Plant Based Health

PURPOSE: To characterize plant-based dietary practices and examine their relationship with body mass index (BMI) in Hispanic/Latino Seventh-day Adventists (SDA). DESIGN: Cross-sectional analyses of data among Hispanics/Latinos in the Adventist Health Study-2 (AHS-2). SETTING: The AHS-2 is a cohort of SDA adults (n = 96 592) in North America. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 3475 Hispanics/Latinos who provided demographic, dietary, anthropometric, and lifestyle data at enrollment...

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BACKGROUND: The global prevalence of diabetes is high and rapidly increasing. Some previous studies have found that vegetarians might have a lower risk of diabetes than non-vegetarians. OBJECTIVE: We examined the association between vegetarianism and risk of hospitalisation or death with diabetes in a large, prospective cohort study of British adults. METHODS: The analysed cohort included participants from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Oxford study who were diabetes free at recruitment (1993-2001), with available dietary intake data at baseline, and linked hospital admissions and death data for diabetes over follow-up (n = 45,314)...

Diminished postprandial secretion of incretins and insulin represents one of the key pathophysiological mechanisms behind type 2 diabetes (T2D). We tested the effects of two energy- and macronutrient-matched meals: A standard meat (M-meal) and a vegan (V-meal) on postprandial incretin and insulin secretion in participants with T2D. A randomized crossover design was used in 20 participants with T2D. Plasma concentrations of glucose, insulin, C-peptide, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), amylin, and gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP) were determined at 0, 30, 60, 120, and 180 min...

The association between dietary patterns and CVD risk factors among non-Hispanic whites has not been fully studied. Data from 650 non-Hispanic white adults who participated in one of two clinical sub-studies (about 2 years after the baseline) of the Adventist Health Study-2 (AHS-2) were analysed. Four dietary patters were identified using a validated 204-item semi-quantitative FFQ completed at enrolment into AHS-2: vegans (8·3 %), lacto-ovo-vegetarians (44·3 %), pesco-vegetarians (10·6 %) and non-vegetarians (NV) (37·3 %)...

Studies on the nutritional status of vegetarians in Spain are lacking. Prevention of vitamin B12 deficiency is the main concern, as dietary sources are of animal origin. The present study aimed to evaluate vitamin B12 and folate status of Spanish vegetarians using classical markers and functional markers. Participants were adult and healthy lacto-ovo vegetarians (forty-nine subjects) and vegans (fifty-four subjects) who underwent blood analyses and completed a FFQ. Serum vitamin B12 , homocysteine (Hcy), methylmalonic acid (MMA), erythrocyte folate and haematological parameters were determined...

Gastrointestinal hormones are involved in regulation of glucose metabolism and satiety. We tested the acute effect of meal composition on these hormones in three population groups. A randomized crossover design was used to examine the effects of two energy- and macronutrient-matched meals: a processed-meat and cheese (M-meal) and a vegan meal with tofu (V-meal) on gastrointestinal hormones, and satiety in men with type 2 diabetes (T2D, n = 20), obese men (O, n = 20), and healthy men (H, n = 20). Plasma concentrations of glucagon-like peptide -1 (GLP-1), amylin, and peptide YY (PYY) were determined at 0, 30, 60, 120 and 180 min...

People who avoid eating animals tend to share their homes with animal companions, and moral dilemma may arise when they are faced with feeding animal products to their omnivorous dogs and carnivorous cats. One option to alleviate this conflict is to feed pets a diet devoid of animal ingredients-a 'plant-based' or 'vegan' diet. The number of pet owners who avoid animal products, either in their own or in their pets' diet, is not currently known. The objective of this study was to estimate the number of meat-avoiding pet owners, identify concerns regarding conventional animal- and plant-based pet food, and estimate the number of pets fed a plant-based diet...

Algae are becoming increasingly common because of their importance in vegan and vegetarian diets. Although they are a source of essential minerals, vitamins and antioxidants, these marine organisms have a high absorption capacity that can lead to the accumulation of toxic metals which are dangerous in humans. The objective of this study is to determine the content of toxic metals (Al, Cd, Pb and Hg) in edible seaweed samples marketed in Spain (Europe) to assess the toxicological risk from the intake of these metals...

Background Dietary interventions may play a role in secondary cardiovascular prevention. hsCRP (High-sensitivity C-reactive protein) is a marker of risk for major adverse cardiovascular outcomes in coronary artery disease. Methods and Results The open-label, blinded end-point, EVADE CAD (Effects of a Vegan Versus the American Heart Association-Recommended Diet in Coronary Artery Disease) trial randomized participants (n=100) with coronary artery disease to 8 weeks of a vegan or American Heart Association-recommended diet with provision of groceries, tools to measure dietary intake, and dietary counseling...

BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence that plant based diets are associated with lower cardiovascular risk. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate effects of a vegan compared to an omnivorous diet on cardio-metabolic risk factors. METHODS: Meta-analysis of observational studies published between 1960 and June 2018 that reported one or more cardio-metabolic risk factors in vegans and controls eating an omnivorous diet were undertaken. Macro-nutrient intake and cardio-metabolic risk factors were compared by dietary pattern...

As the number of subjects choosing vegan diets increases, healthcare providers must be prepared to give the best advice to vegan patients during all stages of life. A completely plant-based diet is suitable during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, and childhood, provided that it is well-planned. Balanced vegan diets meet energy requirements on a wide variety of plant foods and pay attention to some nutrients that may be critical, such as protein, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, iodine, calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin B12...

A significant body of literature has developed which examines why meat consumption continues to be so important to Americans. Our paper contributes to this literature by examining how fear of stigmatization may be a barrier to avoiding meat consumption. This is an important subject because there is evidence that suggests that individuals who avoid meat, especially vegans, are stigmatized for disrupting social conventions related to food. In this paper, we present data from a series of focus groups in which vegan, vegetarian, and omnivorous college students discussed perceptions of vegans and veganism...

Vegetarian and vegan diets are gaining popularity in the United States. Although appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including vegan diets, are healthful and nutritionally adequate and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases, not all families are aware of the nutritional supplements that may be required for their children. We describe a case of a 2-year-old previously healthy child consuming a vegan diet who presented to the pediatric emergency department with an acute inability to move her legs...

Background: The nutritional profile of human milk varies significantly between women, and the impact of maternal diet on these variations is not well understood. Objective: We analyzed breast-milk vitamin B-12 concentration and vitamin B-12 supplement use pattern among women who adhered to different dietary patterns: vegan, vegetarian, and nonvegetarian. Design: A total of 74 milk samples, 26 from vegan, 22 from vegetarian, and 26 from nonvegetarian breastfeeding mothers, were analyzed...

Vegan or vegetarian diets have been suggested to reduce type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk. However, not much is known on whether variation in the degree of having a plant-based versus animal-based diet may be beneficial for prevention of T2D. We aimed to investigate whether level of adherence to a diet high in plant-based foods and low in animal-based foods is associated with insulin resistance, prediabetes, and T2D. Our analysis included 6798 participants (62.7 ± 7.8 years) from the Rotterdam Study (RS), a prospective population-based cohort in the Netherlands...

BACKGROUND: Health-related effects of a vegetarian or vegan diet are known to support parameters positively affecting exercise performance in athletes, whereas knowledge about psyche and wellbeing is sparse. Therefore, the aim of the Nutrition and Running High Mileage (NURMI) Study (Step 2) was to compare Quality of Life (QOL) scores among endurance runners following a vegetarian or vegan diet against those who adhere to an omnivorous diet. METHODS: The study was conducted following a cross-sectional design...

PURPOSE: Essential fatty acids are critical for brain growth and neurodevelopment in infancy. Maternal diet and supplement use have a significant impact on the fat composition of human milk. The objective of this study is to assess supplement utilization patterns and fatty acid and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) concentrations in the breast milk of women following vegan, vegetarian, and omnivore diet patterns. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional, observational study of 74 lactating women in the United States following a vegan (n = 26), vegetarian (n = 22), or omnivore (n = 26) diet pattern...

BACKGROUND: Iron is one of the nutrients that require special consideration in a plant-based diet. The widespread belief is that meat is the best source of iron and a vegetarian diet increases the risk of its deficiency. This conviction has been the subject of analysis in a growing number of scientific reports. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the iron intake and iron metabolism in vegetarians and vegans compared to a control group. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 55 vegetarians and 36 healthy volunteers were studied...

Objective: Previous studies have reported that a vegetarian diet may lower blood pressure (BP), but the effect of diet on BP in asymptomatic participants with proteinuria is unknown. We examined the association of diet and BP in individuals with or without proteinuria. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from participants who were more than 40 years old and received physical checkups at Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital from September 5, 2005, to December 31, 2016...