Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Profile Among Australian Vegetarian and Nonvegetarian Teenagers.

Atherosclerosis develops over a long period of time and often begins in childhood. The goal of this study was to make a cross-sectional assessment of the pattern of cardiovascular disease risk factors among Australian vegetarian (n = 49) and nonvegetarian (n = 639) 14- to 17-year-old participants from New South Wales, Australia. Vegetarians had statistically significant lower mean total (4.05 vs 4.4 mmol/L;P < .001) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (2.18 vs 2.55 mmol/L; P < .001) and lower incidence of abnormal total and LDL cholesterol (31.1% vs 46.2%, P = .036, having total cholesterol ≥4.4 mmol/L and 13.3% vs 29.6%, P = .021, having LDL cholesterol ≥2.84 mmol/L). Vegetarians had a higher diastolic BP (72.0 vs 69.7 mm Hg; P = .038). No statistically significant difference was found in other risk factors including high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = .83), triglycerides (P = .601), systolic blood pressure (P = .727), body mass index (P = .159), plasma glucose (P = .09), C-reactive protein (P = .527), or homocysteine (P = .45). The prevalence rate with 3 or more risk factors was 12.2% among vegetarians and 13.9% among nonvegetarians (P = .156). The high percentage of abnormal total cholesterol in both diet groups and, in addition, LDL cholesterol in nonvegetarians is a cause of concern and underlines the need for lifestyle change.

Evidence for under-nutrition in adolescent females using routine dieting practices.

In Western countries the increasing prevalence of obesity in young people is a major public health concern. While the focus has been on reducing obesity, paradoxically the success of these campaigns may result in unhealthy nutritional practices. The aim of this study was to investigate the use and impact of weight control techniques on the health of adolescent females. Using Analysis of Variance we compared physiological and biochemical markers of health against responses to a modified, Schools Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey (SPANS) in 482 adolescent females (14-17 yrs) from secondary schools in the northern Sydney and Central Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia. Participants who 'often' used weight control methods had, on average, a healthy BMI of 22.5 (SD=3.7). However, comparison of blood derived markers between participants who 'never', 'occasionally' or 'often' used weight reduction techniques showed that, those who 'often' used weight control methods had significantly lower haemoglobin (p<0.05), alkaline phosphatase (p<0.001), bilirubin (p<0.05), albumin (p<0.05), total protein (p<0.05), and calcium (p<0.05), but higher blood levels of creatinine (p<0.05) and potassium (p<0.05). These data suggest that the use of common weight control techniques by healthy weight adolescent females can produce a metabolically divergent group whose biochemical markers are consistent with subtle levels of chronic under-nutrition.

The relative impact of a vegetable-rich diet on key markers of health in a cohort of Australian adolescents.

Childhood obesity is a widespread health problem in Australia. Overweight in childhood can lead to adult overweight and the development of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Effective strategies for reducing childhood obesity are urgently required. A vegetarian diet has been shown to be an effective prophylactic to many lifestyle diseases in the adult population and may therefore be beneficial in children. However the metabolic demands of adolescents are different to adults and the impact of a vegetarian diet on CVD markers in this demographic is not certain. We compared key physiological and biochemical markers of health against responses to a modified, Schools Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey (SPANS) using one-way and two-way Analysis of Variance. 215 adolescents (14-15 yrs) from 5 Adventist secondary schools in the Sydney and Hunter regions of New South Wales, Australia, participated in this study. Adolescents consuming predominantly vegetarian foods showed significantly better scores on markers of cardiovascular health, including, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, Cholesterol/High density lipoprotein ratio and low density lipoprotein. Adolescents consuming nuts more than once per week, also showed lower scores for BMI and serum glucose irrespective of their vegetarian status. Markers of general health including haemoglobin and average height were not different between groups; however a lower serum level of vitamin B12 was apparent in the vegetarian cohort. Surprisingly, exercise on its own was not statistically associated with any of the risk factors tested suggesting that diet may be the most significant factor in promoting health in this age group.