Swapping dairy for oat and almond milks could leave young people and women short of vital nutrients, study warns

A Queen's University Belfast study found that switching away from dairy products exposes children, teenagers and women to dangerous shortfalls in iodine, vitamin B12, calcium and niacin. Plant-based alternatives such as oat and almond milk are far less rich in these micronutrients than the cow's milk, cheese and yoghurt they replace. Researchers are now calling for vegan dairy substitutes to be fortified with iodine as a priority.

Young people and women face the greatest risk, as their nutritional needs during growth and reproductive years are hardest to meet from plant-based sources.

Iodine deficiency in particular alarmed the researchers, given its critical role in thyroid function and foetal brain development.

The findings land a blow to the booming plant-based food industry, which has marketed oat and almond products as straightforward healthy swaps for conventional dairy.