A all-vegan diet keeps weight down

A recent study conducted over five years revealed that people who have switched to a vegan diet gained the least amount of weight.

3 April 2006
MUMBAI, INDIA

If you are a vegan, you have something to cheer about. 

In a study conducted by Britain's Cancer Research UK charity and the University of Oxford, researchers studied the dietary habits of 22,000 people over five years, including meat eaters and vegetarians. The study revealed that they all put on weight but meat eaters who switched to a vegan diet gained the least.

"Contrary to current popular views that a diet low in carbohydrates and high in protein keeps weight down, we found that the lowest weight gain came in people with high intake of carbohydrates and low intake of protein," said Professor Tim Key.

The research studied the diets and compared the weights of meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians, and vegans. It showed that on average people gained two kilos over the five-year period. 

"The lowest weight gain was in people who changed their diet to eat fewer animal products," Key is reported to have said.

Another finding thrown up by the research was that people who had been more physically active during the five-year period gained less wieght. No surprises there!