CARDIOVASCULAR-DISEASE RISK-FACTORS ARE LOWER IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN VEGANS COMPARED TO LACTO-OVO-VEGETARIANS

Objective: This study was undertaken to determine if African-American strict vegetarians (vegans) exhibit lower blood pressure (BP) and a mo re favorable serum lipid profile than their lacto-ovo vegetarian (LOV) counterparts, and if plasma ascorbic acid (AA) concentrations could e xplain any group differences in these cardiovascular disease (CVD) ris k factors. Methods: Habitual dietary intake, anthropometric characteri stics, blood pressure, and blood lipids and ascorbic acid concentratio ns were determined in African-American study participants (male vegans , n=14, age=45.6 years; male LOV, n=49, age=49.8; female vegans, n=31, age=51.1, female LOV, n=94, age=52.1) recruited from Seventh-Day Adve ntist Churches in several cities in the northeastern United States. Re sults: Body mass index (BMI) was significantly lower in the vegans (24 .7+/-1.9 kg/m(2)) compared to LOV (26.4+/-0.45 kg/m(2)). There were no diet or gender differences in BP. Serum total cholesterol (3.75+/-0.1 2 vs. 4.51+/-0.10 mmol/L), LDL-cholesterol (2.06+/-0.13 vs. 2.65+/-0.0 9 mmol/l), and triglycerides (0.94+/-0.07 vs. 1.17+/-0.04 mmol/L) were significantly (p<0.05) lower in vegans compared to LOV, but there wer e no dietary group differences in HDL-C. The ratio of total to HDL-cho lesterol was significantly lower in vegans than in LOV (3.0+/-0.13 vs. 3.7+/-0.13). There were no dietary group differences in plasma AA con centrations. However, in the entire sample, plasma AA was inversely as sociated with BP (SBP: r=-0.46, p<0.001, DBP: r=-0.32, p<0.001), but u nrelated to the serum lipid concentrations. Conclusion: African-Americ an vegans exhibit a more favorable serum lipid profile than lacto-ovov egetarians and plasma AA is inversely related to BP in African-America n vegetarians but does not explain any of the differences in CVD risk factors between vegans and lacto-ovo vegetarians.