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Abstract

Assessing the Nutritional Quality of the Plant-Based Component of the Adult Diet in Ireland †

by
Gráinne Kent
1,2,*,
Laura Kehoe
1,2,
Breige McNulty
3,
Anne Nugent
4,
Albert Flynn
1 and
Janette Walton
2
1
School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University College Cork, T12 K8AF Cork, Ireland
2
Department Biological Sciences, Munster Technological University, T12 P928 Cork, Ireland
3
UCD Institute of Food and Health, University College Dublin, D04 N2E5 Dublin, Ireland
4
Institute for Global Food Security, Queens University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the 14th European Nutrition Conference FENS 2023, Belgrade, Serbia, 14–17 November 2023.
Proceedings 2023, 91(1), 240; https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091240
Published: 4 February 2024
(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 14th European Nutrition Conference FENS 2023)
Versions Notes

Plant-based (PB) diets are varied and are not always of high dietary quality [1]. Within primarily omnivorous populations, understanding the nutritional quality of the PB component of the diet is important [2]. This study aimed to use data from the nationally representative National Adult Nutrition Survey (NANS) in Ireland to examine the nutritional quality of the PB component of the adult diet compared to the diet consumed by the NANS population (baseline diet). Food intake data were collected using a 4-day semi-weighed diary from 1500 adults (18–90 y) in the NANS (2008–2010). Nutrient intakes were estimated using UK and Irish food composition databases. All food and beverages consumed in the NANS were categorised into two extremes of PB diet definitions: Plant-based (all) (PB-A) and Plant-based (healthful) (PB-H) [2]. Energy-adjusted nutrient intakes (%E or /10 MJ) from the PB-A, PB-H and baseline diets were estimated. Differences in mean daily intakes of nutrients between the PB-A, PB-H and baseline were assessed via independent sample t-tests using SPSS© v26. Compared to the baseline diet, both PB-A and PB-H were of better nutritional quality for total and saturated fat, carbohydrate, dietary fibre, vitamin C, thiamin, folate, sodium, potassium and iron but of poorer quality for protein, MUFA, PUFA, vitamin D, vitamin B12, calcium and iodine (PB-A only). For free sugars and zinc, PB-A was of poorer nutritional quality compared to the baseline diet, but PB-H was of better quality. Comparing PB diet components, PB-H was of better nutritional quality compared to PB-A for total fat, saturated fat, PUFA, protein, carbohydrate, dietary fibre, free sugars, B-vitamins, vitamin C, potassium and iron but was of poorer quality for vitamins D and B12. Transitioning to a more PB diet may improve the nutritional quality of the diet in terms of several key nutrients but may also lead to potential deficiencies in others, including vitamins D and B12. Comparing these findings with future food consumption data will identify PB diet trends among adults in Ireland.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, L.K. and J.W.; methodology, G.K., L.K. and J.W.; formal analysis, G.K.; data curation, G.K.; writing—original draft preparation, G.K., L.K. and J.W.; writing—review and editing, G.K., L.K., B.M., A.N., A.F. and J.W.; visualisation, G.K.; supervision, A.F., L.K. and J.W.; funding acquisition, A.N, A.F., B.M. and J.W. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

The National Adult Nutrition Survey was funded by the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food the Marine (DAFM) under the Food for Health Research Initiative (2007–2012).

Institutional Review Board Statement

The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of the Cork Teaching Hospitals, University College Cork and the Human Ethics Research Committee of University College Dublin (Ref: ECM 3 (p) 04/11/08).

Informed Consent Statement

Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in this study.

Data Availability Statement

The data presented in this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

References

  1. Kent, G.; Kehoe, L.; Flynn, A.; Walton, J. Plant-based diets: A review of the definitions and nutritional role in the adult diet. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 2022, 81, 62–74. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  2. Kent, G.; Kehoe, L.; McNulty, B.A.; Nugent, A.P.; Flynn, A.; Walton, J. A standardised methodological approach for characterising the plant-based component of population or individual diets. J. Food Compos. Anal. 2022, 114, 104727. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
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Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Kent, G.; Kehoe, L.; McNulty, B.; Nugent, A.; Flynn, A.; Walton, J. Assessing the Nutritional Quality of the Plant-Based Component of the Adult Diet in Ireland. Proceedings 2023, 91, 240. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091240

AMA Style

Kent G, Kehoe L, McNulty B, Nugent A, Flynn A, Walton J. Assessing the Nutritional Quality of the Plant-Based Component of the Adult Diet in Ireland. Proceedings. 2023; 91(1):240. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091240

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kent, Gráinne, Laura Kehoe, Breige McNulty, Anne Nugent, Albert Flynn, and Janette Walton. 2023. "Assessing the Nutritional Quality of the Plant-Based Component of the Adult Diet in Ireland" Proceedings 91, no. 1: 240. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091240

APA Style

Kent, G., Kehoe, L., McNulty, B., Nugent, A., Flynn, A., & Walton, J. (2023). Assessing the Nutritional Quality of the Plant-Based Component of the Adult Diet in Ireland. Proceedings, 91(1), 240. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091240

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