Maintaining a strict vegan or vegetarian diet changes the colonic microflora

Dietary changes affect the colonic bacterial flora from day to day, but the effects of a strict vegan or vegetarian diet have rarely been investigated in healthy subjects. Methods: We collected stool samples from 260 individuals (age: 53.6±15.1 years) attending the 38th International Congress of the World Vegetarian Union (Dresden, Germany August 2008) together with questionnaire data on their eating habits (vegan, vegetarian), health status, and sociographic informations. Stool samples were analyzed by conventional microbiological culturing technique (SymbioPharm, Herborn, Germany) for total colony forming unit…