Macrobiotic diet

Numerous studies indicate that a macrobiotic diet can lead to deficiencies of many nutrients. Reasons for these deficiencies include their unavailability in the food being consumed, their destruction during preparation of the food, their degradation over time from when the food is harvested to when it is consumed, or their delivery of the nutrient in a form the person cannot digest or absorb.

Children and pregnant/lactating women are at particular risk for deficiencies related to a macrobiotic diet.

Specific deficiencies which have been reported include calcium, cobalamin (vitamin B-12), dietary fat, iron, magnesium, protein intake, riboflavin (vitamin B-2), vitamin B-12, vitamin D, and zinc.

Related health problems due to nutrient deficiency that have been observed include anemia, growth retardation or stagnation in infants and children, low birth weight, low energy, lower bone mass, rickets and scurvy.

Some cancer patients using this approach may experience problems due to weight loss and difficulties in implementing the diet (17). More studies are needed to evaluate whether a macrobiotic diet is beneficial in cancer.