Study Shows Vegetarian and Meat-Eating Kids Have Similar Growth and Nutrition But Not Weight

Vegetarian diet Vegetarian Children Non-Vegetarian Children Non-Vegetarian Kids Dr. Jonathon Maguire

By Joel Brussels , Parent Herald May 03, 08:31 pm

Photo: (Photo : Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A new study offers some factors to consider for parents wondering how their kids might fare on a vegetarian diet. According to a study published on Monday, May 2, in the journal Pediatrics, children following a vegetarian diet and those eating meat were similar in height, growth, and nutritional measures. But vegetarian kids had higher odds of being underweight.

In a news release, Dr. Jonathon Maguire, a pediatrician at St. Michael's Hospital of Unity Health Toronto and the study's lead author, said that over the last 20 years, they had seen the growing popularity of plant-based diets and a changing food environment with more access to plant-based alternatives. That being said, they have not seen the research into the nutritional outcomes of children following vegetarian diets in Canada.

The study's authors used data from nearly 9,000 kids aged between six months and eight years old who had participated in the TARGet Kids! Cohort between 2008 and 2019. TARGet Kids! is a primary care practice-based research network and cohort study in Toronto. The parents provided the details on the diets of the children who participated in the study. They answered whether their children were non-vegetarian or vegetarian (which included vegans).

More children became vegetarian later in the study

Research assistants for TARGet Kids! measured the participants' weight, height, body-mass index, cholesterol levels, vitamin D levels, triglycerides, and serum ferritin levels during each health supervision visit. According to Mount Sinai Health System, ferritin is a cell protein that stores iron and enables the body to use it when needed. A ferritin test indirectly measures a person's blood iron levels.

A total of 248 children (including 25 vegans) were vegetarian at the beginning of the study, and 338 more kids became vegetarian sometime later during the study. Children who participated in the study were followed up for nearly three years on average.

There were no significant differences between vegetarian and non-vegetarian children with regard to height, serum ferritin levels, vitamin D levels, and standard BMI. The study found that vegetarian children were nearly twice as likely to be underweight than non-vegetarian children.

Vegetarian children being underweight can be a sign of malnutrition

According to the study news release, the child being underweight can be a sign of malnutrition and indicate that the kid's diet is insufficient to support appropriate growth. Specific details about dietary intake or quality and physical activity were not available to the authors of the study. These factors could also influence growth and nutrition.

Maguire said that the study's findings highlight the need for careful dietary planning for underweight children when considering vegetarian diets. Amy Kimberlain, a registered dietitian nutritionist and a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, said that the underweight children in non-vegetarian and vegetarian (groups) were similar and were younger and of Asian descent.

Dr. Maya Adam echoed that sentiment, saying that ethnicity could certainly have played a part in the weight finding of the study.