Vegans are no healthier than meat eaters

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Women and men who do not eat animal products in their diets are often viewed by the public as particularly health conscious. Researchers at the Center for Public Health at the Medical University of Vienna have now examined the diet and exercise behavior of vegans and in many cases have found a discrepancy between appearance and reality, a statement showed on Thursday.

According to the study, vegans exercise more than average, but the widespread consumption of industrially processed foods in this group cannot be classified as “beneficial to health”. The research results were recently published in the journal Nutrients.

For the study, led by MedUni scientists Maria Wakolbinger and Sandra Haider, 516 people answered questions about their eating habits in an online survey. All participants had been vegan for at least three months at the time and had an average age of 28 years. “Vegan doesn’t necessarily equal ‘healthy,'” Wakolbinger said.

Higher risk of death from all causes

The research team identified two groups of vegans: Those on a “convenience” diet (53 percent) were characterized by higher consumption of processed fish and meat alternatives, vegan savory snacks, sauces, cakes, sweets and convenience foods, fruit juices, and refined types of grain.

“The negative effects of industrially processed foods on health are now clearly proven in studies,” says Wakolbinger. People who eat a mixed diet are 29 percent more likely to die from all causes if they mainly consume ready meals. The increased risk of being overweight or obese increases by up to 51 percent, by 29 percent for cardiovascular disease and by as much as 74 percent for type 2 diabetes mellitus.

More often cooked with fresh ingredients

The vegans classified as health-conscious (47 percent) eat more vegetables, fruit, protein and milk alternatives, potatoes, whole grain products, vegetable oils and fats. According to the research, this group cooks more often with fresh ingredients.

Physical activity behavior also differed between the two vegan study populations, although vegans generally exercise more often than the average population. “As our study showed, the health-conscious group is significantly more physically active than the people who can be assigned to the convenience eating pattern,” says first author Haider.

Source: Blick