Research Information System
18th International Medicine and Heath Sciences Researches Congress, Ankara, Turkey, 15 - 16 March 2025, pp.82-83, (Summary Text)
Introduction and Objective: Since animal products are entirely excluded in a vegan diet, the use of supplements may be recommended in cases where the intake of various micronutrients is insufficient. This study aims to examine whether the medications frequently recommended for supplementation in vegan individuals—namely vitamin B12, iron, zinc, calcium, and vitamin D—contain animal-derived excipients. Method: In this study, the ingredient information of the relevant medications was obtained from the summary of product characteristics available on the official website of the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency. A total of 125 pharmaceutical preparations were analyzed, and their excipients were evaluated for suitability for vegan use. Results: Among the analyzed vitamin D preparations (n=49), 14.3% were found to be vegan, 81.6% contained D3 derived from sheep’s wool, and 42.9% contained animal-derived gelatin. Of the vitamin B12 preparations (n=7), 85.7% were identified as vegan. Among the zinc-containing preparations (n=17), 38.9% were suitable for vegan use, whereas 17.6% were found to be unsuitable due to the presence of lactose and gelatin. Of the 49 iron-containing medications, 85.7% were suitable for vegan use, whereas 8.2% contained animal-derived ingredients (lactose, white beeswax, mucoprotease, gelatin). Among the three calcium-containing medications, one was found to be suitable for vegan use, while two were deemed unsuitable due to the presence of lactose monohydrate. Additionally, one vitamin B12, six zinc, and three iron preparations could not be evaluated due to uncertainty regarding the animal origin of certain ingredients. Discussion and Conclusion: The findings of this study show that a significant portion of the preparations in Türkiye of B12, iron, zinc, calcium and vitamin D drugs, which are frequently recommended for the use of vegan individuals, contain excipients of animal origin. This highlights the necessity for vegan individuals with strict dietary concerns to make more informed decisions when selecting medications.