Active vegetarians show better lower limb strength and power than active omnivores
Int J Sports Med DOI: 10.1055/a-1753-1322Vegetarian diets have become popular among athletes and active individuals and can have advantages for physical performance, but the results are still conflicting regarding muscle strength and power. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diet and physical performance of vegetarians through tests of dynamic, isometric, and relative strength; muscle power; and aerobic capacity. In this cross-sectional study, 32 vegetarians and 26 omnivores, who were physically active, were evaluated for the Healthy Eating Index and performance tested back squat, handgrip strength, isometric deadlift strength, jump with countermovement, and maximum aerobic speed (MAS). Improved diet quality (63.24 ± 14.40 vs. 54 ± 16.80, p<0.05), greater relative strength (1.03 ± 0.23 vs. 0.91 ± 0.12, p<0.05), and greater jump height (43.77 ± 9.91 vs. 38.45 ± 8.92, p<0.05) were found among vegetarians. No difference was seen in MAS (13.5 ± 2 vs. 11 ± 3, p>0.05) or isometric strength of upper limbs (77 ± 29 vs. 70 ± 50, p>0.05) and lower limbs (89 ± 41 vs. 97 ± 50, p>0.05). Thus, we conclude that vegetarians and omnivores show similar performance in strength and aerobic capacity, but in our sample, vegetarians show higher levels of relative strength and power. [...] Georg Thieme Verlag KG Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, GermanyArticle in Thieme eJournals: Table of contents | Abstract
Source: International Journal of Sports Medicine - Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Conrado de Souza, Alice da Silva Brand ão, Marcos Lima Oliveira, David Garcez de Carvalho, Felipe Costa, Marcela Larissa Arag ão-Santos, José Carlos Santos do Nascimento, Marcus Vin ícius Silva-Grigoletto, Marzo Mendes-Netto, Raquel Sim ões Tags: Training & Testing Source Type: research
More News: Diets | Men | Nutrition | Sports Medicine | Study | Training | Universities & Medical Training | Vegetarian