Dietas Vegetarianas

from the association
Position of the American Dietetic Association:
Vegetarian Diets
ABSTRACT
It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately
planned vegetarian diets, including
total vegetarian or vegan diets, are
healthful, nutritionally adequate, and
may provide health benefits in the
prevention and treatment of certain
diseases. Well-planned vegetariandiets are appropriate for individuals
during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy,
childhood, and adolescence, and for
athletes. A vegetarian diet is defined
as one that does not include meat (including fowl) or seafood, or products
containing those foods. This article
reviews the current data related to
key nutrients for vegetarians including protein, n-3fatty acids, iron, zinc,
iodine, calcium, and vitamins D and
B-12. A vegetarian diet can meet current recommendations for all of these
nutrients. In some cases, supplements
or fortified foods can provide useful
amounts of important nutrients. An evidence-based review showed that vegetarian diets can be nutritionally adequate in pregnancy and result in
positive maternal and infant healthoutcomes. The results of an evidencebased review showed that a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk
of death from ischemic heart disease.
Vegetarians also appear to have lower
low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower
rates of hypertension and type 2 diabetes than nonvegetarians. Furthermore,
vegetarians tend to have a lower body
mass index and loweroverall cancer
rates. Features of a vegetarian diet
that may reduce risk of chronic disease
include lower intakes of saturated fat
and cholesterol and higher intakes of
fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts,
soy products, fiber, and phytochemi-

0002-8223/09/10907-0019$36.00/0
doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2009.05.027

1266

This American Dietetic Association (ADA) position paper includes theauthors’ independent review of the literature in addition to systematic
review conducted using the ADA’s Evidence Analysis Process and information from the Evidence Analysis Library. Topics from the Evidence Analysis
Library are clearly delineated. The use of an evidence-based approach
provides important added benefits to earlier review methods. The major
advantage of the approach is the morerigorous standardization of review
criteria, which minimizes the likelihood of reviewer bias and increases the
ease with which disparate articles may be compared. For a detailed description of the methods used in the evidence analysis process, access ADA’s
Evidence Analysis Process at http://adaeal.com/eaprocess/.
Conclusion Statements are assigned a grade by an expert work group
based on thesystematic analysis and evaluation of the supporting research
evidence. Grade I Good; Grade II Fair; Grade III Limited; Grade
IV Expert Opinion Only; and Grade V Not Assignable (because there is
no evidence to support or refute the conclusion).
Evidence-based information for this and other topics can be found at
https://www.adaevidencelibrary.com and subscriptions for nonmembers areavailable for purchase at https://www.adaevidencelibrary.com/store.cfm.
cals. The variability of dietary practices
among vegetarians makes individual
assessment of dietary adequacy essential. In addition to assessing dietary adequacy, food and nutrition professionals can also play key roles in educating
vegetarians about sources of specific
nutrients, food purchase and preparation, and dietarymodifications to meet
their needs.
J Am Diet Assoc. 2009;109:
1266-1282.
POSITION STATEMENT
It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately
planned vegetarian diets, including
total vegetarian or vegan diets, are
healthful, nutritionally adequate, and
may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets
are...