Vegetarian Diet and Cardiometabolic Risk among Asian Indians in the United States

Abstract

Research studies have shown that plant-based diets confer cardiovascular and metabolic health benefits. Asian Indians (AIs) in the US (who have often followed plant-based diets) have elevated risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity suggesting ethnic vulnerability that imply genetic and/or lifestyle causative links. This study explored the association between this ethnic group and diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome after controlling for demographics, acculturation, family history of diabetes, and lifestyle and clinical risk factors. The sample comprised of 1038 randomly selected adult AIs in seven US sites. Prevalence and metabolic syndrome was estimated, and obesity was calculated using the WHO Asian criteria. Multivariate analysis included multinomial logistic regression. The mean age and length of residency in the US were 47 and 18.5 years, respectively. The majority of respondents were vegetarians (62%) and educated. A vegetarian lifestyle was associated with females, food label users, respondents with poor/fair current health status, less acculturated, and those who reported their diet had not changed after coming to the US. Vegetarian status was a protective factor and lowered the risk for diabetes but not for metabolic syndrome and obesity in the regression model. Results provide a firm basis for educational programs.

Comparative Evaluation of Biomarkers of Inflammation Among Indian Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Consuming Vegetarian vs. Non-vegetarian Diet

“…In line with this study, we observed that the vegetarian subjects, despite having lower overall daily calorie intake, recorded a higher per cent energy intake from carbohydrates and lower intake from fats as compared to non-vegetarian subjects and may partly explain the pro-inflammatory state in them. Our results are also supported by recent evidence correlating vegetarian diet with poor health status among Asian Indians in which vegetarianism was found to be associated with higher incidence of metabolic syndrome and obesity (51).…”

Dietary Variations in a Multiethnic Parkinson’s Disease Cohort and Possible Influences on Nonmotor Aspects: A Cross-Sectional Multicentre Study

“…As all patients studied in this paper were residents in the United Kingdom, they were exposed to a similar choice of food types. Whilst our findings suggest that the majority of patients with PD in each ethnic group followed no dietary restrictions, there were dietary differences between the multiethnic PD groups: Asian patients with PD, similar to what has been reported in non-PD populations [17], significantly more frequent followed a vegetarian diet and consumed cumin, turmeric, and cinnamon than White or Black African and Caribbean patients. Both Asian and Black African and Caribbean patients consumed less pork than White patients, and Asian patients consumed less beef and more fresh chili than White or Black African and Caribbean patients.…”

“…Unadjusted comparison also suggested higher green tea consumption in Black African and Caribbean patients than in Asian or White patients, but this difference was no longer significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons. Similar differences in diet have been reported in the overall population of Asian and Black African and Caribbean in the United Kingdom [17].…”

Cardio-metabolic disease in India—the up-coming tsunami

“…The prevalence of diabetes was 17.4%, pre-diabetes 33%, metabolic syndrome 38.2% and obesity 48%. Vegetarianism was not a protective factor for metabolic syndrome and obesity although the risk for diabetes was lowered (9). Paleolithic nutrition, a lowsalt, high-protein diet with virtual elimination of grains and dairy products is thought to reduce the prevalence of metabolic syndrome, but may not be the most suitable diet alteration in India (10).…”