Dietary intakes of two groups of vegetarians (of Asian Indian and of American origin) residing in the United States were compared with intakes of a group of nonvegetarians. Mineral intakes and balances were determined for all three groups for a 7-d period. The vegetarians had a significantly higher percent of energy intake from carbohydrate and significantly higher intakes of crude fiber (CF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) than did the nonvegetarians. The American vegetarians had significantly higher intakes of magnesium, iron, and copper than did the other groups. Manganese intakes were significantly higher for the two vegetarian groups than for the nonvegetarians. Calcium, iron, zinc, and copper balances were not significantly different among the groups. Magnesium and manganese balances were significantly more negative for the American vegetarians than for the other two groups. In general, the higher percent of carbohydrate intake or the higher level of fiber intake did not appear to affect mineral utilization by the vegetarians.
In an investigation of the effects of fiber and oxalic acid on weekly mineral balances, 12 men consumed two diets consisting of natural foods for 6 wk each in a crossover design. One diet contained about 25 g neutral detergent fiber (NDF) in fruits and vegetables and included 100 g spinach, which is high in oxalic acid, every other day. The second diet was a low fiber diet that contained about 5 g NDF and the same amount of spinach as the first diet. On the basis of mean values for 6 wk, balances for calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc or manganese were not significantly different due to diet. Copper balances were significantly lower when the low fiber diet was consumed than when the diet containing fiber in fruits and vegetables and consequently a higher level of copper was consumed. Mineral balances were significantly different due to week. When results of both diets were considered together, mean mineral balances decreased at some time after wk 1 and returned to the wk 1 level during wk 6. Balances for wk 1 and 6 were not significantly different for any of the six minerals. These results demonstrate the importance of determining weekly balances for several weeks when conducting a human metabolic study.
Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) contents of duplicate collections of food consumed by 29 men and women were determined for 7 days four times during the year. The ratio of analyzed NDF to calculated crude fiber intakes was approximately 2. Although mean NDF intake was 7.7 g/day for females and 9.5 g/day for males, the majority of the subjects had NDF intakes of from 4 to 9 g/day. Fiber-containing foods consumed with the greatest frequency were vegetables. NDF intakes were greater in the winter than in the spring and summer. Caloric and total carbohydrate intakes, number of stools, and fecal weights were greater for the males than for the females. Fecal weights were significantly correlated with caloric intake, NDF intake, and number of stools. It is suggested that the insoluble fiber measured by the NDF method is likely to be better correlated with fecal weight than the total dietary fiber which includes soluble fibers.
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