Vegan and vegetarian children are skinnier and shorter than those who eat meat, the largest study of its kind reveals.
Researchers in the US, Italy and Australia analysed prior studies representing more than 40,000 youngsters consuming different diets.
According to the findings, vegans were, on average, up to 4cm (1.5 inches) shorter than omnivorous youngers.
Young vegans and vegetarians also had a lower body mass index (BMI) – a measure of how much bodily fat you have relative to height. The lower your BMI, the closer you are to being underweight.
Plant-based diets lack essential nutrients such as calcium, iron, vitamin B12, iodine and selenium – and kids may have higher nutritional needs during periods of rapid growth and development.
The scientists say meat-free diets are good for the planet and can be healthy – as long as dietary supplements are being taken.
‘Well-planned vegetarian and vegan diets are nutritionally adequate and beneficial for adults,’ said study author Dr Wolfgang Marx at Deakin University in Australia.
‘[But] there is far less clarity about their suitability for children – leading to inconsistent or even conflicting advice for parents.
‘Our findings suggest that a balanced approach is essential, with families paying close attention to certain nutrients – particularly vitamin B12, calcium, iodine, iron and zinc – to ensure their children get everything they need to thrive.’
For their study, the researchers examined data from 59 studies across 18 countries representing 48,000 children and adolescents.
It compared 7,280 vegetarians, 1,289 vegans and 40,059 omnivores – those who eat both plant and animal matter.
‘Included studies covered children and adolescents, with ages ranging from infancy to late adolescence, depending on the individual study,’ study author Monica Dinu, professor of biology at the University of Florence, told the Daily Mail.
According to the results, vegetarians were on average 0.69 kg lighter and 1.19 cm shorter than omnivores, while vegans were 1.17 kg lighter and 3.64 cm shorter than omnivores.
Compared with omnivores, vegetarians also had lower fat mass, bone mineral content and BMI, while vegans had shorter stature and lower BMI.
‘Both groups had significantly lower BMI, reflecting a leaner growth profile, consistent with previous findings, ‘ the team report.
The study also identified the nutrients consumed relative to other dietary groups.
Vegetarian children consumed more fibre, iron, folate, vitamin C and magnesium than omnivores, but they had lower intakes of energy, protein, fat, vitamin B12 and zinc.
‘Vegans showed similar patterns, with particularly low calcium intake,’ the scientists report.
Despite these findings, vegetarian and vegan diets did have some advantages over meat-based ones.
Vegan and vegetarian children had better cardiovascular health than omnivores, with lower total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol – the ‘unhealthy’ form of cholesterol.
Overall, the researchers urge parents to ‘take an informed approach’ where they research the available supplements and seek support from clinicians.
Vegan and vegetarian diets can support healthy growth in children and may offer certain health advantages, such as heart health.
However, vegetarian and vegan diets carry a risk of deficiencies if key nutrients like vitamin B12 and zinc are not obtained through shop-bought supplements that come in pill form.
‘Our analysis of current evidence suggests that well-planned and appropriately supplemented vegetarian and vegan diets can meet nutritional requirements and support healthy growth in children,’ said Professor Dinu.
Over the past decade, the popularity of vegetarian dietary patterns has increased due to ‘ethical, environmental, and health-related motivations’, according to the team.
‘However, they also present specific nutritional challenges that warrant careful dietary management and ongoing clinical attention, they say in their paper, published in the journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.
The NHS says red meat is a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals, and can form part of a balanced diet, but eating too much of it increases your risk of bowel cancer.
Red meat consumption has already been linked to heart disease – the world’s biggest killer – as well as rectum cancer.
Meat-heavy diets not only risk our health but that of the planet, as livestock farming on a massive scale destroys habitats and generates greenhouse gases.
