scholarly journals Health effects of vegetarian and vegan diets

2006 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Key ◽  
Paul N. Appleby ◽  
Magdalena S. Rosell
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Plasma Cholesterol ◽  
Cholesterol Concentration ◽  
Vitamin B ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Western Countries ◽  
Vegetarian Diets ◽  
Long Chain

Vegetarian diets do not contain meat, poultry or fish; vegan diets further exclude dairy products and eggs. Vegetarian and vegan diets can vary widely, but the empirical evidence largely relates to the nutritional content and health effects of the average diet of well-educated vegetarians living in Western countries, together with some information on vegetarians in non-Western countries. In general, vegetarian diets provide relatively large amounts of cereals, pulses, nuts, fruits and vegetables. In terms of nutrients, vegetarian diets are usually rich in carbohydrates, n−6 fatty acids, dietary fibre, carotenoids, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E and Mg, and relatively low in protein, saturated fat, long-chain n−3 fatty acids, retinol, vitamin B12 and Zn; vegans may have particularly low intakes of vitamin B12 and low intakes of Ca. Cross-sectional studies of vegetarians and vegans have shown that on average they have a relatively low BMI and a low plasma cholesterol concentration; recent studies have also shown higher plasma homocysteine concentrations than in non-vegetarians. Cohort studies of vegetarians have shown a moderate reduction in mortality from IHD but little difference in other major causes of death or all-cause mortality in comparison with health-conscious non-vegetarians from the same population. Studies of cancer have not shown clear differences in cancer rates between vegetarians and non-vegetarians. More data are needed, particularly on the health of vegans and on the possible impacts on health of low intakes of long-chain n−3 fatty acids and vitamin B12. Overall, the data suggest that the health of Western vegetarians is good and similar to that of comparable non-vegetarians.

scholarly journals Dietary adequacy and dietary quality of Inuit in the Canadian Arctic who smoke and the potential implications for chronic disease

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 1268-1275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacey E Rittmueller ◽  
Cindy Roache ◽  
Sangita Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Energy Intake ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Average Energy ◽  
Dietary Quality ◽  
Vitamin B ◽  
Dietary Reference Intake ◽  
Traditional Foods ◽  
Cross Sectional

AbstractObjectiveTo compare dietary intake and quality among adult Inuit by smoking status.DesignA cross-sectional study using data from a validated quantitative FFQ.SettingThree isolated communities in Nunavut, Canada.SubjectsAdult Inuit (n208), aged between 19 and 79 years, from randomly selected households.ResultsAverage energy intake did not differ between male smokers (n22) and non-smokers (n14; 16 235 kJ and 13 503 kJ;P= 0·18), but was higher among female smokers (n126) compared with non-smokers (n46; 12 704 kJ and 8552 kJ;P< 0·0001). Average daily nutrient intakes were similar among men and higher among female smokers compared with non-smokers for all nutrients (P≤ 0·05) exceptn-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, vitamin D and Se. Female smokers had lower intake densities of thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, Mg, Na (P≤ 0·05), protein,n-3 fatty acids, cholesterol, Fe (P≤ 0·01), vitamin B12and Se (P≤ 0·001). Between 20 % and 50 % of male and female smokers were below the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for Ca, folate, Mg and vitamins A and K, and more than 50 % were below the DRI for fibre and vitamin E. The proportion of smokers below the DRI was lower for all nutrients, except fibre and folate among men. Among smokers, non-nutrient-dense foods and traditional foods contributed less to energy (−2·1 % and −2·0 %, respectively).ConclusionsAdult smokers consumed fewer nutrient-dense, traditional foods, but had increased energy intake, which likely contributed to fewer dietary inadequacies compared with non-smokers. Promoting traditional food consumption supplemented with market-bought fruits and vegetables is important to improve dietary quality, especially among smokers.

Homocysteine Levels Show Significant Differences among Mediterranean Dietary Quality Index Variables Compared to Folate and Vitamin B12 Status in Women

2015 ◽  
Vol 85 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 202-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivona Višekruna ◽  
Ivana Rumbak ◽  
Ivana Rumora Samarin ◽  
Irena Keser ◽  
Jasmina Ranilović
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Quality Index ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Dietary Quality ◽  
Vitamin B ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Poor Diet ◽  
The Mediterranean

Abstract. Results of epidemiologic studies and clinical trials have shown that subjects following the Mediterranean diet had lower inflammatory markers such as homocysteine (Hcy). Therefore, the aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess female diet quality with the Mediterranean diet quality index (MDQI) and to determine the correlation between MDQI, homocysteine, folate and vitamin B12 levels in the blood. The study participants were 237 apparently healthy women (96 of reproductive age and 141 postmenopausal) between 25 and 93 years. For each participant, 24-hour dietary recalls for 3 days were collected, MDQI was calculated, and plasma Hcy, serum and erythrocyte folate and vitamin B12 levels were analysed. Total MDQI ranged from 8 to 10 points, which represented a medium-poor diet for the subjects. The strength of correlation using biomarkers, regardless of group type, age, gender and other measured parameters, was ranked from best (0.11) to worst (0.52) for olive oil, fish, fruits and vegetables, grains, and meat, in this order. Hcy levels showed the best response among all markers across all groups and food types. Our study shows significant differences between variables of the MDQI and Hcy levels compared to levels of folate and vitamin B12 in participants with medium-poor diet quality, as evaluated according to MDQI scores.

scholarly journals Edible Far Eastern Ferns as a Dietary Source of Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1220
Author(s):  
Eduard V. Nekrasov ◽  
Vasily I. Svetashev
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Russian Far East ◽  
Far East ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Pteridium Aquilinum ◽  
Fern Species ◽  
Vegetarian Diets ◽  
Far Eastern ◽  
Long Chain

Young fronds of ferns are consumed as a vegetable in many countries. The aim of this study was to analyze three fern species that are available for sale in the Russian Far East as dietary sources in terms of fatty acids that are important for human physiology: arachidonic acid (20:4n-6, ARA), eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3, EPA) and other valuable long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. The content of ARA and EPA was 5.5 and 0.5 mg/g dry weight, respectively, in Pteridium aquilinum, 4.1 and 1.1 in Matteuccia struthiopteris, and 2.2 and 0.8 in Osmundastrum asiaticum. Salted fronds of P. aquilinum contained less these fatty acids than the raw fronds, with a decrease of up to 49% for ARA and 65% for EPA. These losses were less pronounced or even insignificant in dried fronds. Cooked ferns preserved significant portions of the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids: cooked P. aquilinum contained 4.4 mg/g dry weight ARA and 0.3 mg/g dry weight EPA. The ferns may provide a supplemental dietary source of these valuable long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially for vegetarian diets.

scholarly journals Heart Rate Variability and Long Chain n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients on Haemodialysis: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 2453
Author(s):  
Ana M Pinto ◽  
Helen L MacLaughlin ◽  
Wendy L Hall
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Kidney Disease ◽  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Kidney Disease ◽  
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Cardiac Death ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Ckd Stage ◽  
Long Chain

Low heart rate variability (HRV) is independently associated with increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) and all cardiac death in haemodialysis patients. Long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) may exert anti-arrhythmic effects. This study aimed to investigate relationships between dialysis, sleep and 24 h HRV and LC n-3 PUFA status in patients who have recently commenced haemodialysis. A cross-sectional study was conducted in adults aged 40–80 with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 5 (n = 45, mean age 58, SD 9, 20 females and 25 males, 39% with type 2 diabetes). Pre-dialysis blood samples were taken to measure erythrocyte and plasma fatty acid composition (wt % fatty acids). Mean erythrocyte omega-3 index was not associated with HRV following adjustment for age, BMI and use of β-blocker medication. Higher ratios of erythrocyte eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were associated with lower 24 h vagally-mediated beat-to-beat HRV parameters. Higher plasma EPA and docosapentaenoic acid (DPAn-3) were also associated with lower sleep-time and 24 h beat-to-beat variability. In contrast, higher plasma EPA was significantly related to higher overall and longer phase components of 24 h HRV. Further investigation is required to investigate whether patients commencing haemodialysis may have compromised conversion of EPA to DHA, which may impair vagally-mediated regulation of cardiac autonomic function, increasing risk of SCD.

scholarly journals Heart rate variability and long chain n-3 PUFA in patients with chronic kidney disease commencing haemodialysis: a cross-sectional study

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (OCE2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Pinto ◽  
Helen MacLaughlin ◽  
Robert Gray ◽  
Wendy Hall
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Kidney Disease ◽  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Cardiac Death ◽  
Autonomic Function ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cardiac Autonomic Function ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Long Chain

AbstractThe risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) is doubled when a patient with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 5 starts haemodialysis. Low heart rate variability (HRV) has been reported to be independently associated with increased risk of SCD and all cardiac death in haemodialysis patients. Long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA; 20:5n-3, EPA and 22:6n-3, DHA) may exert anti-arrhythmic effects on cardiac myocytes. Haemodialysis patients have lower serum LC n-3 PUFA levels compared to populations without CKD. Few studies have investigated the relationship between LC n-3 PUFA and HRV in patients with CKD. This study aimed to characterise the variability of LC n-3 PUFA status in patients who recently commenced haemodialysis, and to investigate relationships between LC n-3 PUFA status and HRV. A cross-sectional study was conducted in adults aged 40–80 years with CKD commencing haemodialysis (within 6–10 weeks) (NRES research ethics committee ref: 14/LO/0186). At 2 separate study days, pre-dialysis blood samples were taken to measure fatty acid composition by GC, and HRV monitors (Actiheart, CamNtech Ltd, UK) were fitted after dialysis had started to monitor parameters of cardiac autonomic function during dialysis, during the night, and for a total of 24 h. Forty-five patients (mean age 58 y, SD 9, 20 females/25 males) completed data collection at least once; 91% presented hypertension and 39% had type 2 diabetes. Sample mean omega-3 index (O3I; EPA + DHA as a % of fatty acids in erythrocyte membranes) was very low (3.45%, SD 1.25; median 3.26 %, IQR 1.32); only 2 individuals had O3I > 5%. Variability in erythrocyte EPA (median 0.66 %, IQR 0.42) and DHA (median 2.40 %, IQR 1.32) was limited. Most HRV parameters did not significantly correlate with O3I following adjustment (e.g. age, BMI, β-blockers). Plasma EPA significantly positively correlated with overall and longer phase components of HRV and significantly negatively correlated with beat-to-beat variability over 24 h after full adjustment for confounders. This suggests that although higher circulating EPA concentrations were associated with better cardiac responsivity to environmental stimulations over 24 h, they were also associated with poorer parasympathetic tone (the predominant influence on beat-to-beat HRV). No correlations were observed between plasma DHA and HRV. The divergent pattern of relationships between plasma EPA versus DHA and HRV raises the theory that patients commencing haemodialysis may have compromised conversion of EPA to DHA which may impair vagally-mediated regulation of cardiac autonomic function, a potential mechanism for high risk of SCD.

Association Between Erythrocyte Levels of n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Risk of Frailty in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: The Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doyeon Kim ◽  
Chang Won Won ◽  
Yongsoon Park
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Cardiovascular Health ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Cardiovascular Health Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Frailty Criterion ◽  
Long Chain

Abstract Background Inflammation is a major risk factor for frailty, but n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) has been suggested as an anti-inflammatory agent. The present study aimed to investigate the hypothesis that the higher erythrocyte levels of long-chain n-3 PUFA were associated with lower odds of frailty and frailty criterion. Methods Cross-sectional analysis from the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study, a total of 1,435 people aged 70–84 years were included. Sex- and age-stratified community residents, drawn in urban and rural regions nationwide, were eligible for participation in the study. All participants were categorized as frail and nonfrail according to the Cardiovascular Health Study index. Results The likelihood of frailty was inversely associated with the erythrocyte levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; odds ratio [OR] per unit 0.33; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.14–0.77; p for trend = .002) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; OR per unit 0.42; 95% CI 0.20–0.87; p for trend = .018). Among each frailty criterion, the likelihood of slow walking speed was associated with erythrocyte levels of EPA and DHA, and the likelihood of exhaustion was inversely associated with the erythrocyte levels of DHA. Conclusions The present study showed that the frailty and frailty criterion were significantly associated with lower erythrocyte levels of long-chain n-3 PUFA, suggesting that lower n-3 PUFA could be a marker for the risk of frailty.

scholarly journals Replacement of dietary saturated fat with monounsaturated fat: effect on atherogenesis in cholesterol-fed rabbits clamped at the same plasma cholesterol level

1995 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 509-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars B. Nielsen ◽  
Per Leth-Espensen ◽  
Børge G. Nordestgaard ◽  
Eline Forged ◽  
Knud Kjeldsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Olive Oil ◽  
Plasma Cholesterol ◽  
Saturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Dietary Cholesterol ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Coconut Oil ◽  
Cholesterol Concentration ◽  
Monounsaturated Fat ◽  
Aortic Cholesterol

The aim was to compare the effect on atherogenesis of dietary monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids in cholesterol-clamped rabbits. To obtain an average plasma cholesterol concentration of 20 mmol/l in each rabbit during the 13-week cholesterol-feeding period, dietary cholesterol was adjusted weekly. The amount of fat fed daily was 10 g per rabbit in Expts A (n 23), C (n 36), and D (n 58) and 5 g per rabbit in Expt B (n 24). The source of monounsaturated fatty acids was olive oil in all four experiments. The source of saturated fatty acids was butter in Expt A, lard in Expt B, coconut oil in Expt C, and butter or lard in Expt D. Generally, olive oil-fed groups received more cholesterol and tended to have more cholesterol in VLDL and less in LDL compared with groups receiving saturated fat. Analysis of variance of the combined results of all four experiments showed that, in comparison with saturated fat, olive oil lowered aortic cholesterol by 13 (−9–30, 95% confidence interval) % in the aortic arch, and by 10 (−10–26) % in the thoracic aorta, which was not significant. In the comparison with olive oil, no differences in effects on aortic cholesterol content were detected between butter, lard and coconut oil. These findings do not support the view that replacement of dietary saturated fat with olive oil has a major impact on the development of atherosclerosis in addition to that accounted for by changes in plasma cholesterol levels.

Oral administration of D-003, a mixture of very long chain fatty acids prevents casein-induced endogenous hypercholesterolemia in rabbits

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Menéndez ◽  
R Más ◽  
J Pérez ◽  
R M González ◽  
S Jiménez
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Reductase Activity ◽  
Cholesterol Biosynthesis ◽  
Saturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Cholesterol Absorption ◽  
Cholesterol Concentration ◽  
Proximal Small Bowel ◽  
Long Chain

D-003 is a mixture of very long chain saturated fatty acids (VLCSFA) purified from sugar cane wax with cholesterol-lowering effects proven in animal models and healthy volunteers. D-003 inhibits cholesterol biosynthesis through the regulation of HMG-CoA reductase activity. Rabbits fed diets enriched with casein develop endogenous hypercholesterolemia (EH), making them a very useful model for determining the mechanism of action of drugs affecting lipids. We examined whether D-003 prevented EH. Rabbits were fed a casein diet for 4 weeks, administered simultaneously with D-003 (5, 50, and 100 mg·kg–1·day–1). As expected, nontreated rabbits became hipercholesterolemic; however, as early as 15 days following administration, the treated group (50 and 100 mg·kg–1·day–1) had significantly decreased total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Triglycerides were not affected; however, at study completion, HDL-C levels significantly increased at all the doses assayed. D-003 inhibited de novo synthesis of cholesterol, since the incorporation of 3H2O into sterols in the liver and proximal small bowel was significantly depressed. Also, D-003 significantly raised the rate of removal of [125I]-LDL from serum and significantly elevated [125I]-LDL binding activity to liver homogenates. Taken together, these results show that the efficacy of D-003 in reducing casein-derived hypercholesteromeia could involve, at least partially, an inhibition of hepatic cholesterol bio synthesis, which may elicit a decreased cholesterol concentration in hepatocytes, preventing the loss of hepatic LDL receptors induced by casein administration. However, since casein-induced hypercholesterolemia is also a consequence of a stimulation of cholesterol absorption in the lumen and an increase of the output of cholesterol associated with LDL, the effect of D-003 on cholesterol absorption and LDL synthesis by the liver should be investigated.Key words: D-003, very long chain saturated fatty acids, casein-fed rabbits, LDL-C, cholesterol biosynthesis, LDL clearance, LDL receptor.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document