Low-fat vegan diet may spur weight loss

[Roman Byst]

"Low-fat vegan diet may spur weight loss", Reuters UK,
September 23, 2005, Link: http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/-
newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2005-09-23T152216-
Z_01_YUE355139_RTRIDST_0_HEALTH-DIET-WEIGHTLOSS-DC.XML&arc-
hived=False

A diet free of animal products and low in fat may help trim
the waistline without the task of strict calorie watching, a
new study suggests.

Researchers found that of 64 postmenopausal, overweight women,
those assigned to follow a low-fat vegan diet for 14 weeks
lost an average of 13 pounds, compared with a weight loss of
about 8 pounds among women who followed a standard
low-cholesterol diet.

The weight loss came despite the fact that the women were
given no limits on their portion sizes or daily calories --
and despite the fact that the vegan diet boosted their
carbohydrate intake.

"People imagine carbohydrates to be fattening, but they are
not," said lead study author Dr. Neal D. Barnard, an adjunct
associate professor of medicine at George Washington
University in Washington, D.C.

He is also president of Physicians Committee for Responsible
Medicine, a nonprofit group that advocates vegetarianism as
part of preventive medicine.

The greater weight loss among women on the vegan diet may stem
from specific metabolic effects, Barnard told Reuters Health.

He pointed out that the diet improved the women's sensitivity
to insulin, a hormone that ushers sugar from the blood and
into cells to be used for energy. This was also accompanied
by an increase in what's known as the thermic effect of food
-- the amount of calories the body expends to process and
store food.

The vegan diet improved women's insulin sensitivity to a
greater a degree than the comparison diet did -- though the
difference was not statistically significant, meaning the
finding could be due to chance.

Barnard and his colleagues at George Washington and
Georgetown universities report the findings in the American
Journal of Medicine.

Vegan diets eschew all animal products, including dairy and
eggs, in favor of fruits and vegetables, grains, nuts and
beans. Although high-protein weight-loss regimens have painted
carbohydrates as the enemy, a number of studies have found
that vegetarians and vegans, who tend to eat a lot of fiber-
and vitamin-rich carbohydrates, are much less likely to be
overweight than meat-eaters.

Women in the current study found the vegan diet easy to
follow, according to Barnard, because they were not asked to
count calories or keep tabs on portion sizes. They were,
however, told to avoid added oils, nuts and seeds to keep
their fat intake down.

Women in the comparison group followed a diet based on
National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines, which meant
restricting fat to less than 30 percent of calories and
protein to about 15 percent of calories.

Participants, who ranged in age from 44 to 73, also attended
weekly meetings that included nutrition and cooking lessons.

Based on dietary records the women kept, both groups ended up
reducing their calorie intake by almost 400 calories per day,
on average. But those on the vegan diet lost more weight.

Despite the restrictions of going vegan, Barnard maintained
that it's easy to take on the lifestyle. "Just eat fruits,
vegetables, beans and whole grains," he said. "Everything
you're eating is good for you."

It is wise, he noted, to take a multivitamin, particularly to
get enough vitamin B12, which is found naturally only in
animal products.

SOURCE: American Journal of Medicine, September 2005.

[Tc]

Why do you even bother posting this junk. Neal Barnard is a
psychiatrist by training and a radical animal rights activist
by ideology. And here he is publishing a "study" on
nutrition.?!????? He is head of the physician committee for
reasponsible medicine, which has few if any members who are
actually physicians and whose goals are in lock step with
PETA and other similar radical animal rights domestic
terrorist organizations. His "life partner" is the head of
PETA, Ingrid Newkirk.

Post it to alt.crap.science or alt.animalrights.nonsense.

TC

Roman Bystrianyk wrote:
> "Low-fat vegan diet may spur weight loss", Reuters UK,
> September 23, 2005, Link: http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/n-
> ewsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2005-09-23T152216Z_-
> 01_YUE355139_RTRIDST_0_HEALTH-DIET-WEIGHTLOSS-DC.XML&archiv-
> ed=False
>
> A diet free of animal products and low in fat may help trim
> the waistline without the task of strict calorie watching, a
> new study suggests.
>
> Researchers found that of 64 postmenopausal, overweight
> women, those assigned to follow a low-fat vegan diet for 14
> weeks lost an average of 13 pounds, compared with a weight
> loss of about 8 pounds among women who followed a standard
> low-cholesterol diet.
>
> The weight loss came despite the fact that the women were
> given no limits on their portion sizes or daily calories --
> and despite the fact that the vegan diet boosted their
> carbohydrate intake.
>
> "People imagine carbohydrates to be fattening, but they are
> not," said lead study author Dr. Neal D. Barnard, an adjunct
> associate professor of medicine at George Washington
> University in Washington, D.C.
>
> He is also president of Physicians Committee for Responsible
> Medicine, a nonprofit group that advocates vegetarianism as
> part of preventive medicine.
>
> The greater weight loss among women on the vegan diet may
> stem from specific metabolic effects, Barnard told
> Reuters Health.
>
> He pointed out that the diet improved the women's
> sensitivity to insulin, a hormone that ushers sugar from the
> blood and into cells to be used for energy. This was also
> accompanied by an increase in what's known as the thermic
> effect of food -- the amount of calories the body expends to
> process and store food.
>
> The vegan diet improved women's insulin sensitivity to a
> greater a degree than the comparison diet did -- though the
> difference was not statistically significant, meaning the
> finding could be due to chance.
>
> Barnard and his colleagues at George Washington and
> Georgetown universities report the findings in the American
> Journal of Medicine.
>
> Vegan diets eschew all animal products, including dairy and
> eggs, in favor of fruits and vegetables, grains, nuts and
> beans. Although high-protein weight-loss regimens have
> painted carbohydrates as the enemy, a number of studies have
> found that vegetarians and vegans, who tend to eat a lot of
> fiber- and vitamin-rich carbohydrates, are much less likely
> to be overweight than meat-eaters.
>
> Women in the current study found the vegan diet easy to
> follow, according to Barnard, because they were not asked to
> count calories or keep tabs on portion sizes. They were,
> however, told to avoid added oils, nuts and seeds to keep
> their fat intake down.
>
> Women in the comparison group followed a diet based on
> National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines, which
> meant restricting fat to less than 30 percent of calories
> and protein to about 15 percent of calories.
>
> Participants, who ranged in age from 44 to 73, also attended
> weekly meetings that included nutrition and cooking lessons.
>
> Based on dietary records the women kept, both groups
> ended up reducing their calorie intake by almost 400
> calories per day, on average. But those on the vegan diet
> lost more weight.
>
> Despite the restrictions of going vegan, Barnard maintained
> that it's easy to take on the lifestyle. "Just eat fruits,
> vegetables, beans and whole grains," he said. "Everything
> you're eating is good for you."
>
> It is wise, he noted, to take a multivitamin, particularly
> to get enough vitamin B12, which is found naturally only in
> animal products.
>
> SOURCE: American Journal of Medicine, September 2005.