Vegan diet 'helps women to lose weight'

WOMEN who follow a vegan diet, while eating as much as they want when they want, are more likely to lose weight than women on traditional diets, a new study has found.

Researchers from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington DC examined 59 overweight women over 14 weeks, with about half on a traditional weight-loss diet and the other half on a diet which allowed them to eat as much as they desired, but without meat, cheese, milk or heavily oily foods such as chips.

Dr Neal Barnard, the chief researcher, said."By sticking to a low-fat vegan diet, women lost more weight than those on the [traditional] diet, even without restricting portions. They lost about a pound a week, whereas [traditional dieters] lost about 8lb in 14 weeks.

"We also saw other health benefits, such as drops in cholesterol and increased energy levels."

Dr Barnard, who heads the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, said the absence of calorie-rich fats in meat and dairy foods naturally reduced the vegans' calorie intake. Also, the added fibre in fruits, whole grains and beans helped to prevent cravings and hunger pangs.

The team also observed that vegans burn more calories in the act of digestion than meat-eaters and that vegans better control their insulin levels. The team has now begun a study to test the effects of a vegan diet on diabetics.

Previous studies have found that, worldwide, vegetarians and vegans experience lower rates of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and some forms of cancer than meat-eaters.

A spokeswoman for the British Dairy Council expressed concern over the latest study. She said: "The study is interesting, but it did not look at the long-term consequences of such a diet ... There is a concern that people who decide to follow a similar diet ... may not get all the nutrients they need.

"A previous study showed that diets that do not include meat, fish and dairy foods often do not meet recommended amounts of some essential nutrients.

"Animal foods such as milk and dairy may help with weight loss, bone health and reducing blood pressure."

Janet Pender, the chief executive of the Vegan Society UK, said weight loss should not be the primary reason women consider veganism: "I would like to say 'follow a vegan diet and the weight will drop' but my eyes don't tell me that. Vegans are often overweight. If you want to get calories you are going to get them. But veganism remains the most compassionate lifestyle and the most environmentally friendly."

Brigid McKevith of the British Nutrition Foundation warned that low-fat veganism, while effective, might prove difficult to sustain.

"This diet calls for 10 per cent of calorie intake to come from fat. On average in the UK, we get 33 per cent of our energy from fat. It would be very difficult for most people to stick to such a massive reduction in fat," she said.

Dr Barnard added: "It would be like quitting cigarettes. Meat products are addictive. It would be difficult at first, but hugely beneficial."