Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess the ability of a meat free diet to support normal growth of children.
DESIGN: A one year longitudinal observational case—comparison study of growth.
SETTING: Children were recruited mainly through schools from Merseyside and all measurements were taken in their homes.
SUBJECTS: Fifty ‘free-living’ children following meat free diets, aged 7–11 y (expected to be pre-pubertal), were compared with a control group of 50 omnivores matched for age, sex and ethnic group.
INTERVENTION: None.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Height, weight, upper arm skinfold thicknesses and mid-upper arm circumference measurements were taken at baseline and one year later. The increments over one year were each analysed using a multiple stepwise regression model which derived predicted increments controlled for a variety of factors other than the diet factor.
RESULTS: Of all the anthropometric measurements examined only the predicted height increment of the vegetarians was slightly greater than that of the omnivores (difference in predicted height increment=0.47 cm, P=0.05). This difference was only apparent after allowing for father’s height, maternal smoking habit and number of siblings. A tendency for the vegetarians to be leaner than the omnivores was not significant at the 5% level and both the vegetarian and omnivorous groups lay close to the 50th percentiles for both height and weight (Child Growth Foundation, 1994).
CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that these children who followed a meat free diet and conventional lifestyles grew at least as well as children who ate meat.
SPONSORSHIP: This project was supported by the Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom and Liverpool John Moores University.
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Nathan, I., Hackett, A. & Kirby, S. A longitudinal study of the growth of matched pairs of vegetarian and omnivorous children, aged 7–11 years, in the North-West of England. Eur J Clin Nutr 51, 20–25 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1600354
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1600354
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