London - Eating a vegan diet is the best way to lose weight, a study has found.
Vegans – who do not eat any animal products, including meat, dairy and eggs – lost on average 5.5lbs more than people on other diets over 18 months.
The next best way to fight the flab was going vegetarian – with dieters typically shedding 3.2lbs more than meat-eaters. The researchers carried out an overview of 12 studies on diets, involving 1 151 people aged between 18 and 82. They excluded research that also looked at the effects of exercise.
It is thought meat-free diets are good for weight loss because they involve eating high levels of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, which release sugars slowly into the blood – preventing sugar crashes that cause hunger pangs.
Study author Dr Ru-Yi Huang, of E-Da Hospital in Taiwan, whose review was published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, said that since none of the trials lasted longer than 18 months, further research is needed into the long-term effects of vegetarian and vegan diets on health.
Daily Mail