Vegan Diet Health Benefits in Metabolic Syndrome.

Nutrients. 2021;13(3)
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Plant-based diets (PBD) have grown in popularity in recent years and have been associated with better health outcomes especially with heart disease, however poorly planned PBD’s can result in nutrient deficiencies like vitamin B12. This review aimed to summarise the health benefits of PBD’s, especially vegan diets, compared to omnivorous diets when looking at risk factors associated with heart disease. The authors started by summarising three PBD’s obvious in the literature; vegan diet with no animal products, lacto-ovo-vegetarian (LOV) with dairy products and eggs, and fish-vegetarian including fish and seafoods. The study then highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of the vegan diet, highlighting that although the vegan diet represents a healthy way of eating rich in carbohydrates, omega-6 fats, fibre, vitamin C, vitamin E and magnesium it can be low in protein, omega-3 fats, vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, iron, zinc and iodine if not properly planned. Heart disease incidence was reported to be lower in individuals on a PBD, especially vegans, when compared to omnivorous diets possibly due to their improvement on risk factors associated with the disease. Metabolic syndrome, blood pressure, fat production, and blood sugar balance were all shown to be improved and reasons such as their high fibre content reducing energy intake and causing feelings of satiety and their low saturated fat content impacting cholesterol production were listed as possible mechanisms behind the improvements. It was concluded that a nutritionist led, vegan diet can improve risk factors for heart disease resulting in better health outcomes. This study could be used by healthcare practitioners to understand where vegan diets may lack certain nutrients and the Importance of a well-planned vegan diet in the prevention of heart disease in those at an increased risk.

Abstract

Plant-based diets (PBDs) are increasingly consumed by the Italian population and around the world. In particular, among PBDs, the vegan diet is a food pattern characterized by the exclusion of all animal-origin foods. What drives people to adopt this model are mainly ethical, health and environmental reasons. A vegan diet, if well-balanced and varied, can help in achieving and maintaining an optimal state of health. However, this nutritional approach, if not well-balanced, can cause deficiencies in proteins, ω-3 fatty acids, iron, vitamin D and calcium, zinc, iodine and, above all, vitamin B12. Oral food supplements especially fortified foods are recommended in these cases to restore the nutritional deficiencies. A vegan diet generally reduces the risk of developing chronic non-communicable degenerative diseases, such as metabolic syndrome (MetS) and, in addition, requires fewer natural resources for food production than an omnivorous diet. The aim of this review is to analyze the possible impact of the vegan diet on MetS onset and its treatment.

Lifestyle medicine

Fundamental Clinical Imbalances : Hormonal ; Immune and inflammation
Patient Centred Factors : Mediators/Vegan diet
Environmental Inputs : Diet ; Nutrients
Personal Lifestyle Factors : Nutrition
Functional Laboratory Testing : Not applicable

Methodological quality

Jadad score : Not applicable
Allocation concealment : Not applicable
Publication Type : Journal Article ; Review

Metadata

Nutrition Evidence keywords : Type 2 diabetes ; Nutrient deficiency