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Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors are Lower in African-American Vegans Compared to Lacto-Ovo-vegetarians

Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition (M.L.T., M.A.H., C.L.M.), Colorado State University, Ft. Collins
General Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church (D.W., G.F.), Silver Spring, Maryland
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (D.S.), Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Address reprint requests to: Christopher L. Melby, Dr PH, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, 226 Gifford Building, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523

Objective: This study was undertaken to determine if African-American strict vegetarians (vegans) exhibit lower blood pressure (BP) and a more favorable serum lipid profile than their lacto-ovo vegetarian (LOV) counterparts, and if plasma ascorbic acid (AA) concentrations could explain any group differences in these cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.

Methods: Habitual dietary intake, anthropometric characteristics, blood pressure, and blood lipids and ascorbic acid concentrations 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 Adventist Churches in several cities in the northeastern United States.

Results: Body mass index (BMI) was significantly lower in the vegans (24.7±1.9 kg/m²) compared to LOV (26.4±0.45 kg/m²). There were no diet or gender differences in BP. Serum total cholesterol (3.75±0.12 vs. 4.51±0.10 mmol/L), LDL-cholesterol (2.06±0.13 vs. 2.65±0.09 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 were no dietary group differences in HDL-C. The ratio of total to HDL-cholesterol 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 concentrations. However, in the entire sample, plasma AA was inversely associated with BP (SBP: r=-0.46, p<0.001, DBP: r=-0.32, p<0.001), but unrelated to the serum lipid concentrations.

Conclusion: African-American vegans exhibit a more favorable serum lipid profile than lacto-ovovegetarians and plasma AA is inversely related to BP in African-American vegetarians but does not explain any of the differences in CVD risk factors between vegans and lacto-ovo vegetarians.

Key words: blood pressure, blood lipids, diet, heart disease, vitamin C

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