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  #1   ^
Old Mon, Dec-10-01, 13:34
tamarian's Avatar
tamarian tamarian is offline
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Default Vegetarian Diet Masks Eating Disorder in Teens

Monday December 10

Vegetarian Diet May Mask Eating Disorder in Teens

By Suzanne Rostler

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Teenage vegetarians may be at greater risk of eating disorders and suicide than their meat-eating peers, according to researchers.

Their study found that adolescent vegetarians were more weight- and body-conscious, more likely to have been told by a doctor that they had an eating disorder, and more likely to have tried a variety of healthy and unhealthy weight control practices including diet pills, laxatives and vomiting. They were
also more likely than their peers to have contemplated or attempted suicide.

Male vegetarians were even more likely to engage in unhealthy weight control practices such as vomiting after eating and weighing themselves frequently than non-vegetarian males, report researchers in the December issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.

The findings suggest that vegetarianism may serve as a red flag for eating and other problems related to self-image in teens, conclude Dr. Cheryl L. Perry, from the University of Minnesota, and colleagues.

``Our study indicates that adolescent vegetarians are more likely than adult vegetarians to be vegetarians for weight-control than for health reasons. Because they are so interested in weight control, they engage in a variety of behaviors that are associated with trying to lose weight, both healthy and unhealthy,'' Perry explained in an interview with Reuters Health.

The study found that nearly 6% of nearly 5,000 urban middle- and high-school students surveyed in Minnesota reported that they were vegetarian, or did not eat red meat. More than half of the vegetarians reported eating chicken, about 42% ate fish, more than three-quarters ate eggs and nearly 80% consumed dairy products.

Overall, semi-vegetarians, or those who ate some animal products, were more likely to engage in weight-control practices but less likely to exercise than restricted vegetarians. Semi-vegetarians, the authors suggest, may be using the diet as another form of weight control and may be a target for programs to prevent eating disorders.

All vegetarians weighed themselves more often and were more likely to say that they were dissatisfied with their bodies than non-vegetarians. Vegetarians were also more likely to report that they cared less about being healthy although they cared more about eating healthy foods.

The results of the study show that nearly three-quarters of vegetarians were females and nearly half were white. The main reason for following a vegetarian diet was a desire to lose or maintain weight. Students also said they did not want to be involved in killing animals, they did not like the taste of meat, they thought vegetarianism was a healthier diet, and they wanted to help the environment.

To be sure, a vegetarian diet can be more healthy than one that contains red meat, the authors note. Studies have found that adult vegetarians tend to live longer, are generally leaner and are less likely to be diagnosed with heart disease and some cancers than adults who consume animal products.

Similarly, adolescent vegetarians may eschew animal products as a way to take control of their health in a way that does not involve unhealthy weight control practices, assert their independence or establish their identity. Previous research has shown that adolescent vegetarians eat more fruits, vegetables, legumes and fewer sweet and salty snack foods, and are more concerned with animal cruelty and environmental issues than their peers.

``Although adult vegetarianism has demonstrated healthful outcome, adolescent vegetarianism may be a signal that other, health-compromising attitudes and behaviors may also be adopted, particularly those related to unhealthy weight control,'' the study authors write.

SOURCE: Journal of Adolescent Health 2001;29:406-416.


http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/200...etarians_1.html
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  #2   ^
Old Wed, Dec-12-01, 14:33
tecaddict tecaddict is offline
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THey should cite the source for the vegetarians living longer. All the evidence I've seen concludes that vegetarians live a slightly shorter lifespan then the average person.
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  #3   ^
Old Sat, Dec-15-01, 15:10
nottoofat nottoofat is offline
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Question Vegetarian Diet ...long life?

I agree... Proving some point or making a point with an undisclosed study... is more and more falling on deaf ears
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  #4   ^
Old Sat, Dec-15-01, 21:04
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r.mines r.mines is offline
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Hmmm. My cynical little mind has just thought of a way to find out if vegetarians truly are thought to live longer (leaving aside the question of whether or not they *do* actually live longer). Does anyone pay a higher or lower insurance premium depending on whether or not they're a vegetarian? It seems to me that if there's *any* evidence vegetarians live longer, it'll be reflected in our insurance premiums!

Now, is that cynical?

Rachel
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  #5   ^
Old Sun, Dec-16-01, 18:35
Smith53 Smith53 is offline
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I don't know what studies were done, or if vegetarians do indeed live longer, but my personal experience with a teen vegetarian bears out the truth of the rest of the article. Any suggestions on how to safely incorporate low-carb eating in a vegetarian diet? I'm especially concerned with getting a good deal of protien in the mix.
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  #6   ^
Old Mon, Jul-12-04, 14:16
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adkpam adkpam is offline
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There are obvious difficulties with vegetarian/low carb eating. I would check out the vegetarian Atkins forum for more information.

http://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=109
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  #7   ^
Old Mon, Jul-12-04, 15:42
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mps mps is offline
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check out this website for high protein non-meat foods.

http://ksteveh.tripod.com/protein.html
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  #8   ^
Old Mon, Jul-12-04, 17:14
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ItsTheWooo ItsTheWooo is offline
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I've suspected for a long while now that those prone to eating disorders would be attracted to vegetarianism, so I am not surprised at all to find ED positively correlates with veganism. The entire concept of restricting normal consumption due to a feeling of worthlessness, immorality, guilt or gluttony is the definition of having an ED. Many of these feelings overlap with and are the catalyst for vegetarianism (especially the guilt/morality issue).

Ever read the PeTA message boards? Many who post there are kids with overt eating disorders. If you listen to how they speak about eating and food, you can see their thought processes and perceptions aren't right. They equate everything they consume with morality (or lack of it). Some of them refuse to eat anything but only fruit, because (in their minds) all other foods destroy the planet. IMO, it's not physically or mentally healthy.

Animal rights activists often say vegans and vegetarians are lower weight than omnivores in defense of the healthfulness of their diets, but I wonder if this is a cause or effect. I think the sort of person who would become a vegetarian is going to be someone with marked ED tendencies already... or at the very least, someone who doesn't fancy food much or who finds eating disgusting/unenjoyable for any number of reasons. Naturally, they aren't going to eat enough to maintain even an average weight, nevermind gain weight.

However I think if an average-dispositioned person (a non-moral vegetarian) were forced to subsist on a diet of no animal products, they would most certainly gain weight (or at the very least not lose any weight). Unless they consciously and carefully planned their diet before hand to avoid it, they would undoubtedly end up replacing animal protein and fat with less satiating, metabolic disorder inducing grains and other high glycemic load carbohydrates... which, as we all know, are not conducive to maintaining balanced energy, balanced consumption, and healthy weight.
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  #9   ^
Old Mon, Jul-12-04, 17:30
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gotbeer gotbeer is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by r.mines
Hmmm. My cynical little mind has just thought of a way to find out if vegetarians truly are thought to live longer (leaving aside the question of whether or not they *do* actually live longer). Does anyone pay a higher or lower insurance premium depending on whether or not they're a vegetarian? It seems to me that if there's *any* evidence vegetarians live longer, it'll be reflected in our insurance premiums!

Now, is that cynical?

Rachel


I work in the insurance industry so allow me to comment.

First, it is hard to measure diet in general and vegetarianism in particular. Most nominal "vegetarians" actually eat a surprising amount of meat.

Second, no clear-cut statistics favor vegetarians as a risk class.

Third, in life insurance, the rating class is usually measured only when a policy is sold. Gender rarely changes; smoking status rarely changes; age changes but the rate is constant. By contrast, a couple of years after you buy a vegetarian life policy you could choke to death on a steak and the policy would still have to pay off the full amount. (Before then the policy would likely still pay off, but might be re-rated as a meat-eater's policy. In an extreme case you would likely just get your premiums back.)

Fourth, life insurance is state-regulated and the rules for favoring a new class are fairly strict. It is just not worth it to go through the state-by-state process needed to get such a new policy sold.

Fifth, on many underwritten individual policies, pre-existing health conditions serve as a surrogate for any diet-related disorders or benefits.
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  #10   ^
Old Mon, Jul-12-04, 18:00
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kellyDWTS kellyDWTS is offline
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i used to be a vegan but i was so tired all the time i started eating for a blood type o and then i started eating lower carbs, but i felt alot more energy eating beef and lamb
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  #11   ^
Old Wed, Jul-21-04, 08:19
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Zymi Zymi is offline
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When I was younger, I was a vegetarian. I mainly became one so that people would leave me alone about eating just vegetables. I was anorexic and wouldn't eat meat b/c of the fat and calories. ..So yeah, I think some people are vegetarians for that reason.
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