title: Dietary pattern analysis: a comparison between matched vegetarian and omnivorous subjects.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dietary pattern analysis, based on the concept that foods eaten together are as important as a reductive methodology characterized by a single food or nutrient analysis, has emerged as an alternative approach to study the relation between nutrition and disease. The aim of the present study was to compare nutritional intake and the results of dietary pattern analysis in properly matched vegetarian and omnivorous subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Vegetarians (n = 69) were recruited via purposeful sampling and matched non-vegetarians (n = 69) with same age, gender, health and lifestyle characteristics were searched for via convenience sampling. Two dietary pattern analysis methods, the Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010) and the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) were calculated and analysed in function of the nutrient intake.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean total energy intake was comparable between vegetarians and omnivorous subjects (p > 0.05). Macronutrient analysis revealed significant differences between the mean values for vegetarians and omnivorous subjects (absolute and relative protein and total fat intake were significantly lower in vegetarians, while carbohydrate and fibre intakes were significantly higher in vegetarians than in omnivorous subjects). The HEI and MDS were significantly higher for the vegetarians (HEI = 53.8.1 ± 11.2; MDS = 4.3 ± 1.3) compared to the omnivorous subjects (HEI = 46.4 ± 15.3; MDS = 3.8 ± 1.4).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate a more nutrient dense pattern, closer to the current dietary recommendations for the vegetarians compared to the omnivorous subjects. Both indexing systems were able to discriminate between the vegetarians and the non-vegetarians with higher scores for the vegetarian subjects.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Department of Human Biometrics and Biomechanics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium. pclarys@vub.ac.be
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Clarys
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Deriemaeker
authors.forename: Inge
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Huybrechts
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hebbelinck
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mullie
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015930:Diet Records; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D014676:Diet, Vegetarian; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004043:Dietary Fiber; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002149:Energy Intake; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D058870:Food, Organic; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004041:Dietary Fats; D004043:Dietary Fiber; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D005227:Fatty Acids