Comparison of Nutritional Quality of the Vegan, Vegetarian, Semi-Vegetarian, Pesco-Vegetarian and Omnivorous Diet

Abstract

The number of studies comparing nutritional quality of restrictive diets is limited. Data on vegan subjects are especially lacking. It was the aim of the present study to compare the quality and the contributing components of vegan, vegetarian, semi-vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian and omnivorous diets. Dietary intake was estimated using a cross-sectional online survey with a 52-items food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Healthy Eating Index 2010 (HEI-2010) and the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) were calculated as indicators for diet quality. After analysis of the diet questionnaire and the FFQ, 1475 participants were classified as vegans (n = 104), vegetarians (n = 573), semi-vegetarians (n = 498), pesco-vegetarians (n = 145), and omnivores (n = 155). The most restricted diet, i.e., the vegan diet, had the lowest total energy intake, better fat intake profile, lowest protein and highest dietary fiber intake in contrast to the omnivorous diet. Calcium intake was lowest for the vegans and below national dietary recommendations. The vegan diet received the highest index values and the omnivorous the lowest for HEI-2010 and MDS. Typical aspects of a vegan diet (high fruit and vegetable intake, low sodium intake, and low intake of saturated fat) contributed substantially to the total score, independent of the indexing system used. The score for the more prudent diets (vegetarians, semi-vegetarians and pesco-vegetarians) differed as a function of the used indexing system but they were mostly better in terms of nutrient quality than the omnivores.

Zat gizi, massa lemak tubuh, dan tekanan darah pada wanita vegetarian dan nonvegetarian berusia 20-30 tahun

“…Pengukuran tinggi badan menggunakan microtoise dengan ketelitian 0,1 cm, dan pengukuran berat badan dengan menggunakan timbangan injak digital dengan ketelitian 0,1 kg. Hasil ukur IMT dikategorikan menjadi underweight (<18,5 kg/m 2 ), normal (18,(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)9 kg/m 2 ), overweight (23,0-24,9 kg/m 2 ), obesitas I (25,0-30,0 kg/m 2 ).…”

“…Rerata asupan energi kelompok vegetarian (2722±875 kkal) juga lebih rendah dibanding kelompok nonvegetarian (2985±1029kkal). 5 Hal ini berbeda dengan penelitian yang dilakukan pada populasi dewasa di Iran yang menunjukkan bahwa rerata asupan energi kelompok vegetarian (1592±461,80 kkal) tidak berbeda apabila dibandingkan dengan kelompok nonvegetarian (1622±306,59 kkal). Hal tersebut disebabkan kelompok vegetarian pada penelitian tersebut memiliki rerata asupan karbohidrat dan lemak yang tidak berbeda dengan kelompok nonvegetarian.…”

Ingestão Alimentar, Perfil Bioquímico E Estado Nutricional Entre Vegetarianos E Não Vegetarianos

“…A dieta vegetariana é considerada como uma dieta que, além de excluir alimentos de fonte animal, tem ingestão aumentada de fibras e reduzida de gordura trans e saturada e de carboidrato simples (17) .Pesquisadores avaliaram a ingestão alimentar, com base em um questionário de frequência alimentar respondido por 1.475 participantes, sendo 1.320 vegetarianos (apesar deste número considerar vegetarianos aqueles que consumiam pescados) e 155 onívoros. Os resultados demonstraram consumo de fibra acima da média, tanto para vegetarianos (33g/ dia) quanto onívoros (27g/d), ambos adequados de acordo com recomendações nutricionais e que a dieta dos vegans apresentou menor valor calórico, melhor qualidade em relação aos tipos de gorduras, baixo consumo de proteína e alto de fibras (5) . A literatura descreve a adesão de indivíduos à dieta vegetariana em busca de saúde, com resultados positivos (1,(18)(19) .…”

“…O estudo enfatiza que a dieta vegetariana poderia prejudicar menos o ambiente do que dieta da população geral, sendo mais sustentável (4) . Entre as razões para adesão à dieta vegetariana, muitos acreditam que seja mais saudável e, por essa razão, existe uma crescente procura por essa dieta, inclusive por jovens (5) . De fato, a literatura descreve inúmeros benefícios à saúde pelo consumo de dieta vegetariana, quando comparado à dieta da população em geral (2,(6)(7)(8) .…”

Effects of vegetarian diets on blood pressure

“…Compared with the Western diet, vegetarian diets might be lower in sodium; 26,27 however, no clear differences in sodium intake between nonvegetarians and vegetarians have been reported, 28 or some vegetarians have a higher sodium intake. 29 Sodium intake among studies included in this paper is shown in Tables 1 and 2.…”