The objective. To assess the incidence of insufficient supply of water-soluble vitamins in vegetarian children using non-invasive methods (excretion with the urine), depending on the intake of the vitamin-mineral complex. In the winter-autumn period we examined 38 preschool and school-aged vegetarian children (3–16 years old) living in Moscow and being on vegetarian diet. The 1st group consisted of 25 children who did not take vitamins. The 2nd group included 13 children who took a complex of 12 vitamins and 9 minerals for 1–3 weeks. Vitamin status was assessed by excretion of ascorbic acid, thiamine, riboflavin, and 4-pyridoxyl acid with morning urine collected on an empty stomach. The results. Only 1 child from the 1st group had a lack of vitamin C due to the sufficient intake of fresh vegetables and fruits. A vitamin-mineral complex noticeably improved the provision of vitamins B. The children of the Group 1, had a reduced excretion of vitamins B1, B2 and B6 more often as compared to the children of Group 2: 44.0–64.0% vs 0–30.8%. 2/3 of children-vegetarians of Group 2 were adequately provided with three vitamins of group B, which is 2.7 times higher than children who did not receive vitamins. A deficiency of three vitamins was detected in 7 children (28%) who did not take a vitamin-mineral complex. The conclusion. A vitamin-mineral complex in the diet is a necessary condition for maintaining optimal micronutrient status of vegetarian children.

1 Национальный медицинский исследовательский центр здоровья детей, Москва, Российская Федерация 2 Российский национальный исследовательский медицинский университет им. Н.И. Пирогова, Москва, Российская Федерация 3 Первый Московский государственный медицинский университет им. И.М. Сеченова (Сеченовский Университет), Москва, Российская Федерация 4 Республиканский кожно-венерологический диспансер, Грозный, Российская Федерация

Objective. The objective is to analyze the features of sensitization to food allergens in vegetarian children. Methods: 210 children aged from 3 months to 17 years and 11 months old: vegetarians with at least 6 months vegetarian experience (n = 129) and children receiving a traditional diet (n = 81) were examined. The level of specific immunoglobulin E of blood serum to cow milk protein, soy, beef, pork, chicken, fish (cod), egg white and wheat was determined. Results: The rate of sensitization to food allergen in vegetarian children did not statistically differ from that of a comparison group (18.6 against 17.3 %, p>0.05). The correlation analysis showed a slight association between vegetarian diet and the level of specific immunoglobulin E only for soy protein (r = 0.22, p<0.05). Conclusions: The obtained results speak of higher risk of sensitization to soy in vegetarian children.