Thyroid function and urinary concentrations of iodine, selenium, and arsenic in vegans, lacto-ovo vegetarians and pescatarians

Henjum, Sigrun; Groufh-Jacobsen, Synne; Aakre, Inger; Gjengedal, Elin Lovise Folven; Langfjord, Mina Marthinsen; Heen, Espen; Sele, Veronika; Andersson, Maria

doi:10.1007/s00394-023-03218-5

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 45 publications

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“…Notably, Norway lacks mandatory dietary iodine fortification. The results showed a low prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism (3%), with no significant differences among dietary groups [90]. This rate was notably lower than that observed among adult Europeans (presumably following an OM diet) and Americans [91,92], aligning with findings from the Adventist Health Study-2, which also found no association of the consumption of a VN diet with hypothyroidism [93].…”

Section: Studies On Vegan Vegetarian And/or Omnivorous Diets In Child...supporting

confidence: 74%

Vegan Diets for Children: A Narrative Review of Position Papers Published by Relevant Associations

Jakše,

Fras,

Fidler Mis

2023

Nutrients

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The scientific discourse on vegan diets for children and adolescents primarily involves referencing position statement papers from different scientific and professional organizations, including paediatric associations. Over the past two decades, specialized associations have issued official statements and published position papers about adopting well-designed vegan diets during crucial life stages, including pregnancy and lactation, infancy, and childhood. A subset of these associations firmly supports the notion that a well-designed vegan diet can indeed be healthy and support normal growth and development during particularly delicate life stages, emphasizing careful planning, vitamin B12 supplementation, and regular supervised medical and dietetics oversight. In contrast, specific paediatric associations caution against vegan diets for children and adolescents, citing potential harm and the lack of adequate substantiation. These criticisms in position papers frequently point to lower-quality studies and/or outdated studies. Additionally, concerns extend to comparing vegan and omnivorous diets, considering public health issues such as obesity and early stages of cardiovascular disease as well as the risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Notably, some scepticism stems from studies where children’s adherence to a well-designed vegan diet is incomplete. Scientific rigor suggests performing a comparable assessment of omnivorous and vegan diets. This narrative review highlights the need for a comprehensive, up-to-date literature review to inform balanced perspectives on vegan diets for children and adolescents. Researchers and decision-makers should aim to actively improve the design and consistent implementation of both diet types.

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Section: Studies On Vegan Vegetarian And/or Omnivorous Diets In Child...supporting

confidence: 74%

Vegan Diets for Children: A Narrative Review of Position Papers Published by Relevant Associations

Jakše,

Fras,

Fidler Mis

2023

Nutrients

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Medical geology of arsenic

Davies

2024

Medical Geology of Africa: A Research Primer

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Risk of hypothyroidism in meat-eaters, fish-eaters, and vegetarians: A population-based prospective study

Candussi,

Bell,

Thompson

et al. 2024

Preprint

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BackgroundGlobally, plant-based diets are gaining in popularity. Whilst their cardiometabolic benefits are well-documented, there is a lack of studies examining the associations between plant-based diets and risk of hypothyroidism.MethodsWe analysed data from the UK Biobank cohort. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for incident hypothyroidism across vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians, poultry eaters, low meat eaters, and high meat eaters aged 40-69 years. Ancillary to this, we carried out logistic regression analysess to evaluate associations between the diet groups and prevalent hypothyroidism (according to International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes at baseline.ResultsWe included 494,437 individuals from the UK Biobank, of which 231,906 followed a high-meat, 236,510 a low-meat, 5,662 a poultry-based, 11,286 a pescatarian, 8,654 a vegetarian, and 419 a vegan diet. During a median (SD) follow-up of 12.7 (± 3.2) years, 24,240 participants developed hypothyroidism. In multivariable Cox regression models without adjustment for body mass index (BMI), none of the diets were significantly associated with the risk of hypothyroidism. However, there was a tendency for a higher risk of hypothyroidism among vegetarians compared to people following a high-meat diet (HR: 1.08, 95% CI: 0.98 - 1.19). After controlling for BMI the association for vegetarians (HR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.07 – 1.30) became stronger and statistically significant. Furthermore, we observed a positive association between a vegetarian (OR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.14 - 1.63) and a poultry diet (OR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.10 1.63) with hypothyroidism prevalence.ConclusionIn the present study, we found a moderately higher risk of hypothyroidism among vegetarians, after controlling for BMI, a potential collider. This slightly higher risk of hypothyroidism among vegetarians, requires further investigation, taking iodine status and thyroid hormone levels into account.

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Thyroid function and urinary concentrations of iodine, selenium, and arsenic in vegans, lacto-ovo vegetarians and pescatarians

Cited by 5 publications

References 45 publications

Vegan Diets for Children: A Narrative Review of Position Papers Published by Relevant Associations

Vegan Diets for Children: A Narrative Review of Position Papers Published by Relevant Associations

Medical geology of arsenic

Risk of hypothyroidism in meat-eaters, fish-eaters, and vegetarians: A population-based prospective study

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