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Putting children on strict vegan diets is "unethical" and could harm
their development, a US scientist has argued.
Lindsay Allen, of the US Agricultural Research Service, attacked
parents who insisted their children lived by the maxim "meat is
murder".
Animal source foods have some nutrients not found anywhere else, she
told a Washington science conference.
The Vegan Society dismissed the claims, saying its research showed
vegans were often healthier than meat eaters.
'Development affected'
Professor Allen said: "There have been sufficient studies clearly
showing that when women avoid all animal foods, their babies are born
small, they grow very slowly and they are developmentally retarded,
possibly permanently."
There's absolutely no question that it's unethical for parents to bring
up their children as strict vegans
Professor Lindsay Allen, US Agricultural Research Service
"If you're talking about feeding young children, pregnant women and
lactating women, I would go as far as to say it is unethical to
withhold these foods [animal source foods] during that period of life."
She was especially critical of parents who imposed a vegan lifestyle on
their children, denying them milk, cheese, butter and meat.
"There's absolutely no question that it's unethical for parents to
bring up their children as strict vegans," she told the annual meeting
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Missing nutrients
She said the damage to a child began while it was growing in the womb
and continued once it had been born.
Research she carried out among African schoolchildren suggests as
little as two spoonfuls of meat each day is enough to provide nutrients
such as vitamin B12, zinc and iron.
The 544 children studied had been raised on diets chiefly consisting of
starchy, low-nutrition corn and bean staples lacking these
micronutrients.
Over two years, some of the children were given 2oz supplements of meat
each day, equivalent to about two spoonfuls of mince.
Two other groups received either a cup of milk a day or an oil
supplement containing the same amount of energy. The diet of a fourth
group was left unaltered.
HAVE YOUR SAY
A wide-ranging mixed diet with exercise is essential for any child
James, Cornwall, UK
Send us your views
The changes seen in the children given the meat, and to a lesser extent
the milk or oil, were dramatic.
These children grew more and performed better on problem-solving and
intelligence tests than any of the other children at the end of the two
years.
They also became more active, talkative and playful at school.
Adding either meat or milk to the diets also almost completely
eliminated the very high rates of vitamin B12 deficiency previously
seen in the children.
No quick fixes
Professor Allen stressed that although the study was conducted in a
poor African community, its message was highly relevant to people in
developed countries.
She accepted that adults could avoid animal foods if they took the
right supplements, but she said adding animal source food into the diet
was a better way to tackle malnutrition worldwide than quick fixes with
supplements in the form of pills.
"Where feasible, it would be much better to do it through the diet than
by giving pills," she said.
"With pills it's very hard to be certain that the quantity of nutrition
is right for everybody and it's hard to sustain."
In Africa, good results had been obtained from giving people a dried
meat on a stick snack which proved both nutritious and appealing.
Professor Montague Demment, from the University of California at Davis,
said more emphasis should be placed on animal source food to combat
global malnutrition.
Vegan defence
However, the claims have been dismissed by the Vegan Society in the UK.
In a statement, it said increasing numbers of people were opting for a
plant-based diet.
Kostana Azmi, the chief executive officer, said: "The vegan diet can
provide you with more energy, nutrition, and is bursting with
goodness."
She said plant sources were sometimes a safer, and cheaper source of
nutrients.
For instance, animal sources of omega-3 oils, needed for the
development of the brain and nervous system, were often contaminated
with pollutants, such as mercury in fish.
In addition, the vegan diet was often a healthier alternative. She said
dairy and meat products were rich in saturated fat, while plant based
diets were low in it.
The society does recommend that vegans supplement their diet with
vitamin B-12 pills.
The US Agricultural Research Service is part of the US Department of
Agriculture.
Putting children on strict vegan diets is "unethical" and could harm
their development, a US scientist has argued.
Lindsay Allen, of the US Agricultural Research Service, attacked
parents who insisted their children lived by the maxim "meat is
murder".
Animal source foods have some nutrients not found anywhere else, she
told a Washington science conference.
The Vegan Society dismissed the claims, saying its research showed
vegans were often healthier than meat eaters.
'Development affected'
Professor Allen said: "There have been sufficient studies clearly
showing that when women avoid all animal foods, their babies are born
small, they grow very slowly and they are developmentally retarded,
possibly permanently."
There's absolutely no question that it's unethical for parents to bring
up their children as strict vegans
Professor Lindsay Allen, US Agricultural Research Service
"If you're talking about feeding young children, pregnant women and
lactating women, I would go as far as to say it is unethical to
withhold these foods [animal source foods] during that period of life."
She was especially critical of parents who imposed a vegan lifestyle on
their children, denying them milk, cheese, butter and meat.
"There's absolutely no question that it's unethical for parents to
bring up their children as strict vegans," she told the annual meeting
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Missing nutrients
She said the damage to a child began while it was growing in the womb
and continued once it had been born.
Research she carried out among African schoolchildren suggests as
little as two spoonfuls of meat each day is enough to provide nutrients
such as vitamin B12, zinc and iron.
The 544 children studied had been raised on diets chiefly consisting of
starchy, low-nutrition corn and bean staples lacking these
micronutrients.
Over two years, some of the children were given 2oz supplements of meat
each day, equivalent to about two spoonfuls of mince.
Two other groups received either a cup of milk a day or an oil
supplement containing the same amount of energy. The diet of a fourth
group was left unaltered.
HAVE YOUR SAY
A wide-ranging mixed diet with exercise is essential for any child
James, Cornwall, UK
Send us your views
The changes seen in the children given the meat, and to a lesser extent
the milk or oil, were dramatic.
These children grew more and performed better on problem-solving and
intelligence tests than any of the other children at the end of the two
years.
They also became more active, talkative and playful at school.
Adding either meat or milk to the diets also almost completely
eliminated the very high rates of vitamin B12 deficiency previously
seen in the children.
No quick fixes
Professor Allen stressed that although the study was conducted in a
poor African community, its message was highly relevant to people in
developed countries.
She accepted that adults could avoid animal foods if they took the
right supplements, but she said adding animal source food into the diet
was a better way to tackle malnutrition worldwide than quick fixes with
supplements in the form of pills.
"Where feasible, it would be much better to do it through the diet than
by giving pills," she said.
"With pills it's very hard to be certain that the quantity of nutrition
is right for everybody and it's hard to sustain."
In Africa, good results had been obtained from giving people a dried
meat on a stick snack which proved both nutritious and appealing.
Professor Montague Demment, from the University of California at Davis,
said more emphasis should be placed on animal source food to combat
global malnutrition.
Vegan defence
However, the claims have been dismissed by the Vegan Society in the UK.
In a statement, it said increasing numbers of people were opting for a
plant-based diet.
Kostana Azmi, the chief executive officer, said: "The vegan diet can
provide you with more energy, nutrition, and is bursting with
goodness."
She said plant sources were sometimes a safer, and cheaper source of
nutrients.
For instance, animal sources of omega-3 oils, needed for the
development of the brain and nervous system, were often contaminated
with pollutants, such as mercury in fish.
In addition, the vegan diet was often a healthier alternative. She said
dairy and meat products were rich in saturated fat, while plant based
diets were low in it.
The society does recommend that vegans supplement their diet with
vitamin B-12 pills.
The US Agricultural Research Service is part of the US Department of
Agriculture.
