Association of micronutrient status with subclinical health complaints in lactovegetarian adults

Background Micronutrient malnutrition has many adverse effects on human health, not all of which may be clinically evident. Objective To explore linkages between subclinical health complaints and micronutrient status in lactovegetarian Indian adults. Design Health was assessed in 502 lactovegetarian adults (275 men, 227 women, aged 30.6±9 years) using a structured questionnaire for existing complaints with severity of symptoms on a four-point scale and morbidity over the preceding month. Subjects were categorized as having no complaints (NC), or complaints of mild (MI) or moderate (MD) degree, using cluster analysis. Diet was recorded by a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire and nutrient intakes were computed using standard databases. Levels of haemoglobin, vitamin C, retinol, ceruloplasmin, riboflavin (EGRAC), folic acid, vitamin B12 and erythrocyte membrane zinc (RBCMZn) in blood were estimated. Results Health complaints of a mild and moderate degree were observed in 30.5% and 24.7% of the subjects, respectively. Average dietary intakes of β-carotene, riboflavin, iron and zinc were observed to be only about half of the recommended dietary intakes. There was a decreasing trend in micronutrient intakes from NC to MD. Intakes of iron, zinc, niacin and thiamin of men from the MI group tended to be lower than in the NC group (p<0.1). Men from the MD group had significantly lower intakes of calcium, zinc and riboflavin than those from the NC group (p<0.05). The intakes of these nutrients in women from NC, MI and MD were not significantly different. Multinomial logistic regression of health status revealed that plasma vitamin C and RBCMZn were negatively associated with MD and RBCMZn with MI. Conclusions The study indicates a need to increase micronutrient intakes of vegetarian populations, especially regarding vitamin C and zinc for maintenance of health.