The Biology of Veganism: Plasma Metabolomics Analysis Reveals Distinct Profiles of Vegans and Non-Vegetarians in the Adventist Health Study-2 Cohort

Abstract

It is unclear how vegetarian dietary patterns influence plasma metabolites involved in biological processes regulating chronic diseases. We sought to identify plasma metabolic profiles distinguishing vegans (avoiding meat, eggs, dairy) from non-vegetarians (consuming ≥28 g/day red meat) of the Adventist Health Study-2 cohort using global metabolomics profiling with ultra-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Differences in abundance of metabolites or biochemical subclasses were analyzed using linear regression models, adjusting for surrogate and confounding variables, with cross-validation to simulate results from an independent sample. Random forest was used as a learning tool for classification, and principal component analysis was used to identify clusters of related metabolites. Differences in covariate-adjusted metabolite abundance were identified in over 60% of metabolites (586/930), after adjustment for false discovery. The vast majority of differentially abundant metabolites or metabolite subclasses showed lower abundance in vegans, including xanthine, histidine, branched fatty acids, acetylated peptides, ceramides, and long-chain acylcarnitines, among others. Many of these metabolite subclasses have roles in insulin dysregulation, cardiometabolic phenotypes, and inflammation. Analysis of metabolic profiles in vegans and non-vegetarians revealed vast differences in these two dietary groups, reflecting differences in consumption of animal and plant products. These metabolites serve as biomarkers of food intake, many with potential pathophysiological consequences for cardiometabolic diseases.

Causal effects of genetically determined metabolites on cancers included lung, breast, ovarian cancer, and glioma: a Mendelian randomization study

“…The only one study could be retrieved referred to concentration of 1-oleoylglycerophosphocholine was higher when compared to the normal wild type rat using high mass accuracy electrospray ionization multistage tandem mass spectrometry ( 55 ). In a cohort study of metabolites involved in chronic disease by the effects of vegetarian dietary patterns, vegans showed lower abundance in acylcarnitine, and many subclasses of this metabolite may play a role in insulin dysregulation, inflammation, and so on ( 56 ) together with the effect on myocardium ( 57 ) and arterial stiffness ( 58 )…”

Left ventricular diastolic abnormalities in vegetarians compared with non-vegetarians

“…Long-term randomised trials of vegetarian diets seem infeasible at present, so future work will depend on well-conducted observational studies with appropriate covariate adjustment. Metabolomic and gene expression studies (56,57) may add further mechanistic insights.…”

“…Long-term randomized trials of vegetarian diets seem infeasible at present, so future work will depend on well-conducted observational studies with appropriate covariate adjustment. Metabolomic and gene expression studies [56][57] * Bias-corrected bootstrap 95% confidence intervals † Bolded numbers identify significant mediation (indirect effects where the confidence interval excludes zero).…”

Can the gut microbiome inform the effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation trials on cognition?

“…Among those living in the World Health Organization designated Blue Zones [20], such as the Seventh-day Adventist community residing in Loma Linda California, consumption of a plant-based diet that excludes red meat, chicken, or seafood is associated with lower levels of both cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases such as AD [21]. When compared to individuals that consume meat, vegans show lower levels of xanthine, histidine, branched fatty acids, acetylated peptides, ceramides, and long-chain acylcarnitines, among other metabolites [22]. Many of these metabolite subclasses are implicated in insulin resistance, increased cardiovascular risk, and inflammation.…”