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Vegetarian Diet and Chronic Degenerative Diseases

Vegetarian Diet and Chronic Degenerative Diseases in the Tzu Chi Health Study (TCHS) and the Tzu Chi Vegetarian Study (TCVS)

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03470584
Enrollment
18064
Registered
2018-03-20
Start date
2005-03-01
Completion date
2014-12-31
Last updated
2025-09-12

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Cardiovascular Diseases, Cataract, Dementia, Depression, Gallstone, Gout, Stroke, Urinary Tract Infections

Keywords

Diet, vegetarian, Dementia, Depression, Cardiovascular Diseases, Stroke, Gout, Cataract, Gallstone, Urinary Tract Infections

Brief summary

To investigate the prospective association between a vegetarian diet and chronic degenerative diseases in two cohorts of Taiwanese Buddhists

Detailed description

The Tzu Chi Vegetarian Study (TCVS) recruited 12062 community volunteers of the Buddhists Tzu Chi Foundation throughout Taiwan in the year 2005. All participants completed a self-administered questionnaire on basic information, medical history, lifestyle, and diet. The Tzu Chi Health Study (TCHS) recruited 6002 participants who came to the Buddhist Tzu Chi Dalin General Hospital for health examination. All participants were interviewed on basic information, medical history, lifestyle, and diet. Biochemical and anthropometric data was collected through a health examination: Biochemical variables: CBC, fasting glucose, lipid profile (TCH, LDL, HDL, TG), BUN, Cr, ALT, AST, and UA. In addition, homocysteine, serum vitamin B12, folate, and C-reactive protein (CRP) are available for 1500 subjects. Blood: Extra blood samples have been obtained and stored for 3500 subjects and will be available for future investigation. Anthropometric variables: body weight, height, waist circumference, % body fat (with BIA), blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, bone mineral density through DXA (at spine for female and hip for male), lung function test (spirometric), abdominal sonography, colonoscopy, esophageal-gastro-duodenal-scopy, chest X-ray, KUB. Follow-up: Individual baseline data were linked to the National Health Insurance Database and the National Death Registry to ascertain disease outcomes at the Health and Welfare Data Science Center.

Interventions

OTHERDiet Exposure

Vegetarian diet vs nonvegetarian diet

Sponsors

Dalin Tzu Chi General Hospital
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Participants who consent to be followed.

Exclusion criteria

* Participants with inaccurate ID which make linkage to NHIRD impossible. * Participants already with study outcome (disease) prior to enrollment in the study. * Participants with missing covariates

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Urinary tract infections (UTI)From enrollment to time of disease occurrence, death of any cause, or end of study period (December 31st 2014).Incidence of UTI are ascertained by linking individual participants' baseline data to the the National Health Insurance Database. Cases of UTI are identified using ICD-9 code: 599.0, 595, 590.
GoutFrom enrollment to time of disease occurrence, death of any cause, or end of study period (December 31st 2014).Incidence of gout are ascertained by linking individual participants' baseline data to the the National Health Insurance Database. Cases of gout are identified using ICD-9 code: 274.
StrokeFrom enrollment to time of disease occurrence, death of any cause, or end of study period (December 31st 2014).Incidence of stroke are ascertained by linking individual participants' baseline data to the the National Health Insurance Database. Cases of stroke are identified using ICD-9 code: 430-438, where hemorrhagic stroke is defined by ICD9 430-432 and ischemic stroke is defined by ICD9 433-434.
CataractFrom enrollment to time of disease occurrence, death of any cause, or end of study period (December 31st 2014).Incidence of cataract are ascertained by linking individual participants' baseline data to the the National Health Insurance Database. Cases of cataract are identified using ICD-9 code: 366.
Gallstone diseaseFrom enrollment to time of disease occurrence, death of any cause, or end of study period (December 31st 2014).Incidence of gallstone disease are ascertained by linking individual participants' baseline data to the the National Health Insurance Database. Cases of gallstone diseases are identified using ICD-9 code: 574.
Dementia and mild cognitive impairmentFrom enrollment to time of disease occurrence, death of any cause, or end of study period (December 31st 2014).Incidence of dementia are ascertained by linking individual participants' baseline data to the the National Health Insurance Database. Cases of dementia and mild cognitive impairment are identified using ICD-9 code: 290.0, 290.1,290.4, 331.0, 331.1, 331.82, 331.83.
DepressionFrom enrollment to time of disease occurrence, death of any cause, or end of study period (December 31st 2014).Incidence of depression are ascertained by linking individual participants' baseline data to the the National Health Insurance Database. Cases of depression and are identified using ICD-9 code: 296.2, 296.3, 300.4 and 311.
Medical expendituresFrom enrollment to December 31st 2014.Actual medical expenditure associated with different dietary patterns are analyzed. Medical expenditures are obtained and computed from the National Health Insurance Database claim data for outpatient treatment, inpatient treatment, and dental treatment. This also includes costs associated with laboratory work and medication prescription.

Countries

Taiwan

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 21, 2026