Nutrient Intake and Status of German Children and Adolescents Consuming Vegetarian, Vegan or Omnivore Diets: Results of the VeChi Youth Study

Alexy, Ute; Fischer, Morwenna; Weder, Stine; Längler, Alfred; Michalsen, Andreas; Sputtek, Andreas; Keller, Markus

doi:10.3390/nu13051707

Cited by 42 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…This finding indicated that Czech VG children are prone to vitamin B12 deficiency without taking any supplements, the same as VN children. This finding is in accordance with similar scientific works [34][35][36]. In addition, we performed an analysis of vitamin B12 deficiencies among the most vulnerable group (e.g., breastfed children aged 0-3 years of VG/VN mothers).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

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Cross-Sectional Study of the Prevalence of Cobalamin Deficiency and Vitamin B12 Supplementation Habits among Vegetarian and Vegan Children in the Czech Republic

et al. 2022

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Vegetarian (VG) and vegan (VN) diets in childhood are of growing interest due to their perceived health and environmental benefits. Concerns remain due to the possible disruption of healthy growth and development of children because of the scarcity of evidence-based studies. Among the nutrients of special concern is vitamin B12. Therefore, the Czech Vegan Children Study (CAROTS) decided to examine the relationship between B12 metabolism parameters and B12 intake through diet and supplementation. We analyzed laboratory parameters within n = 79 VG, n = 69 VN, and n = 52 omnivores (OM) children (0–18 years old). There were no significant differences in levels of holotranscobalamin (aB12), folate, homocysteine (hcys), or mean corpuscular volume. However, there was a significant difference in levels of cyanocobalamin (B12) (p = 0.018), even though we identified only n = 1 VG and n = 2 VN children as B12 deficient. On the other hand, we identified n = 35 VG, n = 28 VN, and n = 9 OM children with vitamin B12 hypervitaminosis (p = 0.004). This finding was related to a high prevalence of over-supplementation in the group (mean dose for VG 178.19 ± 238.5 µg per day; VN 278.35 ± 394.63 µg per day). Additionally, we found a significant (p < 0.05) difference between B12, aB12, and hcys levels of supplemented vs. non-supplemented VG/VN children. This can show that the intake of vitamin B12 via diet in the VG group might not be sufficient. Secondly, we analyzed a relation between supplement use in pregnancy and breastfeeding and its impact on vitamin B12 levels of children aged 0–3 years. Out of n = 46 mothers, only n = 3 (e.g., 6.5%) were not supplemented at all. We have not identified any clinical manifestation of B12 deficiency and only n = 1 child with low serum cobalamin, a child who did not receive vitamin B12 supplementation and whose mother took only low doses of vitamin B12 (25/µg/day).To conclude, we did not observe any life-threatening or severe consequences of laboratory-stated vitamin B12 deficiency; thus, our group was well supplemented. On the other hand, we have identified many subjects with vitamin B12 hypervitaminosis of unknown impact on their health. Further research and new guidelines for B12 supplementation among VG and VN children are needed.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…It also might be noted that we observed a higher number n = 7 of VN children with lower BMI e.g., <3. percentile. Our conclusions go hand in hand with other recent findings that support our hypothesis, except for a significant number of VG/VN children with laboratory vitamin B12 hypervitaminosis [25,35].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Cross-Sectional Study of the Prevalence of Cobalamin Deficiency and Vitamin B12 Supplementation Habits among Vegetarian and Vegan Children in the Czech Republic

et al. 2022

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“…In the study by Desmond et al [6], VG and VN subjects had less bone mineral content than OM subjects, which was more pronounced for VN children. a high prevalence (> 30%) of 25-OH vitamin D in all diet groups being below the reference value [4]. However, Hovinen et al [5] showed only borderline sufficient vitamin D concentrations in all VN participants.…”

Section: Micronutrient Intakementioning

confidence: 83%

“…Only four studies have examined the micronutrient intake of VG, VN, and OM children during the last 10 years [4][5][6][7]. Potentially critical micronutrients identified in these studies are calcium, sometimes iron, and vitamin D for VG children.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intake of micronutrients and fatty acids of vegetarian, vegan, and omnivorous children (1–3 years) in Germany (VeChi Diet Study)

Weder

Keller²,

Fischer³

et al. 2021

Eur J Nutr

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Purpose There is an ongoing debate whether vegetarian (VG) and especially vegan (VN) diets are nutritionally adequate in early childhood. Hence, the Vegetarian and Vegan Children Study (VeChi Diet Study) aimed to assess the food and nutrient intake of VG and VN infants. Methods The study examined the diets of 1–3-year-old VG, VN, and omnivorous (OM) children (n = 430). Dietary intake was assessed via a 3-day weighed dietary record and compared between groups using ANCOVA. Lifestyle data were collected using a questionnaire. Here, the results of micronutrient and fatty acid intakes are presented. Results Most nutrient intakes (with and without supplements) differed significantly between VN children and the two other groups, with a more favourable overall micronutrient intake in VN, followed by VG children, [e.g., the highest intake of vitamin E (8.3 mg/d vs. VG 7.4 mg/d and OM 5.1 mg/d), vitamin B1 (569 µg/d vs. VG 513 µg/d and OM 481 µg/d), folate (143 µg/d vs. VG 116 µg/d and OM 108 µg/d), magnesium (241 mg/d vs. VG 188 mg/d and OM 164 mg/d), and iron (8.9 mg/d vs. VG 7.3 mg/d and OM 6.0 mg/d)] as well as fat quality [highest intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (8.7 E% vs. VG 6.9 E% and OM 4.5 E%) and lowest intake of saturated fatty acids (9.1 E% vs. VG 11.9 E% and OM 14.0 E%)]. In contrast, OM children had the highest intake of vitamin B2 (639 µg/d vs. VG 461 µg/d and VN 429 µg/d), calcium (445 mg/d vs. VG 399 mg/d and VN 320 mg/d), iodine (47 µg/d vs. VG 33 µg/d and VN 31 µg/d), and DHA (35.4 mg/d vs. VG 16.6 mg/d and VN 18.4 mg/d). Without supplementation, OM children had the highest average vitamin B12 intake (1.5 µg/d vs. VG 0.6 µg/d and VN 0.2 µg/d), whereas VN children had the highest average vitamin B12 intake with supplementation (73.8 µg/d vs. VG 1.3 µg/d and OM 1.7 µg/d). Without supplementation, none of the groups’ median intakes met the harmonised Average Requirement (h-AR) for vitamin D and iodine. Moreover, VG and VN children did not achieve h-ARs for vitamin B2, vitamin B12, and iron—if a low absorption of iron is anticipated; VN children also did not do so for calcium. Conclusion In early childhood, VN and VG diets can provide most micronutrients in desirable amounts and a preferable fat quality compared to an OM diet. Special focus should be paid to (potentially) critical nutrients, particularly vitamin D, iodine, and DHA for all children regardless of diet, as well as vitamin B2, vitamin B12, calcium, and iron for VG and VN children. Trail registration This study was registered with the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00010982) on (September 2, 2016).

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“…In vegan children, a low and limited intake of essential amino acids and proteins can affect their growth velocity [ 153 ]. Recent data suggest that there are no additional nutritional risks among vegan children compared to omnivores [ 154 ].…”

Section: Insulin-like Growth Factor-1mentioning

confidence: 99%

Possible Biochemical Processes Underlying the Positive Health Effects of Plant-Based Diets—A Narrative Review

et al. 2021

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Plant-based diets are becoming more popular for many reasons, and epidemiological as well as clinical data also suggest that a well-balanced vegan diet can be adopted for the prevention, and in some cases, in the treatment of many diseases. In this narrative review, we provide an overview of the relationships between these diets and various conditions and their potential biochemical background. As whole plant foods are very rich in food-derived antioxidants and other phytochemicals, they have many positive physiological effects on different aspects of health. In the background of the beneficial health effects, several biochemical processes could stand, including the reduced formation of trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) or decreased serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels and altered signaling pathways such as mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR). In addition, the composition of plant-based diets may play a role in preventing lipotoxicity, avoiding N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc), and reducing foodborne endotoxin intake. In this article, we attempt to draw attention to the growing knowledge about these diets and provide starting points for further research.

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Nutrient Intake and Status of German Children and Adolescents Consuming Vegetarian, Vegan or Omnivore Diets: Results of the VeChi Youth Study

Cited by 42 publications

References 53 publications

Cross-Sectional Study of the Prevalence of Cobalamin Deficiency and Vitamin B12 Supplementation Habits among Vegetarian and Vegan Children in the Czech Republic

Cross-Sectional Study of the Prevalence of Cobalamin Deficiency and Vitamin B12 Supplementation Habits among Vegetarian and Vegan Children in the Czech Republic

Intake of micronutrients and fatty acids of vegetarian, vegan, and omnivorous children (1–3 years) in Germany (VeChi Diet Study)

Possible Biochemical Processes Underlying the Positive Health Effects of Plant-Based Diets—A Narrative Review

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