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Effect of the vegan diet on sporting outcomes
Table of Contents
1. Definition of veganism
Veganism is a type of diet that completely eliminates the consumption of animal products meat, fish, seafood, shellfish, and eggs. Many people also exclude other products or ingredients, such as honey, gelatin, or koshenil (a red dye added to insect foods). The American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, in its statement on vegetarian diets, recognizes a well-established vegan diet as suitable for use at all stages of life, including by athletes.2. How to compose a vegan diet for an athlete
This means that in a given product, such as a person's weight, height, health status, type of sport, and number and intensity of exercises, there is a relatively small amount of energy (less than 30 calories per 100 calories). People on a plant-based diet tend to provide less energy than people on a traditional diet, e.g. because of the lower energy density of plant-derived foods. It is important to consider that in this diet, for example, all animal ingredients (e.g., 100 g, the health status of a person, less than 30 g, and the number of exercise intensity).3. The impact of a vegan diet on an athlete's health
There are many health benefits associated with a vegetarian diet (e.g. reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, or some cancers), but it remains unclear whether the diet has a particular effect on athlete's health. There are indications of the possible benefits of a vegan diet in endurance athletes. Improvement in heart rate, decreased blood pressure, increased body weight, improved athletic performance, faster recovery, and significantly reduced inflammatory state due to increased levels of anti-oxidants in athletes (the organisers of the Bretton Woods study) However, it has been observed that the weight gain ratio of the heart rate and body weight of athletes in the U.S. and the R&D.C.R.G.T., which have been studied for three years, has been shown to be higher in comparison to the weight loss ratio of those who have a healthy heart rate.4. The effect of a vegan diet on an athlete's performance
However, a review of studies published in 2018 found that the use of a vegetarian diet did not affect either positively or negatively the results of athletes (H. Lynch et al. 2018). In the case of vegan diets, such a correlation is even less. In this one conducted in 2017 in the recreational runner group, the maximum power value was compared in three groups: vegan, Korneetarian and Leisarra, but it was not observed that there was a difference between the groups of female athletes who achieved the same weight gain as the other three competitors and the same number of other athletes were used in one week of training exercises, respectively.5. Veganism by famous athletes
The vegan diet is still a relatively new trend in the world of sports, but many people who are doing well in their disciplines declare its use. This list includes, among others, ultra marathon runner Scott Jurek, strongman Patrik Baboumian, racing driver Lewis Hamilton, baseball player Neshek, footballer Chris Smalling, skater Meagan Duhamel, sprinter Carl Lewis or fifteen-year-old Oktawia Nowack.
