Is Being Vegetarian an Effective Weight-Loss Method?

Some people who choose vegetarian or vegan diets defend them ideologically, others for health reasons. Vegetarianism, known as “not eating meat,” has varieties, broadly distinguished by two features: a vegetarian diet includes animal foods such as milk, yogurt and cheese, but not animal meat. A vegan diet includes no animal foods. How does a vegetable-based vegetarian diet differ from a conventional diet? Can it accelerate metabolism and help weight loss?

Let us examine research on this subject conducted by Dr. Hana Kahleova and her team, Journal of the American College of Nutritionbeing the publication in which it appeared:

Diabetes adversely affects the body’s ability to convert glucose (blood sugar) into energy because the body does not secrete enough insulin or cells do not respond appropriately to insulin to use glucose for energy. Insulin is a pancreatic hormone regulating blood sugar’s use as energy. Insulin imbalance or resistance causes diabetes / sugar disease.

There Are 2 Types of Diabetes: In type-1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin and external supplementation is required. It generally appears suddenly in children and young people. Type-2 diabetes is associated with unhealthy living, inactivity and obesity , usually arising in middle or older age and causing the body not to produce or use insulin. This diabetes substantially harms the health of 150 million people worldwide. Without appropriate measures addressing obesity, unhealthy diets and lifestyles, this number is predicted to double by 2025.

In the United States, more than 29 million people have diabetes and 86 million have above-average blood sugar, meaning risk of type-2 diabetes. These data show that appropriately regulating lifestyle can reduce type-2 diabetes risk by more than %50.

The study argues that, compared with a conventional diet without restrictions such as avoiding meat, a vegetarian diet contributes positively to weight loss, blood sugar regulation, reduced insulin sensitivity and other metabolic processes.

Experts also investigated the health and diabetes advantages and disadvantages of a vegan diet—consuming no animal foods. For example, one finding in type-2 diabetes was that a low-fat vegan diet improved blood sugar (glycemic) control and reduced heart attack and stroke risk.

- Related topic: Learn About the Glycemic Index with a Delicious Fruit Salad Recipe

Comparison of Vegetarian and Conventional Diets

In a vegetarian diet, approximately %60 of calories come from carbohydrates, %15 from protein and %25 from fat. This combination includes vegetables, grains, pulses, nuts, fruit, and at most one portion of animal foods and low-fat yogurt.

Examples of common vegetarian meals include almonds-walnuts, cheese, boiled corn, fresh vegetables and fruit at breakfast; beans, bulgur pilaf and cacık at lunch; wholemeal pasta at dinner; and nuts, fresh fruit or ayran with a piece of wholemeal crispbread as snacks.

In a conventional diabetic diet, approximately %50 of calories come from carbohydrates, %20 from protein and no more than %30 from fat (with saturated fat at most %7). Example meals include peanut butter, oatmeal and raisins at breakfast; a tuna wrap and cucumber at lunch; brown rice, sweet-and-sour chicken and vegetables at dinner; and carrots, celery sticks and low-fat plain yogurt as snacks.

For the first 3 months of the study in two dietary groups, participants were asked not to change physical activity. From month 3 through month 6, an aerobic exercise program was added. Researchers examined participants at months 3 and 6, including MRI (magnetic resonance – MR) scans to observe changes in body fat.

The Vegetarian Diet Was More Successful for Weight Loss and Particularly Reducing Muscle Fat

Although average calorie consumption was the same in both groups, conventional dieters lost an average of 3.2 kg per person, while the vegetable-based vegetarian group lost almost twice as much: 6.2 kg.

Researchers also observed similar reductions in subcutaneous fat in both groups. Only the vegetarian group showed a substantial reduction in intramuscular fat.

Researchers found that reduced subcutaneous and intramuscular fat improved control of metabolic processes such as blood sugar, insulin sensitivity and glycated hemoglobin. Particularly in type-2 diabetics with insulin resistance, reduced muscle-cell fat means improved glucose control, allowing consumed sugar to be used for energy.

Another point emphasized by researchers, which may reduce health problems with advancing age, is that reduced intramuscular fat increases freedom of movement and helps strengthen muscles.

“What we found is that a vegetable-based vegetarian diet can be a very helpful tool for people serious about staying healthy and fit, particularly in middle age,” says Dr. Hana Kahleova.

Conclusion

A vegetarian diet appears effective for short-term weight loss, and its vegetable- and grain-based components closely resemble the Mediterranean Diet. However, long-term vegetarianism may adversely affect health because it excludes important animal foods, particularly during growth in childhood and adolescence. Therefore, as the Oncotrust team, we recommend the Mediterranean Diet, which closely resembles vegetarian eating, or, if a vegetarian diet is specifically desired, alternating the two.