Long-term vegetarians have low oxidative stress, body fat, and cholesterol levels

Excessive oxidative stress and abnormal blood lipids may cause chronic diseases. This risk can be reduced by consuming an antioxidant- and fiber-rich vegetarian diet. We compared biomarkers of oxidative stress, antioxidant capacity, and lipid profiles of sex- and age-matched long-term vegetarians and omnivores in Korea. Forty-five vegetarians (23 men and 22 women; mean age, 49.5 +/- 5.3 years), who had maintained a vegetarian diet for a minimum of 15 years, and 30 omnivores (15 men and 15 women; mean age, 48.9 +/- 3.6 years) participated in this study. Their I-day, 24-h recall, and 2-day dietary records were analyzed. Oxidative stress was measured by the levels of diacron reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROM). Antioxidant status was determined by the biological antioxidant potential (BAP) and levels of endogenous antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase. We observed that vegetarians had a significantly lower body fat percentage (21.6 +/- 6.4%) than that of omnivores (25.4 +/- 4.6%; P < 0.004). d-ROM levels were significantly lower in vegetarians than those in omnivores (331.82 +/- 77.96 and 375.80 +/- 67.26 Carratelli units; P < 0.011). Additionally, total cholesterol levels in the vegetarians and omnivores were 173.73 +/- 31.42 mg/dL and 193.17 +/- 37.89 mg/dL, respectively (P < 0.018). Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was 101.36 +/- 23.57 mg/dL and 120.60 +/- 34.62 mg/dL (P < 0.005) in the vegetarians and omnivores, respectively, indicating that vegetarians had significantly lower lipid levels. Thus, oxidative stress, body fat, and cholesterol levels were lower in long-term vegetarians than those in omnivores.