Related Experiment Videos
Growth in "new" vegetarian preschool children using the Jenss-Bayley curve fitting technique
Insights
Vegetarian children showed slightly lower growth measurements compared to nonvegetarian peers, with macrobiotic diets showing the most significant differences. Energy intake, not protein, appeared to be a limiting factor for vegetarian growth.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Human Growth and Development
- Nutritional Epidemiology
Background:
- Dietary patterns significantly influence child development.
- Vegetarian diets are increasingly common among children.
- Understanding the impact of vegetarianism on growth is crucial for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare growth curves of vegetarian and nonvegetarian Caucasian children.
- To identify specific dietary factors affecting growth in vegetarian children.
- To analyze the influence of diet on length and weight measurements up to age six.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal growth data (length, weight) collected from 142 vegetarian and 229 nonvegetarian children (aged 0-6 years).
- Growth curves fitted using the Jenss and Bayley nonlinear regression equation.
- Dietary intake analysis, including energy and protein, was performed.
Main Results:
- Vegetarian children exhibited growth curves 0.5-1.0 kg (weight) and 1-2 cm (length) lower than nonvegetarian children.
- Length was more affected than weight; macrobiotic vegetarian children showed the most depressed growth.
- Lower energy intake was observed in vegetarians; protein intake was adequate.
Conclusions:
- Vegetarian diets, particularly macrobiotic ones, are associated with reduced growth in early childhood.
- Dietary energy intake appears to be a key factor limiting growth in vegetarian children.
- Sex differences were noted, with females showing more consistent growth impacts.
Abstract:
Length and weight measurements obtained on 142 vegetarian and 229 nonvegetarian school children from a normative population were fitted to growth curves using the asymptotic nonlinear regression equation of Jenss and Bayley. All of the children were Caucasian and age ranged from a few weeks to 6 yr. The growth curves obtained for vegetarian children were from 0.5 to 1.0 kg and 1 to 2 cm lower, depending on age, sex, and diet, than were curves for reference populations of nonvegetarian children. Length was affected more than weight. Macrobiotic vegetarian children's curves were more depressed than those of the other vegetarian children, indicating that there was a good deal of heterogeneity in growth within vegetarians which was associated with dietary group characteristics. Measurements of females were more consistently affected than males, and their diets were also more far reaching with respect to animal food avoidances. The analysis of food records available provided evidence that energy intakes of the vegetarians were below recommended levels, whereas protein intakes did not appear to be limiting.