Vegan diet causes weight loss, without exercise, calorie-counting, or portion limits

PCRM >> News and Media Center >> Breaking Medical News Archive >> Vegan diet causes weight loss, without exercise, calorie-counting, or portion limits:

A low-fat vegan diet causes significant weight loss, even without exercise, calorie-counting, or portion limits, according to a study conducted by PCRM researchers and published in the September 2005 American Journal of Medicine. Sixty-four overweight women were randomly assigned to either a low-fat, vegan diet or a more moderate low-fat (control) diet based on National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines. The vegan group lost an average of 13 pounds in 14 weeks, compared with 8 pounds for the control group. The weight loss of the vegan group was partly attributable to the low calorie content of plant-derived foods. In addition, the vegan group showed a 16% increase in its after-meal calorie-burning speed, referred to as the thermic effect of food. This, in turn, appears to be due to the fact that the vegan diet improved insulin sensitivity by 24%. Improved insulin sensitivity allows nutrients to more rapidly enter the cells of the body to be converted to heat, rather than to fat.

Related reports have described the acceptability of the diet and its effects on nutrient intake.