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The modification of gut microbiota composition by dietary intervention: the effect of plant-based and western-type diet
Ďásková, Nikola ; Cahová, Monika (advisor) ; Beneš, Jiří (referee) ; Tlaskalová - Hogenová, Helena (referee)
This thesis explores the relationship between diet, gut microbiota, and metabolic health, with a particular focus on their association with non-communicable metabolic diseases (NCDs) such as obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). The aim of the first study is to assess compositional and metabolic differences in gut microbiota between healthy lean long-term vegans and omnivores. The study reveals that while the gut microbiota composition is not significantly different between the two groups, there are significant differences in the fecal, serum and urinary metabolome. These differences may be attributed to the different availability of substrates in the diet, as the vegan diet is associated with a shift from a proteolytic to a saccharolytic fermentation program. Our results support the hypothesis of both resilience and metabolic flexibility of the adult gut microbiota. In addition to taxonomic analyses, this dissertation also includes metabolomics to evaluate the functional manifestations of the gut microbiota. We introduce a novel method to assess the ability of the gut microbiota to produce beneficial metabolites with a specific focus on butyrate synthesis using qPCR quantification of bacterial butyryl-CoA:acetate CoA-transferase. In silico, we identified bacteria among the human gut microbiota that...
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Risks and benefits of vegan diet
Brabcová, Eliška ; Chrpová, Diana (advisor) ; Pánek, Jan (referee)
This bachelor thesis explores the risks and benefits of a vegan diet. Its main aim is to determine whether vegans have an adequate knowledge of the topic and whether they are actively trying to prevent the risks connected to the diet. One of the author's aims was to obtain data that will serve as a basis for the subsequent development of educational material for their diploma thesis. The theoretical part presents the basic characteristics of a vegan diet and summarizes the current knowledge on the issue of macronutrients and selected micronutrients represented in the diet. It also presents the reader with the current state of knowledge in the use of vegan diets in the prevention of diabetes mellitus, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. The empirical part was carried out using a quantitative questionnaire survey. The results suggest that respondents have insufficient knowledge of the risks and benefits of their diet, despite using validated and evidence-based information sources. The data also shows that although 51 % of the respondents regularly visit their doctor to be assisted with the prevention of the risks connected to their diet, only 15 % of them consulted their diet with a doctor or nutritional therapist beforehand. Supplementation of deficient micronutrients is also unsatisfactory. The...
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Vegan diet in childhood and adolescence
KVÍČALOVÁ, Kamila
The study deals with the specifics of the vegan diets in children and adolescents. It examines suitability of the vegan diet in children from birth to adolescence, defines the essential dietary components and their representation and role in the children's diet. It also focuses on possible scarce nutrients in vegan diets, the amount required for proper growth and development of a child, the main sources of these nutrients in a plant-based diet, and their potential replacement and supplementation through fortified foods or dietary supplements. Attention is also paid to the mother's diet during pregnancy and breasfeeding and its impact on child development. The practical part contains the results of interviews with mothers from the Czech Republic and Slovakia who provide their children with a vegan diet. It explores awareness of the mothers in the field of the children's vegan nutrition, the way of feeding their children, their health condition, but also the realtionships and support of these families from their loved ones, extended family and friends, and, last but not least, the attitude of pediatricians and educational institutions to this decision.
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