***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: OBJECTIVE To describe the lifestyle characteristics and nutrient  intakes of the Oxford cohort of the European Prospect i ve Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition ( EPIC ) . DESIGN Cohort of men and women recruited through general practice s or by post to include a high proportion of non meat-eaters .  Dietary , anthropometric and lifestyle data were collected at baseline and four diet groups were defined . SETTING United Kingdom . PARTICIPANTS In total , 65 429 men and women aged 20 to 97 years , comprising 33 883 meat-eaters , 10 110 fish-eaters , 18 840 lacto-ovo vegetarians and 2596 vegans .  RESULTS Nutrient intakes and lifestyle factors differed across the diet groups , with striking differences between meat-eaters and vegans , and fish-eaters and vegetarians usually having intermediate values . Mean fat intake in each diet group was below the UK dietary reference value of 33 % of total energy intake . The mean intake of saturated fatty acids in vegans was approximately 5 % of energy , less than half the mean intake among meat-eaters ( 10 - 11 % ) . Vegans had the highest intakes of fibre , vitamin B1 , folate , vitamin C , vitamin E , magnesium and iron , and the lowest intakes of retinol , vitamin B12 , vitamin D , calcium and zinc . CONCLUSIONS The EPIC-Oxford cohort includes 31 546 non meat-eaters and is one of the largest studies of vegetarians in the world . The average nutrient intakes in the whole cohort are close to those currently recommended for good health . Comparisons of the diet groups show wide ranges in the intakes of major nutrients such as saturated fat and dietary fibre . Such variation should increase the ability of the study to detect associations of diet with major cancers and causes of death BACKGROUND Despite the possible overall health benefits of a vegetarian diet , there is concern that some vegetarians and infrequent meat eaters , particularly females , may have inadequate iron status because of low or no heme-iron intakes . OBJECTIVE The objective was to investigate the nutritional intake and iron status of vegetarian women . DESIGN The nutritional intakes of 50 free-living vegetarian women aged 18 - 45 y and 24 age-matched omnivorous control women were assessed by using 12-d weighed dietary records .  Iron status was assessed by measuring hemoglobin and serum ferritin concentrations . RESULTS There was no significant difference between mean ( + /-SD ) daily iron intakes of vegetarians and omnivores ( 10.7 + /- 4.4 and 9.9 + /- 2.9 mg , respectively ) , although heme-iron intakes were low in the vegetarians . Vegetarians had significantly lower intakes of protein ( P < 0.01 ) , saturated fat ( P < 0.01 ) , and cholesterol ( P < 0.001 ) , and significantly higher intakes of dietary fiber ( P < 0.001 ) and vitamin C ( P < 0.05 ) . Mean serum ferritin concentrations were significantly lower ( P = 0.025 ) in vegetarians ( 25.0 + /- 16.2 microg/L ) than in omnivores ( 45.5 + /- 42.5 microg/L ) . However , similar numbers of vegetarians ( 18 % ) and omnivores ( 13 % ) had serum ferritin concentrations < 12 microg/L , which is a value often used as an indicator of low iron stores . Hemoglobin concentrations were not significantly different . CONCLUSION It is important that both vegetarian and omnivorous women maintain an adequate iron status and follow dietary practice s that enhance iron absorption The iron status of young Chinese Buddhist vegetarians ( 23 men and 32 women ) and nonvegetarian students ( 20 men and 39 women from a medical college ) was investigated by dietary assessment of iron intake and hematological measurement of biochemical indices including hemoglobin , plasma iron , transferrin , transferrin saturation and plasma ferritin . A characteristic of the vegetarian diet in this study was the replacement of meat by soybean products . Results of the dietary assessment showed that the average iron density of the diets ranged from 1.9 to 2.2 mg/MJ , with no difference between the vegetarian and nonvegetarian diets . Daily iron intake was similar in both vegetarian and nonvegetarian men . However ,  iron intake was significantly higher in female vegetarians than nonvegetarians , averaging 104 and 78 % of the RDA , respectively . Results of blood analysis showed that , for both sexes , the median plasma ferritin concentration of the vegetarians ( male 47 micrograms/L and female 12 micrograms/L ) was about half the level of the nonvegetarians ( male 91 micrograms/L and female 27 micrograms/L ) . Occurrence and risk of iron deficiency are more prevalent in vegetarians . Correlation between plasma ferritin concentration and years of vegetarian practice in vegetarian men was marginally significant ( r = -0.38 , P = 0.077 ) . We conclude that a vegetarian diet that is rich in soybean products and restricted in animal foods is limited in bioavailable iron and is not adequate for maintaining iron balance in men and women The purpose of the present study was to determine whether vitamin B-6 depletion and repletion influence carnitine concentrations in the plasma , erythrocytes , and urine of young adult women consuming a low-carnitine ( 30 micromol/d ) , lactoovovegetarian diet .  Doses of vitamin B-6 were administered sequentially as follows : 1.60 mg/d during adjustment for 9 d , 0.46 mg/d during depletion for 27 d , 1.26 mg/d during the first repletion for 21 d , 1.66 mg/d during the second repletion for 21 d , and 2.06 mg/d during the third repletion for 14 d. Urinary carnitine tended to decline but was not significantly different throughout the 92-d study period . Plasma short-chain acylcarnitine and total carnitine decreased during vitamin B-6 depletion ; however , the ratio of plasma acylcarnitine to total carnitine was not significantly different during changes in vitamin B-6 intake . Erythrocyte long-chain acylcarnitine increased during vitamin B-6 depletion , but the ratio of erythrocyte acylcarnitine to total carnitine did not respond to changes in vitamin B-6 intake . Plasma free and total carnitine concentrations were only weakly correlated with plasma pyridoxal-P concentration ( r = 0.28 and r = 0.29 , respectively ; P < 0.01 ) . No significant correlations were observed between urinary carnitine excretion or erythrocyte carnitine concentrations and plasma or erythrocyte pyridoxal-P concentrations . Thus , a vitamin B-6 intake of 0.5 mg/d does not affect carnitine concentrations in biological fluids and therefore is unlikely to affect endogenous carnitine synthesis over 27 d. The changes in carnitine indexes that we observed were probably due to adaptation to a vegetarian pattern of exogenous carnitine consumption The present study examined the possibility that a high bran and phytate intake over a long period would induce changes in the intestines or its microflora leading to a reduction of the inhibitory effect of dietary phytates on iron absorption . Such changes might occur in vegetarians and population s in developing countries with a usually very high dietary intake of phytates . The inhibitory effect of bran on Fe absorption was compared between a group of strict vegetarians with a regular high phytate intake  and a control group by use of wheat rolls with and without bran labeled with 55Fe and 59Fe . The average individual decrease of the Fe absorption from adding the bran was 92 and 93 % in the two groups , respectively . No intestinal adaptation to a high phytate intake could be observed . This finding has wide nutritional implication OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that older men who consumed a vegetarian ( lacto-ovo ) diet  would develop a lower iron status compared with older men who consumed a beef-containing diet  during a period of resistive training ( RT ) . DESIGN Experimental , repeated measures study . SUBJECTS Twenty-one healthy men aged 59 to 78 years , with a BMI range of 24 to 33 kg/m(2 ) , completed the study . INTERVENTION All men consumed a vegetarian diet for 2 weeks ( baseline ) . After this , the men were r and omly assigned to one of two dietary groups . Eleven men consumed a beef-containing diet , and 10 men continued to consume a vegetarian diet for 12 weeks . During this time all subjects participated in RT three days per week , design ated as RT1 to RT12 . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Serum ferritin and serum iron concentrations , transferrin saturation , transferrin receptor , total iron binding capacity , and selected hematological variables , as well as selected nutrient intakes and estimated iron bioavailability from three-day diet records , were determined at baseline , RT5 , and RT12 . STATISTICAL ANALYSES A general linear model repeated- measures ANOVA was used to examine the effects of group , time , and group x time interactions for iron status and dietary data . RESULTS Total iron intake was not different between the two groups ; however , the beef group had a three to four times greater intake of bioavailable iron ( P<.01 ) than the vegetarian group . Serum iron , total iron binding capacity , transferrin saturation , and transferrin receptor were not significantly different between the beef and vegetarian groups , or changed over time with RT . Serum ferritin decreased over time in both the beef and vegetarian groups during RT ( P<.01 ) . Re- introduction of beef into the diets of the beef group increased hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit compared with the vegetarian group during the 12 weeks of RT ( group x time , P<.05 ) . These changes were within clinical ly normal limits . APPLICATIONS/ CONCLUSIONS Older men who consume a beef-containing , higher-bioavailable-iron diet , compared with a vegetarian , lower-bioavailable-iron diet , have an increased hematological profile during a 12-week period of RT . Older men who consume either a beef-containing or a vegetarian diet maintain a hematological profile within clinical ly normal limits during 12 weeks of RT Background : Because of specific method ological difficulties in conducting r and omized trials , surgical research remains dependent predominantly on observational or non‐r and omized studies . Few vali date d instruments are available to determine the method ological quality of such studies either from the reader 's perspective or for the purpose of meta‐ analysis . The aim of the present study was to develop and vali date such an instrument OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency in adult South Asian patients . DESIGN Retrospective chart review . SETTING Family practice clinic in Toronto , Ont . PARTICIPANTS Records of 988 South Asian patients . INTERVENTION Of 1000 r and omly selected records , we found 988 charts . From charts with at least one documented B12 level , we extracted data on age , mean corpuscular volume ( MCV ) , hemoglobin and ferritin levels , and diet ( if available ) . Descriptive and analytic statistics were calculated . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Levels of serum B12 and factors associated with low levels of B12 . RESULTS B12 results were documented in 49 % of charts ; 46 % of results showed deficiency . Patients older than 65 and vegetarians were more likely to be B12 deficient . Low serum B12 levels were positively correlated with low hemoglobin and ferritin levels and poorly correlated with low MCV levels . CONCLUSION Many more South Asian patients than patients in the general population have vitamin B12 deficiency . A vegetarian diet seems a strong risk factor . A single low result , however , might not indicate true B12 deficiency Hematological parameters and serum ferritin were compared between 179 vegetarians and 58 control subjects using Hematology analyzer H3 and microparticle enzyme immunoassay , respectively . Serum Vitamin B12  was also compared between 68 vegetarians and 30 control subjects using microparticle enzyme immunoassay . It was found that hemoglobin , hematocrit , mean corpuscular hemoglobin , mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration , white blood cells , neutrophils , serum ferritin and serum vitamin B12 in vegetarian were significantly lower than control subjects ( P < 0.05 ) . In addition , red cell distribution width and lymphocytes in vegetarians were significantly higher than control subjects ( P < 0.05 ) . There were 34 cases of iron deficiency in 179 vegetarians ( 19.% ) which can be classified to iron depletion ( 4 cases ) , iron deficient erythropoiesis ( 12 cases ) and iron deficiency anemia ( 18 cases ) . Vitamin B12 deficiency was found in 27 cases of 68 vegetarians ( 40 % ) 
    Output:
    
Conclusions : In conclusion our results showed that vegetarians are more likely to have lower iron stores compared with non-vegetarians .