nutrition-health-gastroenterologists-2019-posters

15 / 25

allied
academies
Page 48
Notes:
Journal of Nutrition and Human Health | Volume 3
May 23-24, 2019 | Vienna, Austria
Joint Event
2nd International Conference on Gastroenterology and Digestive Disorders
17th International Conference on Nutrition and Fitness
&
Vegan diet in Health, Fitness and Sports: Benefits to adolescents and athletes-
lessons to be learned to improve individual health
Katharina C Wirnitzer
University of Innsbruck, Austria
Vegan diets are booming in the mainstream and in
sport. According to the Forbes magazine and The
Economist, the vegan movement is forecasted to keep on
growing in 2019 with the younger generations are the key
drivers of this global shift towards a healthier and more
sustainable relationship with food.
Health above all is the most basic prerequisite for human
develoment and becoming a successful athlete. Vegan
diets are appropriate for all ages, and athletes, too.
However, despite the sound health benefits, vegans of
all ages but vegan athletes in particular, are frequently
faced with prejudice on unsubstantiated grounds. From
current sporting success all the way back to ancient times,
it is evident that vegans can win races up to professional
levels and even break records. At the same time, data
on veganism related to sports is sparse. Findings from
our laboratory has been published over the past decade,
show that a vegan diet is compatible with endurance
performance and to contribute most beneficially to an
athletes´ health.
Therefore, this keynote sheds light on a highly
underestimated body of evidence still mostly neglected
(inclusive the potential benefits-risks-ratio by looking at
the myths about meat). In presenting relevant information
for both experts and practitioners in the field of sports, it
combines scientific rationale from evidence-based data
with anecdotal information, in order to support a more
healthy approach to individual health and sports nutrition
counseling of young people and competitive athletes.
The knowledge about the various advantages of vegan
diets on health and sports performance has the potential
to encourage athletes and their families, coaches, and
experts in health, nutrition and sports, decision makers,
multipliers and role models in sports and school settings,
to be more open-minded when a pupil, student or an
athlete expresses his/her desire to adopt a vegan diet.
e: