Vegetarian diets

Question 1

What are the types of vegetarian diets?

Answer 1

-Lacto-vegetarian: include milk but exclude eggs
-ovo-vegetarian: include eggs but not milk
-ovo-lacto: include milk and eggs
-vegan: exclude all food from animal origin

Question 2

What nutrients are usually absent from plant foods?

Answer 2

B12, Vit D (can be made from sun), retinol (but can be made from beta carotene), haem iron (but plant source available), omega 3 (can be made from alpha linoleic acid), taurine (can be made from cysteine)

Question 3

What are the potential hazards of vegetarian or vegan diets?

Answer 3

1. May be bulky and low in energy which could impair growth of very young children
2. Iron is less bio-available from plant sources
3. Intakes of B12 and calcium are low in vegans
4. Unrefined cereals are popular with vegans/vegetarians which are high in phytic acid and can promote rickets and osteomalacia by reducing calcium absorption

Question 4

What conditions have been reported to be more prevalent in south asian vegetarians living in the UK?

Answer 4

Iron deficiency anaemia, megaloblastic anaemia, rickets and osteomalacia, low birth weight

Question 5

What is the protein intake of vegetarians and vegans like?

Answer 5

-if cereals provide most of the energy in diet, protein intakes are likely to be adequate
-individual plant proteins have lower biological value than animal proteins
-but, when combined the amino acid profiles in different plant proteins complement eachother

Question 6

What are some sources of iron in vegetarian and vegan diets?

Answer 6

wheat, pulses, dark green veg eg kale, fortified cereals, dried fruit, iron cooking ware

Question 7

What are some consequences of low iron intake?

Answer 7

-Increased risk of anaemia, potential adverse effects of poor iron status in pregnancy on birth weight and risk of hypertension in offspring

Question 8

How do vegans/vegetarians get omega 3 fatty acids?

Answer 8

Conversion of linoleic acid to DHA and conversion of omega-6.
-vegetable oils, nuts, seeds

Question 9

What are some potential benefits of vegetarian and vegan diets?

Answer 9

-Lower BMI - (but from EPIC cohort who are higher SES)
-total fat intakes slightly lower but sat fat much lower
-lower BP, plasma total and LDL cholesterol
-could be lower incidents of CHD
-higher fibre intakes
-lower risk of diverticular disease

Question 10

How raised was the risk of fractures in the EPIC cohort vegans compared to meat eaters?

Answer 10

43%