TABLE 2.
Biomarkers of dietary intake among participants in the Calibration Study according to diet pattern1,2
| Vegan (n ≥ 67) | Lacto-ovo-vegetarian (n ≥ 218) | Pesco-vegetarian (n ≥ 94) | Semi-vegetarian (n ≥ 35) | Non-vegetarian (n ≥ 374) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (95% CI) | P | Mean (95% CI) | P | Mean (95% CI) | P | Mean (95% CI) | P | Mean (95% CI) | |
| Blood/plasma | |||||||||
| α-carotene, mmol/L | 0.16 (0.11, 0.22) | <0.0001 | 0.10 (0.07, 0.13) | <0.05 | 0.12 (0.08, 0.16) | <0.001 | 0.08 (0.05, 0.12) | NS | 0.08 (0.06, 0.10) |
| β-carotene, mmol/L | 0.65 (0.49, 0.88) | <0.0001 | 0.46 (0.35, 0.59) | <0.0001 | 0.45 (0.34, 0.60) | <0.05 | 0.33 (0.24, 0.47) | NS | 0.34 (0.27, 0.43) |
| Lutein, mmol/L | 0.36 (0.28, 0.45) | <0.05 | 0.32 (0.26, 0.39) | <0.05 | 0.32 (0.25, 0.40) | NS | 0.29 (0.22, 0.37) | NS | 0.27 (0.22, 0.32) |
| Zeaxanthin, mmol/L | 0.05 (0.04, 0.06) | NS | 0.05 (0.04, 0.06) | NS | 0.05 (0.04, 0.06) | NS | 0.05 (0.04, 0.06) | NS | 0.05 (0.04, 0.05) |
| Cryptoxanthin, mmol/L | 0.22 (0.16, 0.29) | <0.0001 | 0.17 (0.13, 0.22) | <0.001 | 0.15 (0.12, 0.20) | NS | 0.14 (0.10, 0.19) | NS | 0.13 (0.10, 0.16) |
| Lutein/zeaxanthin, mmol/L | 0.41 (0.34, 0.51) | <0.001 | 0.38 (0.31, 0.45) | <0.05 | 0.37 (0.30, 0.44) | NS | 0.34 (0.27, 0.42) | NS | 0.32 (0.27, 0.37) |
| Lycopene, mmol/L | 0.49 (0.41, 0.58) | NS | 0.47 (0.40, 0.54) | NS | 0.51 (0.44, 0.60) | NS | 0.45 (0.37, 0.54) | NS | 0.46 (0.40, 0.52) |
| Total carotenoids, mmol/L | 1.86 (1.55, 2.23) | <0.0001 | 1.40 (1.19, 1.64) | <0.001 | 1.48 (1.25, 1.76) | <0.001 | 1.17 (0.95, 1.44) | NS | 1.19 (1.03, 1.37) |
| α-tocopherol, mmol/L | 33.5 (29.9, 37.4) | NS | 33.8 (30.7, 37.3) | NS | 34.9 (31.4, 38.7) | NS | 33.1 (29.1, 37.6) | NS | 33.4 (30.6, 36.5) |
| γ-tocopherol, mmol/L | 4.17 (3.48, 5.00) | <0.001 | 4.64 (3.97, 5.43) | <0.05 | 4.69 (3.95, 5.56) | NS | 5.39 (4.39, 6.62) | NS | 5.36 (4.65, 6.18) |
| Retinol, mmol/L | 2.23 (1.98, 2.52) | NS | 2.32 (2.09, 2.58) | NS | 2.44 (2.18, 2.74) | NS | 2.26 (1.98, 2.60) | NS | 2.45 (2.23, 2.70) |
| Holotranscobalamin, pmol/L | 82.3 (65.5, 103.3) | NS | 78.0 (64.0, 94.9) | NS | 85.2 (689, 105.3) | <0.05 | 67.6 (52.3, 87.4) | NS | 72.1 (60.2, 86.2) |
| Folic acid (erythrocyte), ng/mL | 1030 (887, 1195) | NS | 1055 (926, 1201) | NS | 1078 (938, 1239) | NS | 1047 (886, 1237) | NS | 1036 (921, 1167) |
| Urine | |||||||||
| Methylhistidine, nmol/mL | 8.46 (5.04, 14.20) | <0.0001 | 11.1 (7.1, 17.4) | <0.0001 | 21.1 (13.0, 34.2) | <0.0001 | 65.1 (36.2, 117.0) | NS | 107 (71.1, 162) |
| Daidzein, nmol/mg creatinine | 0.56 (0.25, 1.25) | <0.0001 | 0.29 (0.14, 0.58) | <0.0001 | 0.30 (0.14, 0.62) | <0.0001 | 0.13 (0.05, 0.33) | NS | 0.09 (0.05, 0.17) |
| Genistein, nmol/mg creatinine | 0.17 (0.08, 0.36) | <0.0001 | 0.08 (0.04, 0.15) | <0.0001 | 0.09 (0.04, 0.18) | <0.0001 | 0.04 (0.02, 0.10) | NS | 0.03 (0.02, 0.06) |
| Equol, nmol/mg creatinine | 0.03 (0.02, 0.05) | <0.0001 | 0.01 (0.01, 0.02) | <0.05 | 0.01 (0.01, 0.02) | NS | 0.02 (0.01, 0.03) | NS | 0.01 (0.01, 0.01) |
| Total isoflavones, nmol/mg creatinine | 0.90 (0.44, 1.83) | <0.0001 | 0.39 (0.21, 0.72) | <0.0001 | 0.42 (0.22, 0.81) | <0.0001 | 0.21 (0.10, 0.47) | NS | 0.15 (0.08, 0.26) |
| Enterolactone, nmol/mg creatinine | 0.22 (0.11, 0.43) | <0.0001 | 0.08 (0.04, 0.14) | <0.05 | 0.07 (0.04, 0.14) | NS | 0.06 (0.03, 0.13) | NS | 0.05 (0.03, 0.09) |
| Adipose tissue, % of total fatty acids | |||||||||
| 12:0 | 0.42 (0.31, 0.57) | NS | 0.43 (0.33, 0.56) | NS | 0.42 (0.31, 0.55) | NS | 0.36 (0.26, 0.51) | NS | 0.37 (0.29, 0.47) |
| 14:0 | 1.35 (1.18, 1.54) | <0.0001 | 1.78 (1.59, 2.00) | <0.05 | 1.79 (1.59, 2.03) | NS | 1.89 (1.63, 2.18) | NS | 1.97 (1.77, 2.18) |
| 15:0 | 0.24 (0.20, 0.30) | <0.0001 | 0.31 (0.27, 0.37) | <0.0001 | 0.32 (0.27, 0.38) | <0.05 | 0.39 (0.31, 0.48) | NS | 0.38 (0.33, 0.44) |
| 16:0 | 16.3 (15.5, 17.2) | <0.0001 | 18.7 (17.9, 19.6) | <0.0001 | 19.1 (18.2, 20.1) | <0.0001 | 20.0 (18.8, 21.2) | NS | 20.9 (20.0, 21.8) |
| 18:0 | 3.63 (3.24, 4.05) | <0.0001 | 4.03 (3.66, 4.45) | NS | 4.11 (3.70, 4.56) | NS | 4.09 (3.61, 4.64) | NS | 4.26 (3.90, 4.66) |
| 16:1 | 3.13 (2.72, 3.60) | <0.0001 | 3.69 (3.26, 4.16) | <0.0001 | 3.76 (3.30, 4.29) | <0.001 | 4.14 (3.54, 4.84) | NS | 4.40 (3.93, 4.91) |
| 18:1ω-9 | 47.1 (45.9, 48.3) | <0.0001 | 45.4 (44.4, 46.4) | NS | 45.3 (44.2, 46.3) | NS | 45.1 (43.8, 46.4 | NS | 45.1 (44.2, 46.0) |
| 18:2ω-6 | 23.3 (22.1, 24.6) | <0.0001 | 21.7 (20.7, 22.7) | <0.0001 | 21.2(20.1, 22.2) | <0.0001 | 20.4 (19.2, 21.6) | <0.05 | 19.1 (18.3, 19.9) |
| 20:4ω-6 | 0.39 (0.34, 0.45) | <0.0001 | 0.44 (0.39, 0.50) | <0.0001 | 0.42 (0.37, 0.48) | <0.0001 | 0.50 (0.43, 0.59) | NS | 0.51 (0.45, 0.57) |
| 20:2ω-6 | 0.29 (0.27, 0.31) | <0.0001 | 0.27 (0.25, 0.29) | <0.05 | 0.26 (0.24, 0.28) | NS | 0.26 (0.23, 0.28) | NS | 0.26 (0.24, 0.27) |
| 18:3ω-3 | 1.59 (1.24, 2.04) | <0.0001 | 1.24 (1.00, 1.54) | <0.05 | 1.26 (1.00, 1.58) | <0.05 | 1.27 (0.96, 1.68) | NS | 1.03 (0.85, 1.26) |
| 20:5ω-3 | 0.02 (0.01, 0.04) | NS* | 0.02 (0.01, 0.04) | <0.05* | 0.04 (0.02, 0.06) | NS | 0.03 (0.01, 0.05) | NS | 0.03 (0.02, 0.05) |
| 22:5ω-3 | 0.21 (0.18, 0.24) | <0.05 | 0.20 (0.18, 0.23) | <0.0001 | 0.23 (0.20, 0.26) | NS | 0.25 (0.22, 0.29) | NS | 0.24 (0.21, 0.27) |
| 22:6ω-3 | 0.12 (0.10, 0.15) | <0.0001 | 0.12 (0.10, 0.14) | <0.0001 | 0.21 (0.17, 0.25) | NS | 0.15 (0.12, 0.19) | NS | 0.18 (0.15, 0.21) |
| ω-3, total | 2.06 (1.85, 2.29) | <0.0001 | 1.75 (1.59, 1.92) | <0.001 | 1.86 (1.68, 2.06) | <0.0001 | 1.78 (1.58, 2.01) | NS | 1.59 (1.46, 1.73) |
NS, Nonsignificant. 1Values are adjusted geometric means (95% CIs) estimated from linear regression model adjusted for sex, age, race, smoking, alcohol drinking, education, and caloric intake.
2 P value for difference in adjusted mean value (biomarker) relative to non-vegetarians.
*P value < 0.05 relative to pesco-vegetarians.