Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Division of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2024;64(33):13247-13258. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2023.2263574. Epub 2023 Oct 9.
Health effects of vegan diets among children and adolescents are a controversial public health topic. Thus, the aim of the present systematic review is to evaluate a broad range of health outcomes among vegan children and adolescents aged 0 to 18 years. 18 studies met the inclusion criteria (17 cross-sectional, 1 RCT). Meta-analyses showed lower protein, calcium, vitamin B2, saturated fatty acid, and cholesterol intakes, and lower ferritin, HDL and LDL levels as well as height in vegan compared to omnivorous children/adolescents. Higher intakes of carbohydrates, polyunsaturated fatty acids, fiber, folate, vitamins C and E, magnesium, iron, and potassium were observed in vegans. Blood levels of vitamin B12 were higher among vegan children due to supplement use. Single study results suggested further differences between vegan and non-vegan children, such as lower bone mineral content or urinary iodine among vegan children. Risk of Bias was rated as high or very high in 7 out of 18 studies. The certainty of evidence for the meta-analyses was low ( = 2) or very low ( = 46). Overall, the available evidence points to both risks and benefits associated with a vegan diet among children, although more and better designed studies are needed.
儿童和青少年素食的健康影响是一个备受争议的公共卫生话题。因此，本系统评价的目的是评估 0 至 18 岁素食儿童和青少年的广泛健康结果。18 项研究符合纳入标准（17 项横断面研究，1 项 RCT）。荟萃分析显示，与杂食儿童/青少年相比，素食儿童的蛋白质、钙、维生素 B2、饱和脂肪酸和胆固醇摄入量较低，铁蛋白、HDL 和 LDL 水平以及身高较低。素食者的碳水化合物、多不饱和脂肪酸、纤维、叶酸、维生素 C 和 E、镁、铁和钾摄入量较高。由于补充剂的使用，素食儿童的维生素 B12 血液水平较高。一项研究的结果表明，素食儿童和非素食儿童之间还存在其他差异，例如素食儿童的骨矿物质含量或尿碘较低。18 项研究中有 7 项的偏倚风险被评为高或很高。荟萃分析的证据确定性为低（ = 2）或非常低（ = 46）。总的来说，现有证据表明儿童素食既有风险也有好处，但需要更多和设计更好的研究。
