Vegetarian diets: prevalence in the Russian population, regional accents and associations with cardiovascular risk factors. Results of the ESSE-RF, ESSE-RF2 and ESSE-RF3 epidemiological studies

At the present time, there is a growing trend of vegetarian diets, even in countries with a traditional Nordic diet. Aim. To study the prevalence and characteristics of vegetarian diets in the Russian population at the present stage. Material and methods. The analysis included data from representative samples of the adult population 25-74 years old, examined within three sections of the Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Diseases and their Risk Factors in Regions of Russian Federation (ESSE-RF) study in 20132014, 2017 and 2020-2022. A total of 57351 participants (24862 men and 32489 women) were analyzed. Nutrition assessment was carried out using the frequency method. Restrictive diets include semi-vegetarian, vegetarian and vegan diets. Data are presented as frequencies and odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results. The prevalence of restrictive diets in the Russian population according to three sections of the ESSE-RF study was 3,1%. There is an increase in the prevalence of these diets from 2,7% in 2013, to 3,6% in 2017 and 3,3% in 2020-2022. Men are less likely than women to exclude red meat from their diet (OR 0,55 [0,49-0,61], p