Internal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in vegans and omnivores

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a complex group of anthropogenic compounds with exceptional properties. Due to their high persistence and mobility, they have caused ubiquitous environmental contamination and in part accumulate in the food chain. In the general population, diet is the main source of PFAS exposure, with the important sources fish and meat. As a vegan diet implies the complete exclusion of any animal products, it might be expected that vegans have lower blood levels of PFAS compared to omnivores. Furthermore, lower levels of cholesterol is one of the well-documented nutritional effects in vegans, but cholesterol levels were also found to be associated with higher PFAS levels in epidemiological studies. To examine the relations of internal PFAS levels and the levels of cholesterol in vegans and omnivores, the cross-sectional “Risks and Benefits of a Vegan Diet” (RBVD) study was used involving 36 vegans and 36 omnivores from Berlin/Germany. Nine perfluoroalkyl substances were quantified in plasma using a triple-stage quadrupole mass spectrometer. Lower median plasma concentrations were found in vegans compared to omnivores for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) (2.31 vs. 3.57 ng/ml, respectively; p = 0.02) and for perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) (