Alternative Nutrition and Glutathione Levels

Overview

Background.
Low protein quality and quantity is reported to be a possible risk of alternative nutrition. Pulsescontain 18 -⁠ 41 % of methionine in relation to reference protein, moreover, its content in cereals is by one half lower.Therefore vegetarians and vegans may have an insufficient intake of sulphur-containing amino acids that maysubsequently affect glutathione values (precursors of its synthesis).Methods and Results. In groups of adults on an alternative diet -⁠ lactoovovegetarians (n = 47) and vegans (n =44) aged 19 -⁠ 62 years with average duration on a vegetarian or vegan diet of 7.6 and 4.9 years, respectively,glutathione levels (GSH) were measured in erythrocytes (spectrophotometrically), as well as the activity ofGSH-dependent enzymes. As nutritional control (n = 42) served an average sample of omnivores selected froma group of 489 examined, apparently healthy subjects of the same age range living in the same region. One to lowprotein intake (56 % of RDA) exclusively of plant origin significantly lower levels of total proteins were observedin vegans with a 16 % frequency of hypoproteinaemia (vs 0 % in omnivores). In comparison to omnivoresa significantly lower glutathione level was found (4.28 ± 0.12 vs 4.84 ± 0.14 mmol/g Hb, P

Key words:
omnivores, lactoovovegetarians, vegans, protein, glutathione.