Analyzing dietary exposure to critical nutrients on a plant-based diet using the food- and total nutrient index.

IF 4.4 2区医学 Q1 NUTRITION & DIETETICS

Nutrition Journal Pub Date : 2025-03-12 DOI:10.1186/s12937-025-01105-9

Maximilian Andreas Storz, Frieda Stübing, Luciana Hannibal, Roman Huber

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Unfortified plant-based diets are devoid of vitamin B12, and supply low intakes of iodine, zinc, selenium, and calcium. To disentangle the complex interplay between nutritional adequacy and nutrient intakes from supplements and foods in plant-based diets, data from a Germany-based cross-sectional study examining the nutritional status of omnivores, lacto-ovo-vegetarians and vegans was re-analyzed. Special emphasis was put on potentially under-consumed nutrients in plant-based diets, including vitamin A and choline.

Methods: A novel tool focusing on under-consumed micronutrients was employed to shed a new light on nutrient supply and dietary exposure to critical nutrients in plant-based diets: The Total Nutrient Index (TNI). The TNI extends existing measures of diet quality by considering nutrient intake data from both foods and supplements. The TNI covers calcium, magnesium, potassium, choline and vitamins A, C, D, and E. The TNI was compared between omnivores, vegetarians and vegans, with a special focus on its micronutrient component scores and with regard to dietary supplement contributions.

Results: Data from 108 participants was analyzed. The vegan and the omnivorous diet resulted in similar TNI scores (73.70 ± 19.68 and 72.77 ± 17.88), whereas lacto-ovo-vegetarians scored lower (68.50 ± 17.10). The contribution of supplements to the TNI was higher in vegans and omnivores (median contribution: 12.50 (16.80) and 10.81 (18.23) score points, respectively) as compared to lacto-ovo-vegetarians (3.42 (12.50) score points). High micronutrient component score contributions to the TNI were found for vitamin D supplements (all dietary groups), vitamin C supplements (omnivores and vegans) and magnesium supplements (all groups).

Conclusions: Supplementation has a profound impact on nutrient supplies in individuals on a plant-based diet. This study reiterates the need to quantitatively assess nutrient intakes from supplements to assess diet quality of plant-based dietary patterns. We posit that defining diet-specific TNI scores is important for a precise evaluation of diet quality, whether in omnivore or in the spectrum of plant-based diets.

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使用食物和总营养指数分析植物性饮食中关键营养素的饮食暴露。

背景：未经强化的植物性饮食缺乏维生素B12，碘、锌、硒和钙的摄入量也很低。为了弄清营养充足性与植物性饮食中补充剂和食物的营养摄入量之间复杂的相互作用，一项来自德国的横断面研究的数据重新分析了杂食动物、乳蛋素食者和纯素食者的营养状况。特别强调了植物性饮食中可能消耗不足的营养素，包括维生素A和胆碱。方法：采用一种关注微量营养素摄入不足的新工具来揭示植物性饮食中营养供应和关键营养素的膳食暴露：总营养指数（TNI）。TNI通过考虑从食物和补充剂中摄取的营养数据，扩展了现有的饮食质量测量方法。TNI包括钙、镁、钾、胆碱和维生素A、C、D和e。TNI在杂食者、素食者和纯素食者之间进行了比较，特别关注其微量营养素成分得分和膳食补充剂的贡献。结果：分析了108名参与者的数据。纯素食者和杂食性饮食者的TNI得分相似（73.70±19.68和72.77±17.88），而乳蛋素食者的得分较低（68.50±17.10）。与乳蛋素食者（3.42（12.50）分）相比，补充剂对TNI的贡献在纯素食者和杂食者中更高（贡献中位数分别为12.50（16.80）和10.81（18.23）分）。维生素D补充剂（所有饮食组）、维生素C补充剂（杂食动物和素食主义者）和镁补充剂（所有饮食组）的微量营养素成分得分对TNI的贡献都很高。结论：补充剂对植物性饮食个体的营养供应有深远的影响。这项研究重申，需要定量评估补充剂的营养摄入量，以评估植物性饮食模式的饮食质量。我们认为，定义特定饮食的TNI分数对于精确评估饮食质量非常重要，无论是杂食还是植物性饮食。

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来源期刊

Nutrition Journal NUTRITION & DIETETICS-

CiteScore

9.80

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： Nutrition Journal publishes surveillance, epidemiologic, and intervention research that sheds light on i) influences (e.g., familial, environmental) on eating patterns; ii) associations between eating patterns and health, and iii) strategies to improve eating patterns among populations. The journal also welcomes manuscripts reporting on the psychometric properties (e.g., validity, reliability) and feasibility of methods (e.g., for assessing dietary intake) for human nutrition research. In addition, study protocols for controlled trials and cohort studies, with an emphasis on methods for assessing dietary exposures and outcomes as well as intervention components, will be considered. Manuscripts that consider eating patterns holistically, as opposed to solely reductionist approaches that focus on specific dietary components in isolation, are encouraged. Also encouraged are papers that take a holistic or systems perspective in attempting to understand possible compensatory and differential effects of nutrition interventions. The journal does not consider animal studies. In addition to the influence of eating patterns for human health, we also invite research providing insights into the environmental sustainability of dietary practices. Again, a holistic perspective is encouraged, for example, through the consideration of how eating patterns might maximize both human and planetary health.