The study, conducted by researchers at St. Michael’s Hospital of Unity Health in Toronto also found that children on a vegetarian diet were more likely to be underweight. Researchers say this underscores the need for “careful diet planning” for children on a vegetarian diet. The findings were published Monday in the medical journal Pediatrics with reviewers. Dr. Jonathon Maguire, lead author of the study and pediatrician at St. Michael’s Toronto-based Michael’s Hospital of Unity Health says the findings come as more Canadians choose to limit the amount of meat they eat. In 2019, the Canada Food Guide was updated to take note of the change, including recommendations for incorporating plant proteins such as beans and tofu into one’s diet instead of meat. “Over the last 20 years we have seen the growing popularity of plant-based foods and a changing nutritional environment with more access to plant-based alternatives, but we have not seen research into the nutritional effects of children on vegetarian diets in Canada,” Maguire said. said in a press release. According to the study, the researchers looked at data collected from 8,907 children aged six months to eight years, between 2008 and 2019. All children participated in TARGet Kids! cohort study, funded by the Canadian Institute for Health Research, St. Louis Hospital. Michael’s and the SickKids Foundation. Participants were categorized according to a vegetarian diet, which the study defines as “a diet that excludes meat” or as a non-vegetarian diet. The study found that children on a vegetarian diet had a “similar average” body mass index (BMI), height, iron, vitamin D and cholesterol levels with the meat group. According to researchers, the findings also showed that those who ate vegetarian were almost twice as likely to be underweight, defined as below the third percentile of BMI. The study says there was no evidence of an association between a vegetarian diet and obesity or overweight children. Researchers say that underweight is an indicator of malnutrition, which results from insufficient intake of energy and nutrients to meet a person’s needs for maintaining good health. With that in mind, researchers say it is important for children on a vegetarian diet to have access to healthcare providers who can offer growth monitoring, education and guidance to support their diet. Despite the findings, the researchers did not evaluate the specific foods that made up the vegetarian diets and said that the quality of individual diets “can be very important for growth and nutritional effects”. The study authors say more research is needed to look at the composition of the vegetarian diet in childhood, as well as the developmental and nutritional effects of children on a vegan diet, which excludes meat and animal products such as dairy and the eggs. While international guidelines and previous studies on the relationship between vegetarian nutrition and child development differ, Maguire says the study’s findings show that a meat-free diet is nutritionally safe for children. “Plant-based dietary patterns are recognized as a healthy eating pattern due to increased intake of fruits, vegetables, fiber, whole grains and reduced saturated fats; however, few studies have evaluated the impact of a vegetarian diet on childhood nutritional development. he said in a statement. “Vegetarian diets seem to be good for most children.”
