Energy, Macronutrient Intake, and Anthropometrics of Vegetarian, Vegan, and Omnivorous Children (1⁻3 Years) in Germany (VeChi Diet Study)

Due to the lack of current, large-scale studies examining their dietary intake and health, there are concerns about vegetarian (VG) and vegan (VN) diets in childhood. Therefore, the Vegetarian and Vegan Children Study (VeChi Diet Study) examined the energy and macronutrient intake as well as the ant...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nutrients 2019-04, Vol.11 (4), p.832
Main Authors: Weder, Stine, Hoffmann, Morwenna, Becker, Katja, Alexy, Ute, Keller, Markus
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescents
Age
Anthropometry
body height
Body measurements
Body weight
Breastfeeding & lactation
Carbohydrates
Children
Cow's milk
Diet
Energy
Families & family life
Infants
macronutrients
Meat
Milk
nutrient intake
Nutrition research
Obesity
Pediatrics
Proteins
Values
vegan
Veganism
vegetarian
Vegetarian diet
Vegetarianism
WHO Child Growth Standards
Womens health
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Summary:Due to the lack of current, large-scale studies examining their dietary intake and health, there are concerns about vegetarian (VG) and vegan (VN) diets in childhood. Therefore, the Vegetarian and Vegan Children Study (VeChi Diet Study) examined the energy and macronutrient intake as well as the anthropometrics of 430 VG, VN, and omnivorous (OM) children (1⁻3 years) in Germany. A 3-day weighed dietary record assessed dietary intake, and an online questionnaire assessed lifestyle, body weight (BW), and height. Average dietary intakes and anthropometrics were compared between groups using ANCOVA. There were no significant differences in energy intake or density and anthropometrics between the study groups. OM children had the highest adjusted median intakes of protein (OM: 2.7, VG: 2.3, VN: 2.4 g/kg BW, < 0.0001), fat (OM: 36.0, VG: 33.5, VN: 31.2%E, < 0.0001), and added sugars (OM: 5.3, VG: 4.5, VN: 3.8%E, = 0.002), whereas VN children had the highest adjusted intakes of carbohydrates (OM: 50.1, VG: 54.1, VN: 56.2%E, < 0.0001) and fiber (OM: 12.2, VG: 16.5, VN: 21.8 g/1,000 kcal, < 0.0001). Therefore, a VG and VN diet in early childhood can provide the same amount of energy and macronutrients, leading to a normal growth in comparison to OM children.
ISSN:2072-6643
2072-6643
DOI:10.3390/nu11040832