Should You Become A Vegetarian?
Scientists for Cancer Research UK compared the weight gains of 22,000 meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians and vegans over a five-year period.
On average people gained two kilograms but those who had switched to a diet with less animal foods gained a little less.
The research team, led by Professor Tim Key, of Oxford University, studied the eating habits of 22,000 people recruited to the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) between 1994 and 1999.
They were weighed and measured and asked to give details of their diet and lifestyle.
The team then followed their subjects up an average of five years later (between 2000 and 2003) and asked them the same questions.
They found that everyone gained an average of 2 kilograms, but those who had switched to a vegetarian diet from a meat-eating diet gained around 0.5 kilograms less. Those switching to a vegan diet showed slightly smaller weight gains.
Professor Tim Key said it had been known for some time that vegetarians and vegans tended to be slimmer than meat-eaters but they had never been followed over a number of years.
Source: BBC Health News
Comment: So, over a five-year period, vegetarians gained an average of 500 grams less than people who ate meat. That's just 100 grams a year. Frankly, this number is so small that I find it hard to understand why the study made the news!
What's more, comparing vegetarians with meat eaters is problematic, mainly because vegetarians are often interested in health and nutrition, and will tend to eat fewer calories as a result.
Putting everyone who eats meat into one group and calling them "meat eaters" ignores the fact that there will be sub-groups of meat eaters (e.g. nutrition-conscious meat eaters vs. non nutrition-conscious meat eaters) who will be just as lean as vegetarians simply because they pay more attention to what they eat.
About the Author
 Christian Finn holds a master's degree in exercise science, is a certified personal trainer and has been featured on BBC TV and radio, as well as in Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, Fit Pro, Zest and other popular fitness magazines.
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