Children and adults should avoid consuming animal products to reduce risk for chronic disease: YES

ABSTRACT The consumption of animal products exposes humans to saturated fat, cholesterol, lactose, estrogens, and pathogenic microorganisms, while displacing fiber, complex carbohydrates, antioxidants, and other components needed for health. In the process, consumption of animal products increases the risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and other disorders. This dietary pattern also promotes the growth of unhealthful gut bacteria, fostering, among other things, the production of trimethylamine N-oxide, a proinflammatory compound associated with cardiovascular and neurological diseases. When omnivorous individuals change to a plant-based diet, diet quality as measured by the Alternate Healthy Eating Index improves, and the risk of these health problems diminishes. Planning for nutrient adequacy is important with any diet. However, a diet based on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes, supplemented with vitamin B-12, is nutritionally superior to diets including animal products and is healthful for children and adults.

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Healthy Eating Index: Assessment of the Diet Quality of a Brazilian Elderly Population

Nutrition and Metabolic Insights ◽

10.1177/1178638818818845 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

pp. 117863881881884

Author(s):

Dalila Pinto de Souza Fernandes ◽

Maria Sônia Lopes Duarte ◽

Milene Cristine Pessoa ◽

Sylvia do Carmo Castro Franceschini ◽

Andréia Queiroz Ribeiro

Keyword(s):

Healthy Eating ◽

Diet Quality ◽

Saturated Fat ◽

Population Based ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Whole Grains ◽

Healthy Eating Index ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Global Quality

Background: The food consumption assessment is necessary to monitor elderly’s nutritional status because it allows detecting nutrition deficits and guiding the elaboration of effective conducts. Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the global quality of the elderly’s diet in Viçosa—MG, Brazil. Methods: This is a population-based cross-sectional study, involving noninstitutionalized elderly. Diet quality was assessed through the Brazilian Healthy Eating Index-Revised (BHEI-R) validated to the Brazilian population. Results: The study comprised 620 elderly individuals. The mean total BHEI-R score was 64.28. The worse consumption scores concerned the components Whole grains, Milk and derivatives, Sodium, Total fruit, and Whole fruit. Approximately 82% scored zero (0%) for Whole grains and 67% for Sodium. Men presented significantly lower scores than women, who have presented maximal score in the same items. Women’s scores were not only significantly higher for Total fruit, Whole fruit, Milk and derivatives, but also significantly lower for Saturated fat. Discussion: Most elderly need to improve their diet quality. Strategies heading toward the improvement of diet quality must be priority in policies to health promotion toward the healthy and active aging.

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Children and adults should avoid consuming animal products to reduce the risk for chronic disease: Debate Consensus

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition ◽

10.1093/ajcn/nqaa237 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 112 (4) ◽

pp. 937-940

Author(s):

Neal D Barnard ◽

Frédéric Leroy

Keyword(s):

Striated Muscle ◽

Saturated Fat ◽

Whole Grains ◽

Cow Milk ◽

Vegan Diet ◽

Animal Products ◽

Global Challenge ◽

Increasing Risk ◽

Vulnerable Population Groups

ABSTRACT The present debate outlined opposing views regarding the role of animal products in human diets. The YES position argues that the health benefits and safety of plant-based diets have been clearly established by consistent findings of randomized trials and observational studies; that animal products skew the diet toward saturated fat, excess protein, cholesterol, lactose, and exogenous hormones; and that vulnerable populations are better nourished by vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains than by striated muscle and cow milk. In contrast, the NO position asserts that animal foods are not only benign but are also key elements of the human omnivore diet, facilitating the global challenge of adequate essential nutrition. This view holds that the portrayal of animal foods as unhealthy is not supported by the evidence and that a restrictive vegan diet decreases nutritional flexibility and robustness, increasing risk for vulnerable population groups. Points of agreement and controversy were identified, as well as opportunities for further studies.

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Nutritional B12 Deficiency in Infants of Vitamin B12-Deficient Mothers

International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research ◽

10.1024/0300-9831/a000080 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 81 (5) ◽

pp. 328-334 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Oya Halicioglu ◽

Sezin Asik Akman ◽

Sumer Sutcuoglu ◽

Berna Atabay ◽

Meral Turker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Megaloblastic Anemia ◽

Maternal Diet ◽

Clinical Manifestations ◽

Serum Vitamin ◽

Failure To Thrive ◽

Clinical Findings ◽

Vitamin B ◽

Animal Products ◽

Hematological Evaluation ◽

Nutritional Vitamin

Aim: Nutritional vitamin B12 deficiency in infants may occur because the maternal diet contains inadequate animal products. Clinical presentations of the infants who had nutritional vitamin B12 deficiency were analyzed in this study. Subjects and Methods: Patients with nutritional vitamin B12 deficiency were enrolled in the study between 2003 and 2010. The diagnosis was based on a nutritional history of mothers and infants, clinical findings, hematological evaluation, and low level of serum vitamin B12. Results: Thirty children aged 1 - 21 months constituted the study group. Poverty was the main cause of inadequate consumption of animal products of the mothers. All infants had predominantly breastfed. The most common symptoms were developmental delay, paleness, apathy, lethargy, anorexia, and failure to thrive. Hematological findings were megaloblastic anemia (83.3 %), thrombocytopenia (30 %), and severe anemia (13.3 %). All of the mothers had low serum B12 levels; eight of them had megaloblastic anemia. Conclusion: The unusual clinical manifestations of vitamin B12 deficiency may also be seen apart from neurological and hematological findings. Nutritional vitamin B12 deficiency due to maternal deficiency might be a serious health problem in infants. Therefore, screening and supplementation of pregnant and lactating women to prevent infantile vitamin B12 deficiency should be considered.

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