Abstract
Bile acids play an active role in fat metabolism and, in high-fat diets, elevated concentrations of fecal bile acids may be related to an increased risk of colorectal cancer. This study investigated concentrations of fecal and serum bile acids in 36 vegans and 36 omnivores. The reduced rank regression was used to identify dietary patterns associated with fecal bile acids. Dietary patterns were derived with secondary and conjugated fecal bile acids as response variables and 53 food groups as predictors. Vegans had higher fiber (p < 0.01) and lower fat (p = 0.0024) intake than omnivores. In serum, primary and glycine-conjugated bile acids were higher in vegans than in omnivores (p ≤ 0.01). All fecal bile acids were significantly lower in vegans compared to omnivores (p < 0.01). Processed meat, fried potatoes, fish, margarine, and coffee contributed most positively, whereas muesli most negatively to a dietary pattern that was directly associated with all fecal bile acids. According to the pattern, fat intake was positively and fiber intake was inversely correlated with bile acids. The findings contribute to the evidence that, in particular, animal products and fat may play a part in higher levels of fecal bile acids.
Highlights
An increasing trend toward plant-based diets and, in particular, vegan diets was observed in developed countries over the last few years [1,2]
No significant differences in body weight, body mass index (BMI), education level, physical activity, and smoking status were observed between the vegan and omnivorous study group
We observed higher dietary fiber intake and lower fecal bile acids in vegans compared to omnivores
Summary
An increasing trend toward plant-based diets and, in particular, vegan diets was observed in developed countries over the last few years [1,2]. A vegan diet is defined as a diet without consumption of any animal products and is supposed to be rich in fiber and low in fat [3]. Due to this dietary composition, vegans and vegetarians tend to have a lower body mass index (BMI), which is considered beneficial to positive health effects against the onset of obesity or type 2-diabetes [4,5]. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancer types, and incidence rates are increasing in Western countries [8]. CRC is strongly associated with meat intake, whereas fiber intake shows an inverse relationship [9]
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