Vegetarian diets: prevalence in the Russian population, regional accents and associations with cardiovascular risk factors. Results of the ESSE-RF, ESSE-RF2 and ESSE-RF3 epidemiological studies
Authors: Drapkina O. M. , Karamnova N. S. , Maksimov S. A. , Shvabskaya O. B. , Shalnova S. A. , Kontsevaya A. V. , Balanova Yu. A. , Evstifeeva S. E. , Imaeva A. E. , Kapustina A. V. , Kotova M. B. , Muromtseva G. A. , Repkina T. V. , Gonoshilova T. O. , Kudryavtsev A. V. , Belova N. I. , Shagrov L. L. , Samotrueva M. A. , Yasenyavskaya A. L. , Chernysheva E. N. , Glukhovskaya S. V. , Levina I. A. , Shirshova E. A. , Dorzhieva E. B. , Urbanova E. Z. , Borovkova N. Yu. , Kurashin V. K. , Tokareva A. S. , Ragino Yu. I. , Simonova G. I. , Khudyakova A. D. , Nikulin V. N. , Aslyamov O. R. , Khokhlova G. V. , Solovyova A. V. , Rodionov A. A. , Kryachkova O. V. , Shamurova Yu. Yu. , Tantsyreva I. V. , Baryshnikova I. N. , Ataev M. G. , Radjabov M. O. , Isakhanova M. M. , Umetov M. A. , Elgarova L. V. , Khakuasheva I. A. , Yamashkina E. I. , Esina M. V. , Kunyaeva T. A. , Nikitina A. M. , Savvina N. V. , Spiridonova Yu. E. , Naumova E. A. , Keskinov A. A. , Yudin S. M. , Yudin V. S. 
Published: February 2024

At the present time, there is a growing trend of vegetarian diets, even in countries with a traditional Nordic diet.

Aim. To study the prevalence and characteristics of vegetarian diets in the Russian population at the present stage.

Material and methods. The analysis included data from representative samples of the adult population 25-74 years old, examined within three sections of the Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Diseases and their Risk Factors in Regions of Russian Federation (ESSE-RF) study in 20132014, 2017 and 2020-2022. A total of 57351 participants (24862 men and 32489 women) were analyzed. Nutrition assessment was carried out using the frequency method. Restrictive diets include semi-vegetarian, vegetarian and vegan diets. Data are presented as frequencies and odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results. The prevalence of restrictive diets in the Russian population according to three sections of the ESSE-RF study was 3,1%. There is an increase in the prevalence of these diets from 2,7% in 2013, to 3,6% in 2017 and 3,3% in 2020-2022. Men are less likely than women to exclude red meat from their diet (OR 0,55 [0,49-0,61], p<0,05), as are married individuals (0,58 [0,52-0,64], p<0,05). Persons with higher education more often follow a semi-vegetarian diet (OR 1,15 [1,04-1,27], p<0,05). With age, the refusal to consume red meat in the population increases (p<0,001). A semi-vegetarian diet is associated with a lower likelihood of general (OR 0,84 [0,71-0,99], p=0,037) and abdominal obesity (0,78 [0,52-0,64], p<0,001), hypertriglyceridemia (0,82 [0,73-0,92], p=0,001) and hyperglycemia (0,81 [0,67-0,97], p=0,021). The probability of hypertension is lower among people who limit the consumption of animal products (semi-vegetarians (OR 0,85 [0,76-0,95], p=0,004) and vegetarians (0,62 [0,42-0,92], p=0,018), as well as hypercholesterolemia: in semi-vegetarians (0,90 [0,81-0,99], p=0,041), in vegetarians (0,68 [0,47-0,97], p=0,035) and in vegans (0,37 [0,15-0,91], p=0,030).

Conclusion. In the Russian population, individuals following vegetarian diets (3,1% of the population) have a healthier profile of nutritional risk factors.