Turner, D.R., Sinclair, W.H., and Knez, W.L. (2014) Nutritional adequacy of vegetarian and omnivore dietary intakes. Journal of Nutrition and Health Sciences, 1 (2). 201. pp. 1-4.

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Abstract

Background: Vegetarian diets are associated with reduced risk for diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. We aimed to determine the nutritional adequacy of usual food intake in a cohort of young vegetarians and omnivores who regularly exercise.

Methods: Five vegetarian (aged 21.7±2.0 yrs), three vegan (aged 31.3±7.5 yrs) and eight age and sex matched omnivore participants (aged 21.1±1.9 yrs) volunteered for this project. Participants completed diet diaries to determine usual intake of macronutrients such as protein and fat and micronutrients such as vitamin C and iron.

Results: All participants met or exceeded the recommended dietary intake (RDI) of protein, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 phosphorus, and vitamin C. Vegetarians and vegans consumed insufficient quantities of vitamin B12 and vegans consumed less the half the amount that omnivores managed (1.7μg compared to 4.5μg). Folate consumption was adequate amongst vegetarians and vegans (510μg and 696μg respectively) and vitamin C consumption was highest among the vegan group (>400% of the RDI). Zinc intake was lowest among the vegetarians while low iron and copper intakes were reported by omnivores. Calcium consumption was poor overall.

Conclusions: Nutritional inadequacies can arise from consuming omnivore, vegetarian and vegan diets. Over time such inadequacies may result in nutrient deficiencies thus it is important to consume a variety of nutrient rich foods to ensure nutrition requirements are being met.

Item ID:	35521
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	2393-9060
Additional Information:	© 2014 Turner DR. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Suggested citation: Turner DR, Sinclair WH, Knez WL (2014) Nutritional Adequacy of Vegetarian and Omnivore Dietary Intakes. J Nutr Health Sci 1(2): 201. doi: 10.15744/2393-9060.1.201
Date Deposited:	02 Oct 2014 03:57
FoR Codes:	11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1111 Nutrition and Dietetics > 111199 Nutrition and Dietetics not elsewhere classified @ 100%
SEO Codes:	92 HEALTH > 9204 Public Health (excl. Specific Population Health) > 920411 Nutrition @ 100%
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