Topic > The physiological and psychological implications of a vegetarian/vegan diet on endurance athletes

In recent years, the public's view of vegetarianism and veganism has changed dramatically, gaining greater support and recognition around the world. A steady-state vegetarian diet does not include animal meat but may include the consumption of animal products such as eggs and dairy products. A true plant-based diet or vegan diet, on the other hand, involves zero consumption of animal products such as meat, fish, dairy or eggs. As the general population of vegetarians and vegans has increased, many recognized athletes have also followed this trend and have chosen to adopt a diet focused on unrefined, micronutrient-rich foods, minimizing or completely avoiding animal products and low-fat foods. of nutrients. This has led to discussion of an optimal vegan diet for athletes that focuses on avoiding potential nutritional deficiencies while ensuring optimal athletic performance. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Research studies conducted on high-performance vegan athletes, while limited, have been shown to produce distinct results when compared directly to athletes who adopt mixed diets such as omnivore diets – which involve the consumption of animal products such as meat and dairy products. Adherence to a vegetarian diet has been associated with a reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer, as well as type 2 diabetes. Additionally, vegetarians and vegans have been shown to have an lower body mass (BMI). Even so, there remains a lack of knowledge about the exact effects a vegetarian or vegan diet might have on athletic performance. Around the world, not many people can participate in a sport as challenging as Tripe-Ironman. For such an extreme endurance sport, there is almost no knowledge about the effects a vegetarian or vegan diet can have on a triathlete. Until 4 years ago, the first ever clinical case involving the presentation of the characteristic parameters of a vegan ultra-endurance athlete was published. Conducted by Roman Leischik and Norman Spelsberg, the study follows a 48-year-old male who followed a raw vegan diet for 6 years prior to testing (2014). The vegan ultra-triathlete was tested against a control group of 10 Ironman triathletes of similar age and living on mixed diets using echocardiographic and spiroergometry technology and blood samples taken during the triathlon season and off-season. In addition to showing no signs of nutritional deficiencies or health problems, the vegan athlete was found to exhibit a higher degree of maximal oxygen intake (VO2max) and a larger left ventricular end-diastolic diameter and stroke volume in his heart. Furthermore, in a cross-sectional study conducted by Lynch et al. (2016), elite adult vegetarian and omnivorous endurance athletes were compared for differences in peak torque and cardiorespiratory fitness through measurement of maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max). The sample group consisted of 27 vegetarian (VEG) and 43 omnivore (OMN) athletes. These athletes were assessed on the treadmill for their VO2 max and assessed for their strength through the use of a dynamometer that determined peak torque for leg extensions. Vegetarian endurance athletes were found to possess greater cardiorespiratory fitness than their omnivorous counterparts. Targeting vegan ultra-triathletes and vegetarian endurance athletes, both studies were inable to determine that a plant-based diet was not harmful to the athletes' health or impaired performance compared to mixed-diet athletes. Likewise, both research studies collected data suggesting that a vegetarian or vegan diet helped facilitate greater aerobic capacity in athletes. Even so, there are limitations in both adopted research methods, such as small and selected sample sizes that are not representative of the general population. Therefore, the significance of these findings in different environments remains limited. Furthermore, it should be considered that the skill levels of the vegetarian/vegan athletes and the control group of mixed diet/omnivore athletes varied. With the increase in popularity of plant-based diets, many research studies have been conducted with the aim of further identifying the qualitative health properties associated with consuming plant-based and animal-product-free foods. In an observational study conducted by Link, Hussaini, and Jacobson (2008), additional improvements in emotional and psychological well-being were also linked to individuals who adopted a strict raw food diet for 1-3 weeks. The study, which took place at a raw vegan institute in Florida, was conducted on selected participants who were 18 years old or older, proficient in English, and well enough to transition to a pure raw vegan diet. Participants had blood samples taken and were also asked to complete a well-validated and reliable questionnaire, the Medical Outcomes Study SF-36, which accurately measured both physical and mental components of participant-related quality of life (QOL). to change in diet, perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale), anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) at arrival and 12 weeks. Comparing baseline data with participants' 12-week measurements, subjects who stayed at the raw vegan institute reported improved quality of life on questionnaires, particularly mental quality of life, anxiety, and stress. This exploratory study indicates that switching from a mixed diet to a vegan diet in a controlled environment such as that of the Florida Institute is associated with improvements in mental and emotional quality of life. Even so, given the limitations of this controlled environment, knowledge about conceptual elements such as personal, emotional, and psychological well-being is limited. Similarly, conducted by Boldt et al. , the Nutrition and Running High Mileage (NURMI) study sought to collect data regarding quality of life scores of female and male vegetarian and vegan endurance runners compared to athletes who adhered to an omnivorous diet (2018). In the second phase of the NURMI study, a total sample of 281 recreational runners including 159 women and 122 men completed a questionnaire called the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Brief (WHOQOL-BREF). This test consisted of domains regarding physical health, psychological well-being, environment, and social relationships. The data collected revealed that individuals who adopted a vegetarian or vegan diet showed a high quality of life (QOL), suggesting that it is an appropriate and equal alternative to an omnivorous diet. By adhering to a vegetarian or vegan diet while simultaneously adopting an active lifestyle, study data shows that this combination of lifestyle choices will successfully help an individual achieve a high degree of life satisfaction. Since the survey used in the methods of this study was based on self-report, the accuracy of the data depends on the conscientiousness of the..