Vegetarian diets cause major weight loss
A scientific review in April's Nutrition Reviews shows that a
vegetarian diet is highly effective for weight loss. Vegetarian
populations tend to be slimmer than meat-eaters, and they experience
lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other
life-threatening conditions linked to overweight and obesity. The new
review, compiling data from 87 previous studies, shows the weight-loss
effect does not depend on exercise or calorie-counting, and it occurs
at a rate of approximately 1 pound per week.
Rates of obesity in the general population are skyrocketing, while in
vegetarians, obesity prevalence ranges from 0 percent to 6 percent,
note study authors Susan E. Berkow, Ph.D., C.N.S., and Neal D. Barnard,
M.D., of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).
The authors found that the body weight of both male and female
vegetarians is, on average, 3 percent to 20 percent lower than that of
meat-eaters. Vegetarian and vegan diets have also been put to the test
in clinical studies, as the review notes. The best of these clinical
studies isolated the effects of diet by keeping exercise constant. The
researchers found that a low-fat vegan diet leads to weight loss of
about 1 pound per week, even without additional exercise or limits on
portion sizes, calories, or carbohydrates.
"Our research reveals that people can enjoy unlimited portions of
high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to
achieve or maintain a healthy body weight without feeling hungry," says
Dr. Berkow, the lead author.
"There is evidence that a vegan diet causes an increased calorie burn
after meals, meaning plant-based foods are being used more efficiently
as fuel for the body, as opposed to being stored as fat," says Dr.
Barnard. Insulin sensitivity is increased by a vegan diet, allowing
nutrients to more rapidly enter the cells of the body to be converted
to heat rather than to fat.
Earlier this month, a team of researchers led by Tim Key of Oxford
University found that meat-eaters who switched to a plant-based diet
gained less weight over a period of five years. Papers reviewed by Drs.
Berkow and Barnard include several published by Dr. Key and his
colleagues, as well as a recent study of more than 55,000 Swedish women
showing that meat-eaters are more likely to be overweight than
vegetarians and vegans.
Quoted message said:From PCRM
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