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   Vegetarian children have similar levels of nutrition and growth as their   
   meat-eating peers, but may have nearly double the risk of being   
   underweight, suggests a study published May 2 in the journal Pediatrics.   
      
   Researchers led by a team from St. Michael's Hospital of Unity Health   
   Toronto looked at data from nearly 9,000 Canadian children between six   
   months and eight years old, comparing their diets to their height, weight,   
   and nutrition.   
      
   They found that the 338 children who had followed vegetarian or vegan   
   diets had similar heights, markers of growth, as children who ate meat.   
   Contrary to the researchers' hypothesis, the vegetarians also had   
   comparable levels of nutrients like iron and   
   vitamin D   
    as meat-eaters did, suggesting the vegetarian children were able to get   
   enough in their diets without eating meat.   
      
   However, the vegetarian children were nearly twice as likely as meat-   
   eaters to be underweight, based on body mass index, or ratio of weight to   
   height.   
      
   Being underweight may indicate a higher risk of malnutrition or a lack of   
   sufficient calories and nutrients necessary for proper growth, according   
   to the authors. However, more research is needed because other lifestyle   
   variables, including physical activity and specific foods in the diet,   
   could play a role in the findings.   
      
   The results highlight that careful planning is important when considering   
   how to meet children's nutritional needs on a vegetarian diet, according   
   to Dr. Jonathon Maguire, lead author of the study and a pediatrician at   
   St. Michael's Hospital of Unity Health Toronto.   
      
   "Plant-based dietary patterns are recognized as a healthy eating pattern   
   due to increased intake of fruits, vegetables, fiber, whole grains, and   
   reduced saturated fat," Maguire said in a press release. "Vegetarian diets   
   appear to be appropriate for most children."   
      
   Plant-based diets can vary widely, so quality matters for health outcomes   
   One major limitation of the study is that it did not assess the quality of   
   the vegetarian diets, or specific foods, beyond the exclusion of meat.   
      
   The healthfulness of a vegetarian diet can vary depending on which foods   
   are included, evidence suggests. Plant-based diets rich in veggies, whole   
   grains, beans, nuts, and fruit are linked to better health outcomes. But   
   many highly-processed foods are also vegetarian, can be high in sugar,   
   salt, and preservatives, and linked to health issues.   
      
   A small study from 2021 found that vegetarian children who ate more   
   processed plant-based foods had elevated levels of cholesterol and blood   
   sugar. They also tended to eat fewer foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts,   
   and whole grains, missing out on important vitamins and nutrients like   
   fiber, according to the researchers.   
      
   "We are learning that just eating plant-based diets is no guarantee of   
   health, we still need to select healthy foods," Dr. Malgorzata Desmond,   
   first author of that study and researcher at The Children's Memorial   
   Health Institute, said in a press release.   
      
   More research is also needed on vegan diets, which cut out meat as well as   
   other animal products like dairy, eggs, and honey.   
      
   The same study from 2021 suggested that vegan children may be at higher   
   risk of mineral and vitamin deficiencies such as calcium and B vitamins,   
   which may cause lower bone mass and density. However, vegan children are   
   more likely to have healthy levels of cholesterol and other markers of   
   good heart health, the data suggested.   
      
   https://www.insider.com/vegetarian-kids-more-likely-to-be-underweight-   
   study-suggests-2022-5   
      
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