On page 7 of the position paper, the text states: ‘Evidence from large cohort studies shows a high incidence of vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency in vegetarians, including vegans.’ The cited source, however, stated the opposite, finding no significant difference in serum vitamin D concentrations based on vegetarian status.”

They add, “The section on vitamin D also cited a 2021 systematic review of observational studies, but failed to correctly cite its stated conclusion, which was that, among those following vegan diets, serum vitamin D concentrations ‘are not below healthy levels.’”            

Vitamin D comes primarily from sun exposure. Most foods, including animal products, are naturally poor sources of vitamin D, say Dr. Herby and Praamsma, adding that planning is important regardless of vegetarian or nonvegetarian status.

The Physicians Committee has also requested an erratum to correct this error. They have also asked the Academy to retract the paper and make these and other corrections.