Nutrient status in pregnant vegans and omnivores: An exploratory prospective pilot study (PREGGIE)

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Very few studies to date have assessed nutritional biomarkers in pregnant vegan women, and very few nutrients have been assessed. The present prospective, two-centre pilot study compared pregnant vegans (n = 32) and omnivores (n = 13) in Germany (2019–2021). Fourteen circulating biomarkers were measured at gestational weeks 9–16 (t1) and 35–38 (t2). After adjustment for covariates, no statistically significant differences were found between groups at either time point for mean circulating levels of vitamin B12 markers (holotranscobalamin, methylmalonic acid), vitamin B2, folate, vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D), iron markers (haemoglobin, ferritin), or gamma-linolenic acid. In contrast, vegans displayed significantly lower levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (-52%), docosahexaenoic acid (-43%), dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA; -31%), and arachidonic acid (-23%) at t1. At t2, vegans had higher alpha-linolenic acid (+62%) and linoleic acid (+29%) and lower DGLA (-22%) levels. These findings suggest acceptable vitamin B12, vitamin D, vitamin B2, and iron status in supplementing pregnant vegans, similar to omnivores, but notable differences in certain fatty acids, possibly reflecting intake and the near-absence of long-chain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in common food plants. Sample size was small, and the results require replication in adequately powered studies.