Vegetarian or vegan diets can be healthy for children, a major new review has found – but they will likely need fortified foods or supplements to get all the nutrients they need.
Plant-based diets may also offer some health benefits for children, including better cardiovascular health compared with kids who eat meat, according to the study, which was published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.
The findings suggest that “well-planned and appropriately supplemented vegetarian and vegan diets can meet nutritional requirements and support healthy growth in children,” Monica Dinu, the study’s lead author and a researcher at the University of Florence in Italy, said in a statement.
The researchers said the study is the most comprehensive yet of plant-based diets in children.
They analysed data from nearly 49,000 children and teenagers in 18 countries, tracking their dietary habits, health outcomes, growth, and nutrition status. The diets included vegetarians – who eat dairy and eggs, but not meat, fish, or poultry – as well as vegans and omnivores.
Vegetarian children tended to eat more fibre, iron, folate, vitamin C, and magnesium than omnivores – but they got less energy, protein, fat, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and zinc.
There was less evidence on vegan diets, but the patterns were similar. Vegan children had particularly low calcium intake, the study found.
The researchers said children on plant-based diets may need to take supplements or eat fortified foods to avoid deficiencies of some key nutrients.
“Notably, vitamin B12 didn't reach adequate levels without supplementation or fortified foods, and calcium, iodine, and zinc intakes were often at the lower end of recommended ranges,” said Jeannette Beasley, one of the study’s authors and an associate professor at New York University in the United States.
Both vegan and vegetarian children had better cardiovascular health than meat-eating children. Vegetarians tended to be slightly shorter and leaner, with lower body mass index (BMI), fat mass, and bone mineral content.
They also had lower cholesterol, including low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol – the “bad” or “unhealthy” form of cholesterol that can lead to plaque buildup in the arteries.
The study has some limitations – for example, it’s difficult to prove whether the children’s diets directly caused the differences in their health outcomes. Families who opt for plant-based diets may also differ from meat-eaters in terms of socioeconomic status or lifestyle factors.
The researchers recommend that parents plan their children’s diets carefully, for example, with support from paediatricians and dieticians.
They said there should be more official guidance to help families with plant-based diets ensure their children’s nutritional needs are met while they grow.
“We hope these findings offer clearer guidance on both the benefits and potential risks of plant-based diets, helping the growing number of parents choosing these diets for health, ethical or environmental reasons,” Dinu said.
