Abstract

There are many cases of hypothyroidism, kidney diseases, and poor bone health among older adults in southeast Asia. This study aims to assess the role of two major diet practices that are vegan and non-vegan in response to the increase of TSH (hypothyroidism), creatinine (CKD), and decrease of bone mass due to improper calcium metabolism in the older adult population in SEA countries. A total of 95 patients were included in the study for six months in 2021, suffering from the mentioned health issues. In this descriptive cross-sectional study with a quota sampling method, the participants interested in paid virtual diet consultations were requested for filling out pre-tested open-ended questionnaires related to their dietary habits, medicines, and diagnostic tests before online platform consultations. Jamovi version 2.2.5 as the software was applied for all types of data analysis. An independent sample T was used to analyze the mean difference between dependent variables: levels of TSH, creatinine, bone mass, calcium, and two independent groups of food habits (vegan vs. non-vegan) and gender (male and female). The study found 24 vegans and 71 non-vegans out of 62 females and 33 males above 50 years of patients. Results showed no significance with any test values irrespective of gender or food habits. At the same time, while we compare effect size, the food habits group was associated with a decrease in the value of the outcome: TSH -0.2008, bone mass -0.3299, and -0.3448 (Cohen’s d test). Therefore, the study can conclude that improper vegan or non-vegan diets can influence TSH, creatinine, and bone mass among older adults of both sexes in SEA regions.

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