Comparative study of the hemoglobin concentration of vegetarian and non-vegetarian subjects in Ogun state, Nigeria

Abstract

The hemoglobin (Hb) levels of blood samples from vegetarians and non-vegetarians were determined for the purpose of assessing their nutritional status and making recommendation. A total of forty subjects aged between 18 and 40 years from Ilisan and Sagamu in Ogun State, Nigeria voluntarily participated in the study. Results of the preliminary study showed that there was no significant difference between the male vegetarians and their non-vegetarian counterparts (p>0.01). On the other hand significant difference was determined between the female groups (p<0.01). The mean (±SD) Hb levels determined from the male groups were 15.66±2.41 and 16.82±1.39 g/dl for the vegetarians and non-vegetarians control groups respectively. The female non-vegetarian group comprising the pregnant and non pregnant subjects had Hb values 10.20±0.77 and 14.38±1.03 g/dl in that order. The present work suggested that Hb levels of vegetarians might not be different from those of non-vegetarians counterparts.

Keywords: Vegetarians; non-vegetarians; hemoglobin; blood; Nigeria

International Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences Vol. 2 (3) 2006: pp. 174-177