Research projects

Duration: October 2021 to May 2022 Principal Investigator: Vanessa Keller   For a bachelor’s thesis, it was investigated in which areas of children‘s lives barriers to the implementation of a vegan diet occur and how parents perceive their interaction with their social environment in this regard. A special focus was placed on the families’ relationship with pediatricians as well as pediatricians’ attitude towards a child’s vegan diet. 226 parents of vegan children (aged 0 to 12) were...

Principal Investigator: Melissa Buchholz In the scope of a bachelor's thesis the relationship between menstrual complaints and diet was investigated. The NutriMens study focused on the question, whether menstrual complaints of vegans and omnivores differ. Therefore, participants were asked to complete an online questionnaire and complete a 3-day weighed dietary record.

Duration: April 2019 bis October 2020 Principal Investigator: Pia-Sophie Graurock Study design The Giessen vegan food pyramid provides recommendations to achieve adequate nutrient intake in a vegan diet, which are based on scientific calculations. The study investigated whether the application of the pyramid in practice is suitable for achieving the D-A-CH reference values for nutrient intake. In total 36 vegans and 24 people, who were interested in switching to a vegan diet, between the ages...

Duration: October 2017 to January 2019 Project partner: Fachhochschule des Mittelstands, DONALD-Study of the University Bonn, Communitiy hospital Herdecke, University Witten-Herdecke, Charité Universitätsmedizin und Immanuel Krankenhaus Berlin Funding: German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, via German Nutrition Society (DGE) Principal Investigators: Dr. Markus Keller, Dr. habil. Ute Alexy Study design To date, there is very little scientific data on vegetarian and vegan diets of...

Duration: October 2016 to April 2018 Project partner: Fachhochschule des Mittelstands, DONALD-Study of the University Bonn Funding: Erna-Graff-Foundation for Animal Welfare Principal Investigators: Dr. Markus Keller, Dr. habil. Ute Alexy Study design In the VeChi-Diet study, 430 vegan, vegetarian or omnivorous children aged 1-3 years were examined throughout Germany. A questionnaire and a 3-day weighed dietary record were used to record anthropometric data as well as the children’s eating...

Duration: 2017-2019 Principal Investigator: B. Sc. Jana Muthny Study design Little is known about the current dietary habits of vegans in Germany. Therefore, in this cross-sectional study the eating habits of 62 vegans (duration of vegan diet at least one year) in the area around Giessen were examined. Food consumption was recorded using a 3-day estimated dietary record and socio-demographic, anthropometric and health-related data were determined using an online questionnaire. The...

Duration: 2017 – 2018 Project partner: ASV Dachau, BKK ProVita, Fachhochschule des Mittelstands (FHM) Principal Investigator: B. Sc. Oliver Brand Study design Scientific knowledge on vegan nutrition in (competitive) sport has been limited to date. Therefore, this pilot study was conducted to investigate the effects of switching to a vegan diet over a period of 12 weeks on performance and nutrient status in healthy male amateur athletes (volleyball). Food intake (n = 9) as well...

Duration:  2014 – 2016 Project partner: Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes, Homburg; Zentrum für Labormedizin und Mikrobiologie, Essen Funding: Logocos Naturkosmetik AG Principle Investigator: B. Sc. Anne Siebert, Dr. Markus Keller Study design A pilot study carried out in 2011 with a vitamin B12-enriched toothpaste showed that the vitamin B12 status of vegetarian and vegan participants had improved significantly in some cases after a 5-week intervention period....

Duration: 2011 – 2012 Project partner: Vegetarierbund Deutschland e.V.               Funding: Logocos Naturkosmetik AG, Vegetarierbund Deutschland e.V. Principle Investigator: Beatrice Redemann, Dr. Markus Keller Study design This pilot study investigated whether a vitamin B12-enriched toothpaste can improve the vitamin B12 status of vegetarians and vegans when used regularly. At the beginning of the...

Duration: 2011 – 2012 Funding: Bischöfliches Hilfswerk MISEREOR e.V. Principle Investigator: Dr. Markus Keller, Jürgen Kretschmer Study design The global increase in meat production and consumption is problematic from a sustainability perspective in many respects. Therefore, the aid organisation MISEREOR commissioned a study on instruments for managing sustainable and climate-friendly meat production. The study was part of a research project consisting of three studies for the...