-
Nutrients Dec 2021Interest in vegan diets has increased globally as well as in Slovenia. The quantity of new scientific data requires a thorough synthesis of new findings and... (Review)
Review
Interest in vegan diets has increased globally as well as in Slovenia. The quantity of new scientific data requires a thorough synthesis of new findings and considerations about the current reserved position of the vegan diet in Slovenia. There is frequently confusion about the benefits of vegetarian diets that are often uncritically passed on to vegan diets and vice versa. This narrative review aims to serve as a framework for a well-designed vegan diet. We present advice on how to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks associated with the vegan diet and lifestyle. We highlight the proper terminology, present the health effects of a vegan diet and emphasize the nutrients of concern. In addition, we provide guidance for implementing a well-designed vegan diet in daily life. We conducted a PubMed search, up to November 2021, for studies on key nutrients (proteins, vitamin B, vitamin D, omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)), calcium, iron, zinc, iodine and selenium) in vegan diets. Given the limited amount of scientific evidence, we focus primarily on the general adult population. A well-designed vegan diet that includes a wide variety of plant foods and supplementation of vitamin B, vitamin D in the winter months and potentially EPA/DHA is safe and nutritionally adequate. It has the potential to maintain and/or to improve health. For physically active adult populations, athletes or individuals with fast-paced lifestyles, there is room for further appropriate supplementation of a conventional vegan diet according to individuals' health status, needs and goals without compromising their health. A healthy vegan lifestyle, as included in government guidelines for a healthy lifestyle, includes regular physical activity, avoidance of smoking, restriction of alcohol and appropriate sleep hygiene.
Topics: Diet, Vegan; Humans; Nutrients; Nutritional Requirements; Slovenia; Vegans
PubMed: 34960098
DOI: 10.3390/nu13124545 -
Nutrition Research (New York, N.Y.) May 2016The aim of this study was to investigate differences in dietary intakes between 30251 participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and...
High compliance with dietary recommendations in a cohort of meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians, and vegans: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Oxford study.
The aim of this study was to investigate differences in dietary intakes between 30251 participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Oxford study, comprising 18 244 meat eaters, 4 531 fish eaters, 6 673 vegetarians, and 803 vegans aged 30 to 90 years who completed semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires. We hypothesized that these groups characterized by varying degrees of animal product exclusion have significantly different intakes of many nutrients, with possible implications for dietary adequacy and compliance with population dietary goals. Nutrient intakes were estimated including fortification in foods, but excluding dietary supplements. Dietary supplementation practices were also evaluated. Highly significant differences were found in estimated nutrient intakes between meat eaters and vegans, with fish eaters and vegetarians usually having intermediate values. Meat eaters had the highest energy intakes, followed by fish eaters and vegetarians, whereas vegans had the lowest intakes. Vegans had the highest intakes of polyunsaturated fatty acids, dietary fiber, vitamins C and E, folate, magnesium, iron, and copper. Meat eaters had the highest intake of saturated fatty acids, protein, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, vitamin D, zinc, and iodine. Fish eaters had the highest intakes of calcium and selenium. There were no statistically significant differences in sodium and potassium intakes between dietary groups. With the exception of sodium intake, compliance with population dietary goals was high across diet groups. The results suggested a high prevalence of inadequacy for dietary vitamin B12 and iodine in vegans. The diet groups under study showed striking differences in dietary intakes, with possible implications for compliance with dietary recommendations, as well as cardiometabolic diseases risk.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Animals; Diet; Diet Records; Diet, Vegan; Diet, Vegetarian; Dietary Fats; Dietary Fiber; Dietary Supplements; Energy Intake; Europe; Female; Fishes; Humans; Iodine; Male; Meat; Micronutrients; Middle Aged; Neoplasms; Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Patient Compliance; Prospective Studies; Vitamin B 12
PubMed: 27101764
DOI: 10.1016/j.nutres.2015.12.016 -
Nutrients Nov 2023The scientific discourse on vegan diets for children and adolescents primarily involves referencing position statement papers from different scientific and professional... (Review)
Review
The scientific discourse on vegan diets for children and adolescents primarily involves referencing position statement papers from different scientific and professional organizations, including paediatric associations. Over the past two decades, specialized associations have issued official statements and published position papers about adopting well-designed vegan diets during crucial life stages, including pregnancy and lactation, infancy, and childhood. A subset of these associations firmly supports the notion that a well-designed vegan diet can indeed be healthy and support normal growth and development during particularly delicate life stages, emphasizing careful planning, vitamin B12 supplementation, and regular supervised medical and dietetics oversight. In contrast, specific paediatric associations caution against vegan diets for children and adolescents, citing potential harm and the lack of adequate substantiation. These criticisms in position papers frequently point to lower-quality studies and/or outdated studies. Additionally, concerns extend to comparing vegan and omnivorous diets, considering public health issues such as obesity and early stages of cardiovascular disease as well as the risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Notably, some scepticism stems from studies where children's adherence to a well-designed vegan diet is incomplete. Scientific rigor suggests performing a comparable assessment of omnivorous and vegan diets. This narrative review highlights the need for a comprehensive, up-to-date literature review to inform balanced perspectives on vegan diets for children and adolescents. Researchers and decision-makers should aim to actively improve the design and consistent implementation of both diet types.
Topics: Pregnancy; Female; Adolescent; Humans; Child; Diet, Vegan; Diet, Vegetarian; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Nutritional Requirements; Vegans
PubMed: 38004109
DOI: 10.3390/nu15224715 -
Nutricion Hospitalaria Nov 2023The number of people following plant-based diets to a greater or lesser degree is increasing, but the more restrictive a diet, the greater the risk of nutritional...
The number of people following plant-based diets to a greater or lesser degree is increasing, but the more restrictive a diet, the greater the risk of nutritional deficiencies. The childhood stage is a stage of great physical and maturational growth, therefore, nutritional deficiencies at this stage can have serious and sometimes permanent consequences. People who follow restrictive diets of any kind, such as plant-based diets, should receive support from specialized staff to ensure that their diets are varied and balanced, as is desirable in any case.
Topics: Child; Humans; Vegans; Diet, Vegetarian; Nutritional Requirements; Diet, Vegan; Vegetarians; Malnutrition
PubMed: 37929910
DOI: 10.20960/nh.04949 -
Nutrients Sep 2023Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are leading global causes of mortality. Unhealthy diets have been linked to an increased risk of CVD, while plant-based diets have shown... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are leading global causes of mortality. Unhealthy diets have been linked to an increased risk of CVD, while plant-based diets have shown potential protective effects. This umbrella review summarizes the evidence on the association between vegetarian diets and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
METHODS
PubMed, Scopus, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Web of Science were consulted. Meta-analyses grouped by author and outcome were performed. The heterogeneity was evaluated using I statistics.
RESULTS
There was a 41.2% risk reduction for cerebrovascular disease. CVD incidence had a 29% reduced risk. CVD mortality had a 13.8% risk reduction, while IHD incidence had a 24.1% reduction, but with high heterogeneity. IHD mortality showed a significant 32.1% risk reduction. Ischemic stroke had a significant 32.9% risk reduction across six studies. Stroke incidence showed a significant 39.1% risk reduction in a single study. There was a non-significant 11.6% risk reduction for stroke mortality with moderate heterogeneity.
CONCLUSION
Healthier diets are associated with reduced risks of cerebrovascular disease, CVD incidence, IHD mortality, and ischemic stroke. However, evidence quality and consistency vary, emphasizing the need for more research. Policymakers and healthcare professionals should prioritize promoting healthy diets for CVD prevention.
Topics: Humans; Cardiovascular Diseases; Diet, Vegan; Diet, Vegetarian; Ischemic Stroke; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Stroke; Vegetarians; Observational Studies as Topic
PubMed: 37836394
DOI: 10.3390/nu15194103 -
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology Aug 2022New changes are taking place in the beauty and cosmetology market due to changes in daily life due to coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) and environmental alteration... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
New changes are taking place in the beauty and cosmetology market due to changes in daily life due to coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) and environmental alteration caused by the spread of live commerce.
PURPOSE
This study technically investigated the future value and direction of vegan cosmetics from food to cosmetics by focusing on good ingredients after COVID-19 pandemic and changing the needs of consumers in the beauty and cosmetics industry.
METHODS
This review paper is a critical literature review, and a narrative review approach has been used for this study. A total of 300-400 references were selected using representative journal search websites such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, RISS, and ResearchGate, which a total of 45 papers were selected in the final stage based on 2009 to 2022.
RESULT
As environmental problems increased after the COVID-19 pandemic, we tried to understand the needs of consumers for vegan cosmetics, which are good ingredients and good cosmetics. Therefore, this narrative review clearly shows the need for beauty and cosmetics industry consumers to pursue good consumption due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
CONCLUSION
Accordingly, this literature review will need to identify consumer needs for vegan cosmetics that started from vegan foods and develop the applications for the development of customized inner beauty products, customized vegan inner beauty products and/or customized vegan cosmetics using customized cosmetics. This is expected to be used as important marketing materials for the global vegan cosmetics market that confirms new changes in the cosmetics market.
Topics: COVID-19; Cosmetics; Humans; Marketing; Pandemics; Vegans
PubMed: 35486443
DOI: 10.1111/jocd.15028 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jul 2020Vegetarian and vegan weaning have increasing popularity among parents and families. However, if not correctly managed, they may lead to wrong feeding regimens, causing... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Vegetarian and vegan weaning have increasing popularity among parents and families. However, if not correctly managed, they may lead to wrong feeding regimens, causing severe nutritional deficiencies requiring specific nutritional support or even the need for hospitalization.
AIM
To assess the prevalence of vegetarian and vegan weaning among Italian families and to provide an up-to-date narrative review of supporting evidence.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We investigated 360 Italian families using a 40-item questionnaire. The narrative review was conducted searching scientific databases for articles reporting on vegetarian and vegan weaning.
RESULTS
8.6% of mothers follow an alternative feeding regimen and 9.2% of infants were weaned according to a vegetarian or vegan diet. The breastfeeding duration was longer in vegetarian/vegan infants (15.8 vs. 9.7 months; < 0.0001). Almost half of parents (45.2%) claim that their pediatrician was unable to provide sufficient information and adequate indications regarding unconventional weaning and 77.4% of parents reported the pediatrician's resistance towards alternative weaning methods. Nine studies were suitable for the review process. The vast majority of authors agree on the fact that vegetarian and vegan weaning may cause severe nutritional deficiencies, whose detrimental effects are particularly significant in the early stages of life.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
Our results show that alternative weaning methods are followed by a significant number of families; in half of the cases, the family pediatrician was not perceived as an appropriate guide in this delicate process. To date, consistent findings to support both the safety and feasibility of alternative weaning methods are still lacking. Since the risk of nutritional deficiencies in the early stages of life is high, pediatricians have a pivotal role in guiding parents and advising them on the most appropriate and complete diet regimen during childhood. Efforts should be made to enhance nutritional understanding among pediatricians as an unsupervised vegetarian or vegan diet can cause severe nutritional deficiencies with possible detrimental long-term effects.
Topics: Breast Feeding; Child; Diet, Vegan; Diet, Vegetarian; Female; Humans; Infant; Surveys and Questionnaires; Vegans; Vegetarians; Weaning
PubMed: 32635592
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17134835 -
Nature Food Jul 2023Modelled dietary scenarios often fail to reflect true dietary practice and do not account for variation in the environmental burden of food due to sourcing and... (Review)
Review
Modelled dietary scenarios often fail to reflect true dietary practice and do not account for variation in the environmental burden of food due to sourcing and production methods. Here we link dietary data from a sample of 55,504 vegans, vegetarians, fish-eaters and meat-eaters with food-level data on greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, eutrophication risk and potential biodiversity loss from a review of 570 life-cycle assessments covering more than 38,000 farms in 119 countries. Our results include the variation in food production and sourcing that is observed in the review of life-cycle assessments. All environmental indicators showed a positive association with amounts of animal-based food consumed. Dietary impacts of vegans were 25.1% (95% uncertainty interval, 15.1-37.0%) of high meat-eaters (≥100 g total meat consumed per day) for greenhouse gas emissions, 25.1% (7.1-44.5%) for land use, 46.4% (21.0-81.0%) for water use, 27.0% (19.4-40.4%) for eutrophication and 34.3% (12.0-65.3%) for biodiversity. At least 30% differences were found between low and high meat-eaters for most indicators. Despite substantial variation due to where and how food is produced, the relationship between environmental impact and animal-based food consumption is clear and should prompt the reduction of the latter.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Vegans; Diet, Vegetarian; Greenhouse Gases; Meat; Vegetarians; United Kingdom
PubMed: 37474804
DOI: 10.1038/s43016-023-00795-w -
Frontiers in Public Health 2022Worldwide, there is an increasing demand for plant-based food due to sustainable, health, ethical, religious, philosophical, and economic reasons. In Brazil, 14% of the...
Worldwide, there is an increasing demand for plant-based food due to sustainable, health, ethical, religious, philosophical, and economic reasons. In Brazil, 14% of the population declares themselves vegetarians, and a noticeable increase in the consumption of vegan products is also noted. Substitution of animal dairy and egg is challenging from both sensory and nutritional aspects. Yet, there are no data regarding the nutritional value and ingredients of Brazilian commercial dairy and egg substitutes. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the nutritional composition and used ingredients in Brazilian commercial vegan alternatives to dairy and eggs to provide information for Brazilian consumers of these products. A cross-sectional quantitative study was carried out in three steps: (i) sample mapping. (ii) data collection, and (iii) statistical analysis. A total of 152 samples were included. No differences were found between the energy value and total fat of vegan products and their animal counterparts. Vegan products showed higher amounts of carbohydrates and dietary fiber, and only the vegan versions of beverages and cheeses showed less protein than their counterparts. Cashews, rice, coconut, and soy were the most used ingredients in dairy substitutes. Emulsions of oil, starch, and isolated protein were used in vegan egg products. Most vegan beverages presented sugar in their composition. Vegan alternatives of dairy and eggs might be suitable for substituting their animal counterparts, but given that traditional versions of cheeses and milk are sources of protein in omnivorous diets, for equivalent nutritional replacement in vegan products, it is necessary to improve the protein content of their vegan counterparts.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Vegans; Milk; Brazil; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diet
PubMed: 36407978
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.964734 -
Nutrients Jul 2022Nowadays, the growing popularity of distance running has been accompanied by the increasing prevalence of vegan and vegetarian diets, especially among endurance...
Nowadays, the growing popularity of distance running has been accompanied by the increasing prevalence of vegan and vegetarian diets, especially among endurance athletes. The present study aimed to examine the association between diet type and dietary intake of distance runners competing at distances longer than 10 km. From a total of 317 participants, 211 endurance runners (57% females) were considered the final sample after applying the exclusion criteria. Runners were assigned to three groups based on the self-reported diet types: 95 omnivores, 40 vegetarians, and 76 vegans. Data collection was conducted using an online survey with questions about sociodemographic information, dietary intake, and dietary-associated motives. A comprehensive food frequency questionnaire with 53 food groups (categorized in 14 basic-plus three umbrella-food clusters) was used to assess dietary intake. Vegan runners had a higher intake of "beans and seeds", "fruit and vegetables", and "dairy alternatives", as well as lower intakes of "oils" than other two groups. Vegetarian runners had a lower intake of "dairy products" and "eggs" than omnivores. A greater intake of "alcohol" and a lower intake of "meat alternatives" was observed in omnivorous runners compared to vegans and vegetarians. Despite the existence of a tendency toward the consumption of health-related food clusters by vegan runners, further investigations are needed to verify the predominance of vegans in health-oriented dietary patterns.
Topics: Diet; Diet, Vegan; Diet, Vegetarian; Eating; Female; Humans; Male; Meat; Vegans; Vegetarians
PubMed: 35956327
DOI: 10.3390/nu14153151