VeggieCheck
VeggieCheck is intended for vegetarians and vegans who are concerned about their health and the balance of their diet.
What is VeggieCheck?
Vegetarian or vegan diets are increasingly practiced by people who are concerned about the environment and their own health. The risks of associated deficiencies are generally prevented if well managed by adequate supplementation.
However, periodic monitoring of your (micro-)nutritional status is recommendable to ensure these diets are pleasant and beneficial.
What can you expect from the results of VeggieCheck?
VeggieCheck explores the metabolic pathways that are particularly sensitive to a decrease or absence of (micro-)nutrients of animal origin, such as proteins, specific vitamins or trace elements, balance of polyunsaturated fatty acids, etc.
The results of the proposed dosages will guide the patient and/or their accompanying practitioner in the pursuit or readjustment of the patient’s diet.
Who is the VeggieCheck profile for?
VeggieCheck is intended for all people practicing a vegan or vegetarian diet who are concerned about their nutritional intake or who wish to specifically adapt their diet or supplementation while guaranteeing the proper functioning of their metabolic processes.
Parameters
Albumin, Ferritin, Zinc, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin B9 (erythrocyte), Vitamin B12, Homocysteine, Erythrocyte fatty acid status, Ioduria
More information on VeggieCheck
Why does VeggieCheck include these parameters specifically?
The test parameters present in the VeggieCheck have been chosen for their biological relevance to vegetarian/vegan diets, as well as their potential deficiencies as a result:
- Albumin, the body’s main circulating protein, is an indicator of dietary protein intake;
- Ferritin reflects the state of iron reserves;
- Zinc, a fundamental trace element, is usually provided by food of animal origin but, must nevertheless be present in necessary quantities in all diets;
- Vitamin A and vitamin D, which are involved in many physiological processes, must also be sufficiently abundant;
- The erythrocyte folates reflect the level of vitamin B9, which is essential for cellular metabolism via the homocysteine cycle. A decrease in the level of this vitamin can also be a warning sign for a possible deficiency in vitamin B12, which is absent from the vegetarian diet;
- Ioduria reflects the blood concentration of iodine, which is necessary for thyroid function, in particular, and is not abundant in non-animal food; and finally,
- Mesuring the different fractions of the erythrocyte fatty acid profile makes it possible to assess the impact of lipid intake on the balance of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA, generally imbalanced, in the pro-inflammatory omega-6 sense, in vegans/vegetarians).
For further reading...
Fontana L,. Long-term low-calorie low-protein vegan diet and endurance exercise are associated with low cardiometabolic risk. Rejuvenation Res. 2007;10(2):225-234.
Janet R Hunt, Bioavailability of iron, zinc, and other trace minerals from vegetarian diets, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 78, Issue 3, September 2003, Pages 633S–639S.
Lightowler HJ, Assessment of iodine intake in vegans: weighed dietary record vs duplicate portion technique. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2002;56(8):765-770.
Anna-Liisa Rauma, Vitamin B-12 Status of Long-Term Adherents of a Strict Uncooked Vegan Diet (“Living Food Diet”) Is Compromised, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 125, Issue 10, October 1995, Pages 2511–2515.
Burdge GC,. Long-chain n-3 PUFA in vegetarian women: a metabolic perspective. J Nutr Sci. 2017;6:e58. Published 2017 Nov 23. doi:10.1017/jns.2017.62.
Winston J Craig, Health effects of vegan diets, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 89, Issue 5, May 2009, Pages 1627S–1633S.
Glick-Bauer, M.; Yeh, M.-C. The Health Advantage of a Vegan Diet: Exploring the Gut Microbiota Connection. Nutrients 2014, 6, 4822-4838.
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