Plant based diets

It used to be hard to find a vegan restaurant; now there are many and various expert committees around the world are recommending plant-based diets (PBDs) for both human and planetary health. More people are adopting meat-free diets in industrialised countries. What are the health effects on children eating plant based diets? Desmond MA et al. [American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2021;113:1565–1577 https://ift.tt/36IHPrx] have quantified differences in body composition, cardiovascular risk, and micronutrient status of vegetarian and vegan children relative to omnivores and have estimated the prevalence of abnormal micronutrient and cholesterol status in each group. This was a cross-sectional study of 187 children, aged 5–10 years (63 vegetarian, 52 vegan, 72 matched omnivores). They had detailed assessment using anthropometry, deuterium dilution, DXA, and carotid ultrasound, fasting blood samples, dietary intake, and accelerometry data were collected. They presented the data relative to omnivores. Vegetarians had lower gluteo-femoral...

from Archives of Disease in Childhood current issue https://ift.tt/3kxlt4r