Browsing by Subject "vegetarian"

Background: The effects of vegan and vegetarian diets on children's health are not yet well-understood due to limited research, and the relationship between plant-based diets and children's serum amino acid levels remains unclear. Amino acids play a vital role in growth and well-being, particularly for children. Objectives: The primary objective of this study is to investigate potential differences in serum amino acid concentrations among children following vegan, vegetarian, and omnivorous diets. The secondary objective is to explore whether the diet of a child can be inferred based on their serum amino acid profiles. Methods: Conducted as part of the MIRA2 research, the study involved 69 children from Helsinki day care centers, following vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore diets, with dietary data gathered from parents and validated by 3-day food diaries. Serum amino acid concentrations were analyzed using UHPLC in a laboratory, and group comparisons were conducted using Kruskal-Wallis tests with post-hoc analyses. A decision tree model was constructed based on amino acid concentrations to classify children as vegan or non-vegan. Results: Serum amino acid median concentrations of glycine, arginine, cysteine, conditionally indispensable amino acids, sulfur amino acids and amino acids participating in urea cycle were higher in vegans compared to omnivores. Concentrations of lysine were lower in vegans and vegetarians compared to omnivores. The decision tree model, based on amino acid concentrations, successfully classified 70,3% of children as vegan or non-vegan. Conclusions: Plant-based diets appeared to influence serum amino acid concentrations of children to some extent. Further research, especially regarding the health implications and reference values for amino acid levels, particularly in children on plant-based diets, is still needed. Tausta: Vegaani- ja kasvisruokavalioiden vaikutukset lasten terveyteen eivät ole vielä täysin ymmärrettyjä rajallisen tutkimustiedon vuoksi, ja yhteys kasvipohjaisten ruokavalioiden ja lasten seerumin aminohappopitoisuuksien välillä on epäselvä. Aminohapot ovat keskeisiä kasvun ja hyvinvoinnin kannalta, erityisesti lapsille. Tavoitteet: Tutkimuksen ensisijainen tavoite oli selvittää mahdollisia eroja seerumin aminohappopitoisuuksissa lapsilla, jotka noudattavat vegaani-, kasvis- tai sekasyöntiruokavaliota. Lisäksi tutkittiin, voiko lasten ruokavalion päätellä heidän seerumin aminohappoprofiilinsa perusteella. Menetelmät: Tutkimus tehtiin osana MIRA2-tutkimusta, ja siihen osallistui Helsingin päiväkodeissta yhteensä 69 lasta, jotka noudattivat vegaani-, kasvis- tai sekaruokavaliota. Tieto ruokavaliosta kerättiin vanhemmilta ja validioitiin 3 päivän ruokapäiväkirjoilla. Seerumin aminohappopitoisuudet analysoitiin laboratoriossa UHPLC-menetelmällä, ja ryhmävertailut suoritettiin Kruskal-Wallis -testeillä post-hoc-analyyseineen. Päätöspuumalli luotiin aminohappopitoisuuksien perusteella lasten luokittelemiseksi vegaaneiksi tai ei-vegaaneiksi. Tulokset: Vegaaneilla glysiinin, arginiinin, kysteiinin, ehdollisesti välttämättömien aminohappojen, rikkipitoisten aminohappojen ja ureasykliin osallistuvien aminohappojen mediaanipitosuudet olivat korkeammat verrattuna sekasyöjiin. Lysiinin pitoisuudet olivat alhaisemmat vegaaneilla ja kasvissyöjillä verrattuna sekasyöjiin. Aminohappopitoisuuksiin perustuva päätöspuumalli luokitteli onnistuneesti 70,3 % lapsista vegaaneiksi tai ei-vegaaneiksi. Johtopäätökset: Kasvipohjaiset ruokavaliot vaikuttivat jossain määrin lasten seerumin aminohappopitoisuuksiin. Lisätutkimusta tarvitaan erityisesti terveysvaikutusten ja aminohappopitoisuuksien viitearvojen suhteen, erityisesti kasvipohjaisilla ruokavaliolla olevilla lapsilla.

Background and aim Limited global research is available on the nutritional status of preschool-aged children following a vegan diet. Significant disparities in the absorption of animal and plant-based iron call for an investigation into the iron status of vegan children. The aim of the study was to assess the iron status of preschool-aged children and their caregivers following vegan or vegetarian diets compared to their omnivorous counterparts using multiple iron biomarkers. An additional aim was to capture the variation of dietary intake within the diet groups by constructing a dietary variable and exploring its association with iron biomarkers. Methods In a cross-sectional MIRA 2 study 2-6-year-old children following either a vegan, vegetarian or mixed diet, and their family members, were recruited from daycare centres in Helsinki. Parents reported their own and their children's diets and completed a short screener of dietary intake. Haemoglobin, transferrin receptor and ferritin concentrations were analysed from blood samples. The data used in this study included children (N=61) and parents (N=72) who provided a blood sample and answered the background questionnaire. Diet groups were formed based on the screener. Iron biomarker distributions were examined by diet groups with the Kruskal-Wallis test and iron deficiency prevalence was examined using the Fisher’s exact test. Dietary variables were constructed by principal component analysis and linear regression models were used to assess the association between the variables and iron biomarkers. Results Compared to omnivorous children, children following a vegan diet had lower haemoglobin concentrations (median -7 g/L), and children following a vegetarian diet were found to have haemoglobin values below the reference value (<112 g/L) more often. Vegan men had lower ferritin concentrations compared to omnivorous men (median -55 µg/l). Animal-based dietary pattern was associated with higher haemoglobin concentrations in children and ferritin concentrations in men. In women, a negative linear association was found between animal-based dietary pattern and ferritin concentrations. Of all children and women, 26% and 28 % had ferritin concentrations below the reference value (<12/15 µg/L). Conclusions Iron biomarker concentrations of vegetarians and vegans were lower compared to omnivores. While the popularity of plant-based diets is increasing, studies assessing the long-term effects of childhood vegetarian diets are warranted.

Understanding the relationship between plant-based diets and mental health has become an important issue from a public health perspective, not only for researchers but also in everyday life. In particular, this study focused on university students since more and more students have been limiting their animal-based foods intake. At the same time, there has been a global trend of increasing mental disorders and distress among university students. Poor mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety, could associate with students' academic achievement. This study examined the connections between diet choice, mental health, and academic achievement. This study used cross-sectional data from the Student Health Survey 2016 by the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS). Among 3029 participants (aged 18 to 35 years) from either academic universities or universities of applied sciences in Finland, the questions from the Index of Diet Quality (IDQ) were used to construct four different diet types: 67 vegans (2.2%), 281 vegetarians (9.3%), 291 semi-vegetarians (9.6%), and 2390 omnivores (78.9%). Mental health status was measured by using two indicators: self-reported diagnosed mental disorders (depression and/or anxiety) and the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), which screened minor psychiatric disorders. Academic achievement was measured by asking about perceived academic success. The logistic regression models were used in the main analyses. The two different mental health status were analysed with adjustment for potential confounding variables such as sociodemographic factors, health-related behaviour, BMI, and disease conditions. The academic achievement was analysed with adjustment for potential confounding variables such as sociodemographic factors, health-related behaviour, BMI, disease conditions, enrolment period, and right field of study. Also, this study further examined the association between food groups and academic achievement. The results showed that compared to the omnivorous diet, the vegetarian diet was associated with higher odds of diagnosed mental disorders (OR [95% CI]: 2.74 [1.80–4.16], p<0.001) and minor psychiatric disorders screened by GHQ-12 (OR [95% CI]: 1.68[1.22–2.30], p<0.001) after adjustment for all potential confounders. Although a positive relationship between fish consumption and academic achievement was found (OR [95% CI]: .88[.80–.96], p<0.01), there was no statistically significant association between diet types and academic achievement. In addition, higher sweets consumption was related to higher odds of being less successful than students had expected (OR [95% CI]: 1.08 [1.01–1.15], p<0.05). The results indicate that vegetarian university students are more likely to have lower mental health status than non-vegetarian students on average. In addition, academic achievement is associated with the consumption of specific food items rather than diet types. Overall, the findings suggest that vegetarian students should carefully monitor their mental health status. Also, students should be supported to improve their food choice and dietary quality for their academic achievement. The study results can be implicated in public health interventions to improve students' well-being among higher education students. In future research, it may be beneficial to apply more various classifications and measures of diet types and academic achievement and examine the temporal relationship between diagnosed mental disorders and the diet chosen.