Using a vegan diet to combat obesity

The buildup of excessive body fat is a symptom of obesity, a lifestyle condition. (Niswender, 268). Both adults and toddlers may be impacted. Because having too much body fat is unhealthy, it increases the chance of developing many other diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attacks, and many others. A plant-based diet is known as a vegan diet. It includes all fruits, grains, vegetables, legumes, legume products, and all foods created by mixing any of these. In addition, other foods have undergone modifications to suit the vegan diet category. They include; vegetable hot dogs, vegan mayonnaise, cheese, veggie burgers and vegan ice cream. This paper will, therefore, explore the causes of obesity and intensively address vegan diet as a method of solving obesity by comparing different studies that address the issue of obesity and vegan diet. It will look at the most suitable vegan diets that are most useful in solving obesity.

Causes of obesity

There are a variety of causes of obesity. Although in some cases it can be as a result of a genetic disorder or hormonal influences on one’s body weight, it also occurs when someone consumes more calories than the body can burn down either through the normal day-to-day activities or body exercise. The body human body is capable of burning fats through the natural daily activities. The calories that the body is unable to burn completely are then stored in the body as fats (Wright, 731). Therefore, obesity is caused by;

Inactivity- when people do not engage in sufficient physical activities, their bodies do not efficiently burn calories that they consume. Physically inactive people consume more calories than their bodies can burn through the daily regular duties and exercise. They are at high risk of gaining more weight.

Unhealthy eating habits-Consuming large amounts of foods rich in fats and sugars also leads to obesity in the long run. It is because the body is not conditioned to burn a lot of fats taken in. Burning more of these extra calories requires more exercise apart from just the normal daily activities.

Genetics –Genetics affects how the body digests different foods and how it stores fats. Obesity can be caused by genetic disorders where the condition runs in families.

Pregnancy- Obesity can also occur during pregnancy. It can create several health problems for both the mother and the fetus.

Old age- They are at risk of getting obese because their muscles become weaker and they have a lower metabolic rate than the general population. They are not active enough to burn down the excess fats that they consume. It puts them at risk of becoming obese.

Insufficient sleep- lack of enough sleep leads to hormonal changes in the body. It also affects metabolism rates and therefore causing weight gain. Those with sleep deprivation also become hungry quickly and frequently crave foods that contain high calories.

Apart from the above factors, there are also some medical conditions that can lead to obesity. They are;

Polycystic ovary syndrome- this condition causes reproductive system hormonal imbalance.

Cushing’s syndrome- this condition is as a result of excess amounts of the hormone cortisol in the body system.

Prader-Willi syndrome- One is born with this condition. It causes excessive hunger, and that person takes more than the required meals a day leading to obesity.

However, there are many effective solutions to obesity. Cases of obesity can be addressed in various ways. One of the most common approaches is by adopting a vegan diet.

Solving obesity with vegan diet

Taking vegan diets does not exactly guarantee one of weight loss or good health management. However, taking plant based products diets might give a sustainable solution to obesity in combination with other approaches (Newby, 1572). Several studies have been done on the effects of vegan diets in obesity management. Vegetarians have relatively lower amounts of body fats, lower BMIs and are leaner than those who consume other foods. Vegan diets are inclusive of fruits, vegetables, fiber, and legumes.

A study by Sabate and Michelle (1525-1527) give details on the relation between vegetarian diets and obesity. It focuses specifically on children. It indicates that vegan diets have lower body mass index as compared to the other diets (Sabate and Michelle 1526). Consequently, vegetarian children have greater BMI difference and are learner when they reach their adolescent stages as compared to those children who are non-vegetarians. None vegetarian children are at risk of obesity as they grow. Therefore, the study recommends that plant-based diets should be encouraged in children for healthier bodies and prevention of obesity (Sabate and Michelle 1527).

Several studies have explored the nutritional value of a vegan diet. Although vegan diets have been known to be a remedy for obesity, there are claims that these diets do not provide the body with all the required nutrients. It is, therefore, necessary to compare the dietary value of vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets. In one study by Farmer and Bonnie (820), participants were chosen for a survey that included people aged 19 years and above. Among them were pregnant and lactating mothers. Participants who had not taken poultry, fish, or meat during the day of the survey portrayed the vegetarian diets. There were adjustments of the average nutrient intakes and BMIs for sex, energy, and ethnicity. There was a comparison of all vegetarians to all non-vegetarians; non-dieting vegeterians were compared to non-dieting non-vegetarians while dieting vegetarians were compared to dieting non-vegetarians using an analysis of variance. The results showed that average intakes of fiber, calcium, magnesium, folate, iron, vitamins A,C and E, riboflavin and thiamin were higher in all vegetarians as compared to the non-vegetarians. Therefore, the findings of this study confirm that vegetarian diets contain all required nutrients in the body, and therefore it is encouraged to be used as a remedy to obesity without the fear that they are low in some necessary nutrients (Bonnie 820).

Deriemaeker, Peter, et al.(771) examines the nutritional status of Flemish vegetarians compared with non-vegetarians. It gives details on the nutritional value of vegan diet as compared to non-vegetarian diets.650 people responded to take part in the research, but only 450 completed the research questionnaires. Out of the 405 participants, only 375 met the inclusion criteria. The requirements for the vegetarian group were that, individuals were supposed to be vegetarians for the previous one year and be of 20years of age and above. A sample of 106 vegetarians and 106 non-vegetarians was picked to fill a health and food record questionnaire. The results showed that there was a variation in the intake of most minerals between the two groups (Deriemaeker and Peter 772).

Nutritional status

Energy requirement and intake- the standard intake of energy is 2900kcal/day for men and 2150 kcal/day for women (Deriemaeker and Peter 776). Results showed that, none of the two groups reached the required energy intake. Therefore there was low energy intake in both groups.

Energy distribution- it was noted that both groups reached the standard intake of proteins though the vegetarian group indicated a relatively lower proteins intake as compared to the non-vegetarians. Carbohydrates and fiber intake differed in the two groups where the vegetarian group had a higher fiber and carbohydrates intake. On fat intakes, vegetarians met the standard requirements while the consumption was quite high for non-vegetarians. The vegetarian group had a relatively low intake of sodium but higher intakes of zinc, iron, and calcium as compared to the non-vegetarian group.

Therefore, vegetarian diets are adequate to sustain the required nutritional levels of human demands (Deriemaeker and Peter, 778). It is because they do not completely lack sodium nutrients and proteins; it is only that they are lower when compared to non-vegetarians. When taken in the right quantities, vegetarian diets can be a sustainable solution to diet- related health problems such as obesity.

It is necessary to explore the dietary recommendations for the treatment of child and adolescent overweight and obesity. Bonnie (192) addresses some of the methods that can be used to solve obesity and overweight related diseases. Narrowing it down to effects of more intakes of fruits and vegetables, the study viewed the relation between vegetables and fruits intake and body weight. There was a link between high intake of fruits and vegetables and bodyweight whereby, more consumption of fruits and vegetables while avoiding fatty foods led to a decrease in body weight in both boys and girls (Bonnie, 192). On the other hand, a lower intake of fruits and vegetables led to increased body weight in boys. The study showed that high vegetables and fruits intake might provide a sustainable method for controlling obesity and other overweight related diseases.

One study by Spencer (730) explored the relationship between diet and body mass index. It compared the Body Mass Index of four different groups. They included beef-eaters, fish-eaters, vegans, and vegetarians. It sampled the four groups to find out which diet lead to high Body Mass Index than the others. The study consisted of 37,875 participants. It was inclusive of healthy men and women aged between 20-97 years. After the study, results showed that there was a variation in the BMI among the four groups of participants whereby the meat-eaters had the highest BMI rate while vegetarians had the lowest BMI rate (Spencer, 730).

Vegetarians and fish eaters showed the same intermittent average BMI. Other differences in individual lifestyles did not have a lot of impact on the study as they only contributed to about 5% of the total difference in average age-adjusted BMI between vegetarians and beef-eaters. Some of the lifestyle factors include education, smoking, and physical activities. Those who consumed fish and plants had significantly lower BMI as compared to the meat-eaters group. It was noted that low intake of fiber and high intake of proteins were the main contributions to increased Body Mass Index.

A journal by Newby (1274) on risk of overweight and obesity among semivegetarian, lactovegetarian, and vegan women compared the levels at which the three groups of vegetarians are at risk of body weight and obesity. It was done by assessing the BMIs of the three groups. A sample of 55,459 healthy women was picked to participate in the study. They were divided into three groups; Vegans, Lacto-vegetarians, Semi-vegetarians and omnivores. The information about which group each individual fitted in was taken from a food-frequency questionnaire they had filled.

The results showed that omnivores had a high BMI as compared to the rest of the participants while vegans had the lowest BMI. The results were as follows;

Omnivores - 40%

Both semi-vegetarians and vegans – 29%

Lactovegetarians – 25%

Vegans were identified to have the lowest risk of body weight and obesity than semi- vegetarians. Therefore, results confirm that even if vegetarians sometimes consume animal products such as meat, their risk of body weight and obesity remains low. In the above study, semi-vegetarians, lacto-vegetarians and vegans had a lower risk of weight gain and obesity as compared to omnivorous. Taking more vegetable food and little to zero animal products may play a vital role in reducing body weight and solve or prevent cases of obesity (Newby, 1274). The little animal products taken may just act a supplement to the nutrients that are low in vegan diets like proteins.

An article by Tuner et al, “A Two-Year Randomized Weight Loss Trial Comparing a Vegan Diet to a More Moderate Low-Fat Diet” compared the effects of vegan and low-fat diets with National Cholesterol Education Program diet on weight loss maintenance within two years. It was a study on the sustainability of vegan diet as a method of solving overweight diseases such as obesity as compared to other methods. A sample of sixty-four overweight women was randomly assigned to either vegan or NCEP diet for 14weeks. The results showed that those who participated in the vegan diet had lost more weight as compared to those that participated in NCEP diet within the first year of the exercise. At the end of the second year, results were almost the same as the first year whereby those who participated in the vegan diet still lost more weight than the NCEP group. There was more sustainability of weight loss in the vegan diet than the NCEP diet. By the end of the second year, those participants that took the NCEP diet were bot showing further weight loss as compared to the vegans who consistently lost weight in the two years of the study.

Conclusion

The above studies confirm that a vegan diet is an effective solution to obesity. It is a sustainable approach to weight reduction. Those at risk of severe obesity are encouraged to subscribe to a vegan diet for positive outcomes. There can be a decrease in the overall incidences of obesity in the society by the consumption of more plant-based products. The government should encourage farmers to plant more plants with edible products and take care of the existing ones. It will lead to a healthy nation not only free from obesity but also free from other overweight related diseases. However, a vegan diet is not the only way of solving obesity. There should be an inclusion of other lifestyle management approaches such as regular exercise for optimal benefit to those with the condition.

Works cited

Bonnie.A et al, ”Recommendations for Treatment of Child and Adolescent Overweight and Obesity” Pediatrics, 2007, 195-207.

Deriemaeker, Peter, et al. ”Nutritional status of Flemish vegetarians compared with non-vegetarians: a matched samples study.“ Nutrients 2(7), 2010, 770-780.

Farmer, Bonnie, et al. ”A vegetarian dietary pattern as a nutrient-dense approach to weight management: an analysis of the national health and nutrition examination survey 1999-2004.“ Journal of the American Dietetic Association 111(6), 2011, 819-827.

Newby, P. K. ”Plant foods and plant-based diets: protective against childhood obesity?.“ The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2009, ajcn-26736G.

Newby, P. K., Katherine L. Tucker, and AlicjaWolk. ”Risk of overweight and obesity among semi vegetarian, lacto vegetarian, and vegan women.“ The American journal of clinical nutrition 81,(6), 2005, 1267-1274.

Niswender, Kevin. ”Diabetes and obesity: therapeutic targeting and risk reduction–a complex interplay.“ Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism 12(4), 2010, 267-287.

Sabaté, Joan, and Michelle Wien. ”Vegetarian diets and childhood obesity prevention.“ The American journal of clinical nutrition 91(5), 2010, 1525S-1529S.

Spencer, E. A. ”Diet and body mass index in 38 000 EPIC-Oxford meat-eaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians and vegans.“ International journal of obesity 27(6), 2003, 728-734.

Turner‐McGrievy, Gabrielle M., Neal D. Barnard, and Anthony R. Scialli. ”A Two‐Year Randomized Weight Loss Trial Comparing a Vegan Diet to a More Moderate Low‐Fat Diet.“ Obesity 15(9) 2007, 2276-2281.

Wright, Suzanne M., and Louis J. Aronne. ”Causes of Obesity.“ Abdominal Radiology 37(5), 2012, 730-732.