Case report for the Andressohn Family Trial

Link to Article

This is really amazing data directly related to the raw vegan diet! A lot of raw vegans have followed the Andressohn trial; where two parents were charged with the aggravated manslaughter of thier 5 1/2 month old infant. Presented in this document is some of the unbiased (I hope) scientific data relating to the diet and health of the infant and her siblings. There are even some charts and tables detailing the diets of the children, and the babys' estimated diet compared to the USDA RDA. Here is some of the data, positive AND negative:

Although the four older siblings were 2.1–4.1 SD below the mean on the USA growth charts, they had none of the clinical or laboratory findings associated with kwashiorkor and marasmus.

Total cholesterol levels of the four children (144, 129, 120, 154 mg/dl) were all below 160 mg/dl, which suggests possible malnutrition in laboratory assessment panels. However, no published article documents any health risks of children or adults having total cholesterols <160 mg/dl due to a vegan diet.

Of the prealbumin tests obtained on the three older children (i.e., 11, 14, and 15 mg/dl), one was slightly below the "normal" range (14–30 mg/dl). According to the Family Practice Notebook, prealbumin < 5 indicates severe protein malnutrition and predicts a poor prognosis.

The nutrient analysis of this infant's diet (Figure 1) shows that it meets the USDA certified recommended daily requirements (RDA) for all nutrients except vitamin B12, calcium, and zinc.

The raw foods vegan diet and possibly inherited small stature from the father's side account for their relatively low heights and weights. Catch-up growth will probably occur on the standard American diet but would have also been expected if they had remained on a vegan diet.