The authors used data from nearly 9,000 children aged 6 months to 8 years who participated in the TARGet Kids! Cohort between 2008 and 2019. TARGet Kids! is a primary care practice-based research network and cohort study in Toronto. Details of these children’s diets depended on their parents, who answered whether their children were vegetarians (which included vegans) or non-vegetarians.
At the start of the study, 248 children (including 25 vegans) were vegetarians, and another 338 children became vegetarians later in the study. The children were followed for almost three years on average. There were no significant differences between vegetarian and non-vegetarian children regarding standard BMI, height, serum ferritin levels and vitamin D levels.
However, vegetarian children were nearly twice as likely to be underweight as non-vegetarian children.
Being underweight can be a sign of malnutrition and may indicate that one’s diet is not sufficient to support proper growth, according to the study’s press release. The authors did not have access to specific details on diet intake or quality and physical activity, which could influence growth and nutrition.
Studies with longer follow-up periods and information about motivations for eating vegetarian — such as socioeconomic status — would also be helpful in understanding links between childhood development and vegetarianism, the authors said.
The findings highlight “the need for careful dietary planning for underweight children when considering vegetarian diets,” Maguire said.
“Children who were underweight in both the vegetarian and non-vegetarian (groups) were similar and were younger and of Asian descent,” said Amy Kimberlain, registered dietitian nutritionist and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition. and dietetics. Kimberlain did not participate in the study.
“Ethnicity could definitely have played a role in determining weight,” said Dr. Maya Adam, clinical assistant professor in the Stanford School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics, who was not involved in the study.
Either way, “it’s important that children are monitored for their growth, regardless of their diet,” Kimberlain said. “A vegetarian diet can be a healthy choice for all children. The key is to make sure it is well planned. With the help of a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, children’s growth can be monitored as well as their needs. in nutrients to ensure they are being consumed enough.”
If you and your kids are trying to eat vegetarian or vegan, it’s important to have alternative options “in case one day they like something and the next they don’t,” Kimberlain said.