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Nutrients
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Vegetarian Diets and Human Health: Current Prospects
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Vegetarian Diets and Human Health: Current Prospects

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemicals and Human Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2025 | Viewed by 3262

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Alok Paul

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay, TAS 7005, Australia
Interests: natural products; medicinal plants; traditional medicine; pain management; opioids; diets; public health; toxicology; pharmacology; probiotics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Maria de Lourdes Pereira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials and Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Interests: chromium compounds; food supplements; obesogenic; natural compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Ana Paula Girol

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Pro-Rector of Research and Post-Graduation UNIFIPA, Catanduva, SP, Brazil
Interests: herbal medicines and biomaterials in inflammatory and tumor processes; mast cells; annexin A1 protein
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Healthy vegetarian diets rich in particular nutrients are relevant for a better health. The ethical grounds for choosing a vegetarian diet are clear, but its benefits require further scientific evidence, especially with regards to whether it fulfills human nutritional requirements. Many natural vegetarian dietary supplements, functional foods from plant sources, mushrooms, and other fungi can provide the nutritional elements needed by people who do not take animal-derived proteins. It is a matter of controversy whether vegetarian (and vegan) diets have better nutritional values than non-vegetarian ones in relation to various comorbidities like mental stress, diabetes, obesity, and cardiac diseases. Further detailed research is required to prove this and help the millions of people who rely on these diets.

This Special Issue is particularly interested in various types of research findings, including preclinical studies, clinical trials, experimental research, expert opinions, systematic reviews, and narrative review articles, to highlight contemporary research on the benefits and limitations of vegetarian diets. We look forward to your research contributions.

Dr. Alok Paul
Dr. Maria de Lourdes Pereira
Prof. Dr. Ana Paula Girol
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • vegetarian diet
  • vegan diet
  • natural nutritional supplements nutrition management
  • plant-based proteins
  • functional food
  • plant-based food
  • dietary supplements
  • protein requirement
  • amino acids
  • mushrooms
  • fungi
  • obesity control
  • stress management
  • cardiac problems

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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24 pages, 1142 KiB  
Article
Healthful vs. Unhealthful Plant-Based Restaurant Meals
by Kim A. Williams, Amy M. Horton, Rosella D. Baldridge and Mashaal Ikram
Nutrients 2025, 17(5), 742; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17050742 - 20 Feb 2025
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Abstract
Background: Vegan/vegetarian (VEG) restaurants and VEG options in omnivore (OMNI) restaurants may serve unhealthful plant-based food that may be more harmful than a typical American diet. Methods: A sample of 561 restaurants with online menus were analyzed over a 3-year period. Each plant-based [...] Read more.
Background: Vegan/vegetarian (VEG) restaurants and VEG options in omnivore (OMNI) restaurants may serve unhealthful plant-based food that may be more harmful than a typical American diet. Methods: A sample of 561 restaurants with online menus were analyzed over a 3-year period. Each plant-based menu entrée was counted, up to a maximum of ten entrées per restaurant, meaning that a restaurant customer could select from ten or more healthful plant-based choices. Entrées containing refined grains (e.g., white rice and refined flour), saturated fat (e.g., palm oil and coconut oil), or deep-fried foods were counted as zero. Results: We evaluated 278 VEG and 283 OMNI restaurants. A full menu (10 or more plant-based entrées) was available in 59% of the VEG, but only 16% of the OMNI (p < 0.0001). Zero healthful options occurred in 27% of OMNI, but only 14% of VEG (p = 0.0002). The mean healthy entrée count for all restaurants was 3.2, meaning that, on average, there were only about three healthful plant-based choices of entrées on the menu, significantly more in VEG (4.0 vs. 2.4 p < 0.0001). The most common entrée reduction was for refined grains (e.g., white flour in veggie-burger buns or white rice in Asian entrées, n = 1408), followed by fried items (n = 768) and saturated fat (n = 318). VEG restaurants had a significantly higher frequency of adequate VEG options (≥7 options, 24% vs. 13%, p = 0.0005). Conclusions: Restaurants listed as VEG have a slightly higher number of healthful entrées than OMNI restaurants, which offer more limited vegan/vegetarian options. Given the published relationship between unhealthful dietary patterns, chronic illness, and mortality, we propose that detailed nutrition facts be publicly available for every restaurant. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vegetarian Diets and Human Health: Current Prospects)
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10 pages, 924 KiB  
Opinion
Lights and Shadows of a Vegetarian Diet in Patients with Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease
by Nicola Pugliese, Diletta De Deo, Matteo Soleri, Francesca Colapietro, Roberto Vettor and Alessio Aghemo
Nutrients 2025, 17(10), 1644; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17101644 - 12 May 2025
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Abstract
The prevalence and socioeconomic impact of Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is increasing. Despite the recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Resmetirom as the first drug for patients with Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and significant fibrosis, and several ongoing clinical [...] Read more.
The prevalence and socioeconomic impact of Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is increasing. Despite the recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Resmetirom as the first drug for patients with Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and significant fibrosis, and several ongoing clinical trials, lifestyle changes aimed at achieving sustained weight loss remain a cornerstone in the management of these patients. In addition to regular and structured physical activity, diet is crucial. Several studies have demonstrated the benefits of the Mediterranean diet in this regard, and there is also emerging evidence on the vegetarian diet and its different patterns. This review aims to summarize the currently available evidence on the potential benefits of a vegetarian diet in patients with MASLD, as well as exploring its potential limitations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vegetarian Diets and Human Health: Current Prospects)
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