TY - JOUR

T1 - Exercise capacity of vegan, lacto-ovo-vegetarian and omnivorous recreational runners

AU - Nebl, Josefine

AU - Haufe, Sven

AU - Eigendorf, Julian

AU - Wasserfurth, Paulina

AU - Tegtbur, Uwe

AU - Hahn, Andreas

N1 - Funding information: The study was funded by own resources. The publication of this article was funded by the Open Access Fund of the Leibniz Universität Hannover.

PY - 2019/5/20

Y1 - 2019/5/20

N2 - Background: In search of the right nutrition for the athlete, numerous nutritional strategies and diets were discussed over time. However, the influence of plant-based diets, especially veganism, on exercise capacity has not been clarified. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study to compare the exercise capacity of vegan (VEG, n = 24), lacto-ovo-vegetarian (LOV, n = 26) and omnivorous (OMN, n = 26) recreational runners. To determine maximal exercise capacity, participants performed an incremental exercise test on a bicycle ergometer until voluntary exhaustion. During the test capillary blood samples were taken at several time points for the measurement of arterial lactate [lac] and glucose [glc] concentrations. To determine nutrient intake, a 24 h dietary recall was conducted. Results: The groups showed comparable training habits in terms of training frequency (mean 3.08 ± 0.90 time/wk., p = 0.735), time (mean 2.93 ± 1.34 h/wk., p = 0.079) and running distance (mean 29.5 ± 14.3 km/wk., p = 0.054). Moreover, similar maximum power output (P maxBW) was observed in all three groups (OMN: 4.15 ± 0.48 W/kg, LOV: 4.20 ± 0.47 W/kg, VEG: 4.16 ± 0.55 W/kg; p = 0.917) and no differences regarding [lac] throughout the exercise test and maximum lactate could be observed between the groups (OMN: 11.3 ± 2.19 mmol/l, LOV: 11.0 ± 2.59 mmol/l, VEG: 11.9 ± 1.98 mmol/l; p = 0.648). Conclusion: The data indicate that each examined diet has neither advantages nor disadvantages with regard to exercise capacity. These results suggest that a vegan diet can be a suitable alternative for ambitious recreational runners. Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00012377). Registered on 28 April 2017

AB - Background: In search of the right nutrition for the athlete, numerous nutritional strategies and diets were discussed over time. However, the influence of plant-based diets, especially veganism, on exercise capacity has not been clarified. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study to compare the exercise capacity of vegan (VEG, n = 24), lacto-ovo-vegetarian (LOV, n = 26) and omnivorous (OMN, n = 26) recreational runners. To determine maximal exercise capacity, participants performed an incremental exercise test on a bicycle ergometer until voluntary exhaustion. During the test capillary blood samples were taken at several time points for the measurement of arterial lactate [lac] and glucose [glc] concentrations. To determine nutrient intake, a 24 h dietary recall was conducted. Results: The groups showed comparable training habits in terms of training frequency (mean 3.08 ± 0.90 time/wk., p = 0.735), time (mean 2.93 ± 1.34 h/wk., p = 0.079) and running distance (mean 29.5 ± 14.3 km/wk., p = 0.054). Moreover, similar maximum power output (P maxBW) was observed in all three groups (OMN: 4.15 ± 0.48 W/kg, LOV: 4.20 ± 0.47 W/kg, VEG: 4.16 ± 0.55 W/kg; p = 0.917) and no differences regarding [lac] throughout the exercise test and maximum lactate could be observed between the groups (OMN: 11.3 ± 2.19 mmol/l, LOV: 11.0 ± 2.59 mmol/l, VEG: 11.9 ± 1.98 mmol/l; p = 0.648). Conclusion: The data indicate that each examined diet has neither advantages nor disadvantages with regard to exercise capacity. These results suggest that a vegan diet can be a suitable alternative for ambitious recreational runners. Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00012377). Registered on 28 April 2017

KW - Exercise capacity

KW - Plant-based diets

KW - Recreational runners

KW - Vegan

KW - Vegetarian

KW - Cross-Sectional Studies

KW - Athletic Performance

KW - Humans

KW - Vegetarians

KW - Male

KW - Running/physiology

KW - Energy Intake

KW - Vegans

KW - Young Adult

KW - Diet

KW - Exercise Tolerance

KW - Adult

KW - Female

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85066438936&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1186/s12970-019-0289-4

DO - 10.1186/s12970-019-0289-4

M3 - Article

C2 - 31109329

VL - 16

JO - Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition

JF - Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition

SN - 1550-2783

IS - 1

M1 - 23

ER -