To go vegan could help you lose excess weight much faster than Ozempic, scientists have suggested.
Researchers found that people who ditched foods like meat and fish for a low-fat, plant-based diet changed 12 pounds (5.9 kg) from their body weight after just four months.
By comparison, studies show that those who inject semaglutide, the active ingredient in blockbuster jabs Ozempic and Wegovy, lose an average of 6.9kg, just over a stone, in nine months.
Some studies on the weight loss injections, now used by around three million Brits, show an even more gradual slimming effect, with patients losing an average of just 4.5kg in seven months.
The new research by American scientists has found that eating plant-based foods reduces daily calories by about a quarter (about 500), resulting in significant weight loss.
The study followed 224 overweight adults, most of whom were women, with an average age of 54 years.
They were split into two groups; half of the patients switched to a plant-based diet, while others maintained their original eating habits.
Those following the vegan diet were allowed to eat as many fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes such as chickpeas and beans as they wanted, but were told to avoid meat, fish, dairy products and eggs.
Researchers found that people who ditched foods like meat and fish for a low-fat, plant-based diet changed 12 pounds (5.9 kg) from their body weight after just 16 weeks
Their average after 16 weeks Vegetable intake increased by about 150 grams – roughly half a broccoli – and fruit intake increased by about 80 grams, the equivalent of a medium apple.
Consumption of legumes, such as beans, has almost tripled, while intake of plant-based meat alternatives has more than doubled.
After finding that the routine led to a weight loss of almost a stone, the researchers wrote in the journal JAMA Network Open that the intervention “may be an effective treatment for overweight adults.”
In a secondary analysis, the team found that the reason high-meat diets are fattening is that they are much more energy-dense. In other words, they contain more calories.
They found that the vegan participants ate about the same weight of food as before, when their diet still contained meat.
However, they consumed almost 500 fewer calories per day than those who continued to eat meat, dairy, fish and eggs.
In real terms they had gone from 1,834 calories per day to 1,343 calories per day – a drop of more than a quarter.
The team – from a group of universities including the University of Utah – added: ‘Plant foods are high in water and fiber and low in fat, increasing food volume without a commensurate increase in energy content.
‘This promotes satiety (feeling of fullness) and reduces energy intake without intentional calorie restriction.’
Not only did the study show that people who followed a vegan diet had more stable blood sugar levels, less fat in the liver and muscles, and burned more calories digesting food.
The researchers wrote: ‘These findings suggest that diet composition – particularly the emphasis on plant-based foods – may have a meaningful impact on the regulation of energy intake.
‘This mechanism helps explain the significant weight loss and metabolic improvements observed in response to a low-fat vegan diet…’
The scientists acknowledged the study’s limitations, including that it relied on patients self-reporting the food they consumed.
They also said the participants volunteered for the study and may not represent the broader population.
It is believed that around 3.5 million people in Britain follow a plant-based diet.
Experts have said the eating plan has a number of health benefits, and separate studies have shown that vegans are less likely to develop heart disease, diabetes and cancer than meat eaters.
However, some say that veganism can also cause some harmful vitamin deficiencies.
Chief among these is a deficiency of vitamin B12 – a nutrient that is crucial for healthy blood vessels and brain function and is not found in plant foods such as fruits, vegetables and grains.
Instead, vitamin B12 is mainly found in meat, fish, milk and eggs. The NHS recommends that vegans take a vitamin B12 supplement daily.
‘This is a vitamin that is fundamental to the function of the human body, and is almost completely absent from a vegan diet,’ Dr Julian Owen, trauma consultant and orthopedic surgeon at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, previously told the Daily Mail.
‘If supplements are not taken, after six months of being vegan, people may begin to experience neurological symptoms such as anxiety, depression and even psychosis – symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency.’
