Vegetarian diet and cholesterol and TAG levels by gender

Objective: The present study assessed the effects of vegetarian and omnivorous diets on HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), TAG and the ratio of HDL-C to total cholesterol (TC) by gender. Design: HDL-C, LDL-C, TAG and HDL-C:TC were compared among three diet groups (vegan, ovo-lacto vegetarian and omnivorous). Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to examine factors significantly and independently associated with vegetarian status and to estimate the β value of lipid profiles for the diet groups. Settings: A cross-sectional study. Data were obtained from the Taiwanese Survey on the Prevalence of Hyperglycemia, Hyperlipidemia and Hypertension (TwSHHH). Subjects: The study comprised included 3257 men and 3551 women. Results: After adjusting for confounders, vegan and ovo-lacto vegetarian diets lowered LDL-C levels (β=�10·98, P=0·005 and β=�7·12, P=0·025, respectively) in men compared with omnivorous diet. There was a significant association between HDL-C and vegan diet (β=�6·53, P=0·004). In females, the β values of HDL-C, TAG and HDL-C:TC were �5·72 (P<0·0001), 16·51 (P=0·011) and �0·02 (P=0·012) for vegan diet, and �4·86 (P=0·002), 15·09 (P=0·008) and �0·01 (P=0·026) for ovo-lacto vegetarian diet, when compared with omnivorous diet. Conclusions: Vegan diet was associated with lower HDL-C concentrations in both males and females. Because the ovo-lacto vegetarian diet was effective in lowering LDL-C, it may be more appropriate for males.