To lose weight, go vegan

Lose weight on a vegan diet

Dieters on a vegetarian diet, especially those following a vegan one that includes no animal products, see better results than dieters on other weight-loss plans. In fact, they can lose around two kilograms more, says Ru-Yi Huang of E-Da Hospital in Taiwan.

Huang's review included 12 trials involving 1 151 dieters who followed a specific eating regime for between nine and 74 weeks.

Lose two-and-a-half-kilograms more

Those assigned to the vegetarian diet groups lost significantly more weight (around two kilograms) than dieters who ate meat. Those who followed a vegan diet lost even more weight - around two-and-a-half kilograms more than non-vegetarian dieters.

The secret: Fibre and low GI values

According to Huang, the abundant intake of whole grains, fruits and vegetables may play a role in the favourable results seen in vegetarian diets. Whole-grain products and vegetables generally have low glycaemic index values and don't cause blood sugar levels to spike.

Fruits are rich in fibre, antioxidants, minerals and protective chemicals that naturally occur in plants. Whole-grain products contain soluble fibre which ensures good digestion and allows enough nutrients to be absorbed while food moves through the intestines. Several studies have reported that fibre consumption helps with weight loss.

"Vegetarian diets are more effective than non-vegetarian diets for weight loss," says Huang, who added that longer term intervention trials are needed to investigate the effect of vegetarian diets on weight control and cardio-metabolic risk.

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