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

authored by

Josefine Nebl, Sven Haufe, Julian Eigendorf, Paulina Wasserfurth, Uwe Tegtbur, Andreas Hahn

Abstract

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

Organisation(s)

Institute of Food Science and Human Nutrition
Nutrition Physiology and Human Nutrition Section

External Organisation(s)

Hannover Medical School (MHH)

Type

Article

Journal

Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition

Volume

ISSN

1550-2783

Publication date

20.05.2019

Publication status

E-pub ahead of print

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-019-0289-4 (Access: Open)
https://doi.org/10.15488/8811 (Access: Open)