Children 'Harmed' by Vegan Diets

[Spiral]

National Cattlemen's Beef Association pays
for Anti-Vegan "Study"

Surprise surprise.

[Poison Ivy]

Here's the latest press release from The Vegan Society


PRESS RELEASE


From the Vegan Society

22nd February 2005


VEGAN DIETS AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT: WHAT'S THE REAL EVIDENCE?




The claim that milk and meat are vital to children's development, which swept though the media earlier this week, originated from an American press release based mainly on a two-year study of 544 undernourished Kenyan children, completed in December 2000 and published in the Journal of Nutrition in November 2003. (1)


As usual, the original information evolved beyond all recognition as it moved from scientific paper to press release to soundbite: "There's absolutely no question that it's unethical for parents to bring up their children as strict vegans", proclaimed certain sections of the media. (2)


The scientific paper compared groups of Kenyan children given three food supplements: meat, milk and vegetable oil. Three measures of mental development were taken: Raven's visuo-spatial test, verbal meaning and arithmetic. On all three measures, the vegetable oil group beat the milk group and on two measures the vegetable oil group beat the meat group.



"Even on the paper cited, the soundbite attributed to Professor Allen is clearly far fetched" said Stephen Walsh, author of Plant Based Nutrition and Health. But there is far stronger evidence than this that vegan diets support healthy development in children. In the UK a study of 39 vegan children found that "the growth and development of children reared on both vegan and vegetarian diets appears normal." (3)



In the USA, a study of 400 vegan children reached the same conclusion. (4)


Both these studies were carried out in the 1980s and the results should be well known to any scientist presuming to comment on vegan diets and child development.

The soundbite that went the rounds this week comes from taking the results of the one test on undernourished Kenyan children where meat seemed to have a better impact than vegetable oil and ignoring all the contrary evidence both from the Kenyan study and from direct studies of western vegans.


"This is not science but blatant spin", said Vegan Society Chair Alex Bourke, "and representatives of the media who have uncritically passed on the soundbite have been sadly misled."



For further information on the benefits of a vegan diet for animals, people and the environment – both in Africa and in the West – see Plant Based Nutrition and Health or contact a Vegan Society spokesperson (details overleaf).






REFERENCES:


(1) http://www.nutrition.org/cgi/reprint/133/11/3965S.pdf



(2) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4282257.stm



http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2005/0218micronutrients.shtml



(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt= abstract&list_uids=3414589

(4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt= Abstract&list_uids=2771551

[Spiral]

You can email Lindsay Allen

lhallen@ucdavis.edu

No doubt you will get the standard reply as others have done, but it's still worthwhile letting her know your feelings about this biased and flawed study.

Apparently she feels her comments were misinterpreted by the press!

[gertvegan]

Apparently her father is a pig farmer. Has that been posted already ?

[l337_v3g4n_1]

I don't tink so, but it says it self really

[gertvegan]

Vegetarian and vegan diets can be a healthy way of eating for all age groups - provided that enough thought is given to balance youngsters’ diets. From the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/vegetarian_and_vegan/children.shtml) , who were one of the first to air the Children 'Harmed' by Vegan Diets article. :confused:

[l337_v3g4n_1]

they haven't posted the thing I sent them.

know why? Because it had some good arguments for veganism!

meh.

[gertvegan]

Vegan diets can easily meet the nutritional needs of the growing child. (http://www.andrews.edu/NUFS/Vegan%20Children.html) Andrews University Nutrition Department.

[Spiral]

Apparently her father is a pig farmer.

It just gets better doesn't it :rolleyes:

The Andrews University Department article is very good. I think I'll send the link to Prof. Allen. She needs educating on the subject :)

[veganblue]

You can email Lindsay Allen

lhallen@ucdavis.edu

From a vegan animal rights group, addressed to a member there.

"Here is my response from Lindsey Allen
referring to the article on the BBC"




Putting children on strict vegan diets is "unethical"

The study was funded by the Agency for International Development and I have spent 20 years trying to improve the nutritional status of children and women in developing countries. Current strategies to improve the well-recognized situation of widespread micronutrient deficiencies in developing countries are to provide mineral vitamin pills, or just iron, or just vitamin A once every 6 months, or to fortify staple foods with micronutrients. The purpose of these strategies is to improve the health and function of these children. Unfortunately children like the ones we studied in Africa don't have access to any of these alternative strategies to quality food. I have dedicated my life to these efforts.

We had beans and maize and oil and vegetables in the control group supplements and the animal source food snacks (equal in energy) did better.

Animal source foods are the ONLY dietary source of vitamin B-12, vitamin D, retinol, and highly absorbable zinc and iron. Even the World Health Organization recommends that for children after 6 months of age: "meat, poultry, fish or eggs should be eaten daily, or as often as possible, Vegetarian diets cannot meet nutrient needs at this age unless nutrient supplements or fortified products are used".

Finally, this study was not funded by industry or by USDA and was completed several years ago before I joined USDA.

My remarks were taken out of context deliberately by a reporter as I made it completely clear that I said it was unethical for pregnant, lactating women or parents to give infants or young children vegan diets UNLESS they knew what supplements or fortified foods to give to provide the missing nutrients.

I hope this helps to improve the lousy impression I have given you. I should have used the word "unwise" rather than "unethical", I readily admit, then I would probably have received less hurtful mail. I do hope also that this flurry of attention serves to keep the public's attention on this critically important and very difficult issue.

Sincerely, Lindsay Allen

[gertvegan]

Please don't write angry emails/phone calls to Dr. Lindsay Allen about the nutritional study

24 Feb 2005

I just spoke for awhile with Dr. Lindsay Allen, one of the scientists who worked on the study of the nutritional needs of children in the developing world. The British media distorted a lot of what she said into a condemnation of veganism.
This does not accurately represent her opinions. We are working with her on getting letters to the editors written by her, clarifying her position, to the media sources that covered the story. Her study wasn't about vegans in the developed world. The media was prodding her by asking her if it was "unethical to raise vegan children." She said she supposes it is unethical to raise children on vegan diets if you don't make sure you're getting all the nutrients you need. But the media cut off that last part, and then pretty much made up her response to Paul McCartney.

She's gotten a lot of angry emails from angry vegans- if everyone could hold off on those for now that would be helpful. I'm not saying this scientist is an ally or that this was a valid study - I just want to make sure she follows up with these letters to the editor so we can hopefully repair some of the damage that's been done. (And of course, writing your own letters to the editor in defense of veganism would be great.)

Please write me personally (not to the group) if you have any pressing questions about this issue. Thanks!

Chris Holbein | Vegan Campaigns Assistant, PETA

[gertvegan]

Expert hits out over vegan diet children
'Unethical' to deny animal products

By Andrea Clements, 25 February 2005, www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk (http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=614691)

A local vegetarian representative today hit back at claims that denying young children animal products was "unethical".

Strict vegetarians who insist their children live by the maxim "meat is murder" had come under fire after a Californian study showed that adding just two spoonfuls of meat to the diet of poverty-stricken children in Africa transformed them both physically and mentally.

Professor Lindsay Allen, director of the US Agricultural Research Service's Western Human Nutrition Research Centre, who conducted the study, was especially critical of parents who imposed a vegan lifestyle on their children, denying them milk, cheese and butter as well as milk.

Prof Allen said: "Animal source foods have some nutrients which are not found anywhere else.

"Talking of young children and pregnant women and lactating women I would say it is unethical to withhold these foods during that period of life."

Beth Gourley, for the Vegetarian Society of the UK, said she believed the majority of vegetarian parents were responsible and showed no neglect in regard to their children's diets.

"Don't parents have the right to bring their children up according to their morals?

"Vegetarian diets can be more healthy and pose less risk of diseases which affect people in later life.

"There's a 25% lower risk of dying from heart disease for vegetarians and few vegetarians are overweight."

She pointed to tofu, green leafy vegetables, wholegrain foods and beans, pulses and nuts as of significant nutritional value.

Gillian Killner, speaking for the British Dietetics Association in Northern Ireland, said the study was the first to suggest a strong need for meat in the diet, and that further research should be awaited.

She stressed the importance for vegans or vegetarians, especially those who were pregnant, breastfeeding or feeding young children to get the right nutrients.

"There are good meat alternatives which have been used for generations.

"Vitamin D, B2 and vitamin 12 would be of concern, therefore alternatives from the sun and fortified foods would be recommended.

"Following a planned diet will mean that you will not miss out on essential nutrients."

[gertvegan]

Magpie House will be launching a new book, 'Compassionate Kids - Raising kids the vegan way' at the Heart of England Vegan Festival 2005 (http://veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1751) .

The authors, Jacqulyn and Helen, will be signing the book on the day.

[rawfasting]

Hello Everyone!

Wanted to drop by and say hello and thank you for your support. We're adding an update page to our site www.rawfriends.com next week so you ca come and get some more news. We also are in search of donators. Everyone's rights including myself are at stake here. We can’t afford to lose this case because of what it stands for. I'll be adding a page titled “letter from the editor” (me) and it won’t be pretty. I don’t think many raw vegan, vegans or vegetarians realize the serious nature and magnitude of this case. We cannot let this set precedence against our healthy lifestyle. If any of you have PR skills and would like to volunteer...I can use some help, I’m over whelmed with getting this story to the media, building the website and taking calls all day. I’m only one person…ARG! We are concentrating on going more mainstream addressing it as a rights issue which it is.

Okay, its way late and thus guy has to get some shut eye. Thanks for all your support these last few weeks!

Warmly,

Steven Gibb
Founder
www.rawfriends.com

[Kevster]

Well, i've heard some rubbish arguments before from scientists like Colin Blakemore about the utility of animal testing, and it would really not surprise me if a scientist had decided to make unscientific conclusions about groups of people outside their research group.

'she supposes it is unethical to raise children on vegan diets if you don't make sure you're getting all the nutrients you need.'

This is a very good point, but the same also goes for any diet whether it be vegetarian or meat based... Looks like the media might have taken advantage of the hyping up of a story that looked negatively at veganism, that isn't too much of a surprise, good story there, sell lots of papers. The main point here is why don't children in Africa receive adequate amounts of food in order to meet their nutritional needs? This was unfortunately missed by the newspapers in the clamour for a good story. And they got it, and veganism got lots of publicity too, undernourished kids in Africa seem to have missed out a bit though,

Kev

[Kevster]

She probably should have left veganism right out of the equation.

From The Independent:

http://comment.independent.co.uk/letters/story.jsp?story=614856

Better than starving

Sir. You report a study claiming that an entirely meat-free diet is inadequate for children ("Children on meat-free diets 'suffer impaired growth' ", 21 February). Professor Lindsay Allen's research showed that "adding just two spoonfuls of meat to the diet of poverty-stricken children in Africa transformed them both physically and mentally". On this basis, Professor Allen claims that vegetarians who do not feed meat to their children during the first few years of life are "unethical".

But Professor Allen's research supports no such conclusion. It merely shows that eating meat is better than eating the meagre diet of a poverty-stricken child in Africa. The large number of bright and healthy children brought up by vegan families in western countries leads one to the (unscientific) conclusion that children thrive on a well-planned vegan diet.

GERRY MORGAN
Tucson, Arizona, USA

[gertvegan]

Prejudice against vegetarian nutrition

24 February 2005, www.evana.org (http://www.evana.org/index.php?id=2120&lang=en)

It is not new that attempts are being made to discredit the vegetarian way of life. The most recent case is a particularly remarkable combination of scientifically untenable statements, extreme living conditions of the children under observation, and obvious financial involvement of the meat industry.

Speaking at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, Prof. Lindsay Allen of the University of California made serious accusations: "Animal source foods have some nutrients which are not found anywhere else. If you're talking about feeding young children and pregnant women and lactating women I would go as far as to say it is unethical to withhold these foods during that period of life. "

Unethical? The European Vegetarian Union, an umbrella for most European Vegetarian Organisations, wants to put the record straight:

1. Professor Allen's lecture was based on a study (1) with 544 children in Kenya who ate a very unbalanced diet, many suffered from several health problems, including amebiasis, a source of intestinal blood loss which leads to a deficiency of B12 and iron. It is well known that vitamin B12 deficiency can impair the cognitive development of children and so it comes as no surprise that additional B12 brought about positive health effects. However, even though the children suffered from multiple micronutrient deficiencies, increased plasma Vitamin B-12 proved to be the only detectable micronutrient response to meat or milk supplementation.
(2)

However, it must be stressed that of the three tests (Raven's Progressive Matrices test, verbal meaning and arithmetic) only the first shows a better development of the meat-group. Regarding the verbal meaning and arithmetic tests, the nutrition supplement without any animal products (but with vegetable oil) shows the best results. In all three tests the milk-group had the poorest results; the Raven-test results in that group were even worse than in the control group. If these malnourished children had received a carefully planned vegetarian diet, their health would have improved even more.

2. In some newspapers, reference is made to unspecified "studies of vegetarians in both the United States and Europe/Holland" implying that missing out on meat and dairy products could permanently damage a child's development.

a. These reports are challenged by living proof:
- Indians have been vegetarians for hundreds or even thousands of years. There is not the slightest indication that this way of life has "impaired" them in any way - just the opposite.
- Children in some European families are vegetarians in the fourth or fifth generation and they are bright and healthy.
- Long term vegetarians are appalled by the statements of Prof Allen. Sir Paul McCartney, himself father of four healthy and successful vegetarian children, dismisses her claims as "rubbish".

b. In their position paper "Vegetarian Diets", the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada (ADA), the nation's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals with nearly 70,000 members, states that "appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful,nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. [.] Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits."(3)

3. Even to impartial observers, the research mentioned by Professor Allen raises some doubts as to its neutrality: it was presented at the conference "Animal Source Foods and Nutrition in Developing Countries" held in Washington, D.C. June 24-26, 2002 and sponsored by Global Livestock-CRSP. Supplement publication was supported by Food and Agriculture Organization, Land O'Lakes Inc., Heifer International, Pond Dynamics and Aquaculture-CRSP. The National Cattleman's Beef Association partly supported the project.

Conclusion: The European Vegetarian Union wants to point out that a vegetarian diet needs to be balanced, just like any other one. However, comprehensive studies conducted over long periods and with thousands of participants have proven again and again that the vegetarian way of life is a very healthy one.

Renato Pichler
Acting President
European Vegetarian Union (EVU)
www.european-vegetarian.org

[Spiral]

The main point here is why don't children in Africa receive adequate amounts of food in order to meet their nutritional needs? This was unfortunately missed by the newspapers in the clamour for a good story. And they got it, and veganism got lots of publicity too, undernourished kids in Africa seem to have missed out a bit though,

Absolutley. It's the children used in this study that I feel for the most. These children were observed for 2 years, and the group who's diet wasn't changed continued to be serverely malnourished and were studied like lab rats. I don't think Lindsay Allen is in any position to talk about ethics.


The quote from peta is interesting. If Lindsay Allen had not had so many emails and phone calls from angry vegans, would she be writing letters to the editor? I suspect not. And as for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association sponsoring the study, what was their agenda? No doubt it was to push cattle ranching in Africa the same way as in South America.

[gertvegan]

Vegetarians' health
From Miss Lynda Korimboccus

March 01, 2005, timesonline (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,59-1505308,00.html)

Sir, There are millions of vegetarians and vegan adults and children worldwide whose healthy lives gainsay Professor Lindsay Allen’s claims that such diets can be harmful (report, February 22).

Indeed, the World Health Organisation, the American Dietetic Association and the British Medical Association have long accepted that animal-free diets can be healthy.

Meat and dairy products have been linked with numerous health problems, including early-onset diabetes, allergies and digestive problems as well as coronary artery disease and stroke, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. Diets rich in animal protein and salt contribute to decreased calcium absorption in the body, linking them to osteoporosis.

Animal products contain cholesterol and saturated fat, both contributory factors to ill-health. Few young people eat the recommended five daily portions of fruit and vegetables. Surely, with the rise in obesity in the UK population, we should be encouraging our children’s consumption of healthy foods.

Yours sincerely,
LYNDA KORIMBOCCUS,
(Campaigns manager),
Advocates for Animals,
10 Queensferry Street,
Edinburgh EH2 4PG.
info@advocatesforanimals.org

[gertvegan]

Even Aled Jones (veggie I think) mentioned the connection between the study by Lindsay Allen and the US Department of Agriculture on the Heaven & Earth show on Sunday morning. Rock on Aled. :D

[jhodgski]

Looks like they're starting to put the record straight...

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/02/305905.html

Cheers,
James

[Artichoke47]

OMG, the picture of those vegetables is enough to make me want to click on the link. ;)

[gertvegan]

Do children need to eat meat?

MEDICAL NOTES,DR MARK PORTER, scotsman.com (http://news.scotsman.com/features.cfm?id=224932005)

PARENTS of young children, and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, should be warned off strict vegetarian diets, according to the author of a new study that suggests meat-eating children grow quicker and are more intelligent than their vegan peers. Professor Lindsay Allen believes "it is unethical" to withhold animal-based foods in such groups, a conclusion that many of Britain’s three million vegetarians will find hard to swallow.

At first glance, Allen’s findings do seem worrying, but scratch the surface and her conclusions appear to be built on shaky foundations.

Her research was carried out on 544 African schoolchildren whose vegan diets consisted of little more than starchy maize and bean-based foods - a much poorer quality diet than one would expect to find among even the strictest vegans in the UK.

Her findings fly in the face of existing research that suggests vegetarian children brought up on a carefully balanced diet often grow faster than those who eat meat. There is little doubt that a poorly planned vegetarian diet is a recipe for deficiency - particularly in growing children and women facing the demands of pregnancy and breastfeeding - but a report in 1994 by the Committee on the Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition concluded that a balanced vegetarian diet is suitable for children of all ages.

The Vegetarian Society provides a wealth of information, including the Infant Diet Guide (for pregnant and breastfeeding women and those weaning young babies) and the ever popular Parent and Teenager Guide.

[kriz]

Smart doctor. :)

[Spiral]

Good for Dr Mark Porter :) Let's hope more articles like this appear in the press.