Abstract
This study investigated whether university students following a vegetarian diet differed from non-vegetarian students in nutrient intake, biochemical, hematological and blood mineral profile of nutritionally relevant elements. In total, 107 students from a university, following either a non-vegetarian or a vegetarian diet for at least 1 year prior to the study, were recruited in two stages, setting up two experiments. Nutrient intake (experiment 1, n = 58), and biochemical and hematological parameters (experiment 2, n = 49) were evaluated. TXRF spectroscopy was used for determination of trace elements in whole blood. Vegetarians showed differences in nutrient intake, mainly higher consumption of unsaturated fatty acids and fiber. No significant differences in the biochemical and hematological parameters were found. The prevalence of abnormal parameters in a considerable number of vegetarians and non-vegetarians were found, mainly regarding high density lipoprotein (HDL-c) and total cholesterol (TC). TXRF spectroscopy proved to be a simple tool for determining nutrition-relevant elements (K, Fe, Cu and Zn) in blood samples. The high incidence of abnormal parameters, regardless of the dietary pattern, raises concern about the high prevalence of bad eating habits among young university students. Particularly for the vegetarian students, these results may partly counteract the beneficial lifestyle of a vegetarian diet evidenced by previous studies. It is important for students to be aware of its potential nutritional limitations. In this context, food and nutrition education programs in the academic context could contribute to set up autonomous and healthy subjects, regardless of the diet chosen.
Highlights
We propose the use of the total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) as a quantitative analysis of nutritionally relevant minerals, mainly iron (Fe), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn)
Given the above and considering that university students may adopt unhealthy dietary habits, in this study, we investigated whether university students following a vegetarian diet differ from non-vegetarian students in nutrient intake (Experiment 1), biochemical, hematological and blood mineral profile of nutritionally relevant elements (Experiment 2)
Lipids, saturated fatty acids (SFA), calcium and vitamin C intake did not differ significantly between the groups (p > 0.05), but, SFA intake was similar and represented less than 10% of the caloric intake as recommended by WHO, ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) to SFA was higher in vegetarians (2.47 g) when compared to non-vegetarians (1.95) (p < 0.05)
Summary
According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Melina, Craig & Levin, 2016) an “[...] appropriately planned vegetarian, including vegan, diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases”, including cardiovascular diseases (Huang et al, 2012), diabetes (Kahleova & Pelikanova, 2015) and cancer (Key et al, 2014). These diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, older adulthood, and for athletes. This profile has been associated with some benefits, mainly associated with biochemical and hematological parameters. Wang et al (2015), for example, presented a systematic review and meta-analysis providing evidence that vegetarian diets effectively lower blood concentrations of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), and non–high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (nHDL-c), and concluded that such diets could be a useful non-pharmaceutical means of managing dyslipidemia, especially hypercholesterolemia
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