Life-long vegetarians in Belgium

Most studies of vegetarians examine people who became vegetarian in adulthood. A recent study from Belgium looked at 36 life-long vegetarians between 14 and 71 years old. Subjects' diets were analyzed, their blood was checked for cholesterol and other parameters, and their physical fitness was assessed. They were also asked about their health. They reported fewer diseases and allergies and lower medication use than the average person in Belgium. Very few vegetarians were smokers or drinkers. The vegetarians tended to have diets that were higher in fat (average of 34.4 percent of calories from fat) and saturated fat (13 percent of calories) and lower in carbohydrate (51 percent of calories) than the usual recommendations. Intakes of thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin A, and vitamin C were usually adequate, although vitamin [B.sub.6] intakes were low. Calcium intake was quite low in some subjects, zinc intake was low in most subjects, and iron intake of young women was low. Three subjects had subnormal levels of vitamin B12 in their blood. This group of subjects had normal levels of endurance but did not perform well in strength tests. These results suggest that life-long vegetarians in Belgium are generally healthy, but their diets could have been improved by choosing more foods providing calcium, zinc, iron, and vitamins [B.sub.6] and [B.sub.12].

Clarys P, Deriemaeker P, Hebbelinck M, et al. 2004. Physical fitness and health-related parameters in Flemish life-long vegetarians: a pilot study. Nutr Food Sci 34:29-41.

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