March 4, 2005 – Veganism would not be suitable for young children because foods from animal sources are essential for their growth and the development of their intellectual faculties. This is what Lindsay Allen, director of the US Agricultural Research Service’s Western Human Nutrition Research Center, as part of the annual congress ofAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
In the light of a study1 that she carried out with 544 Kenyan children aged seven, the scientist concludes that a strictly vegan diet (which excludes any food of animal source: meat, poultry, fish, dairy products and eggs) could slow down physical development and cognitive skills of young children.
The usual diet of the children selected for the study consisted mainly of corn and beans, which contain few essential nutrients. In the two years that the study was conducted, a first group of children received a daily intake of 60 g of minced meat, while two other groups received a cup of milk or a serving of original oil, respectively. vegetable per day. The diet of the fourth group, serving as a control, remained unchanged.
The results of the study indicate that the meat supplement allowed the young people of the first group to increase their muscle mass by about 80%. The additional intake of milk or vegetable oil had similar effects, although less marked (increase in muscle mass in the order of 40%).
Moreover, the meat would have allowed the children of the first group to better pass the intelligence tests that were submitted to them.
The explanation for these results would lie in the fact that the nutrients contained in products from animal sources, such as vitamin B12, iron, zinc and long chain fatty acids, are essential for the growth of young children.
Based on the results of the study, Lindsay Allen more widely criticized parents who subject their children to veganism: “Depriving young children and pregnant or breastfeeding women of animal-source products is simply immoral and irresponsible.” she declared.
A point of view that nutritionist Hélène Baribeau does not share. According to her, it is possible to find all the essential nutrients in the plant kingdom, with the exception of vitamin B12 that a supplement will bring.
However, it is imperative to carry out rigorous monitoring to properly replace the nutrients found in foods of animal origin. “We must pay particular attention to calcium, iron and proteins,” says Ms. Baribeau, who favors the daily use of a multivitamin for young growing vegans.
According to her, a vegan diet has definite advantages, including for children, in particular for preventing certain diseases in the long term.
Quick tip: it is recommended to consult a nutrition specialist when deciding to adopt such a diet.
Pierre Lefrançois and Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
According to BBC News and The duty.
1. Neumann CG, Bwibo NO, Murphy SP, Sigman M, Whaley S, Allen LH, Guthrie D, Weiss RE, Demment MW, Animal source foods improve dietary quality, micronutrient status, growth and cognitive function in Kenyan school children: background, study design and baseline findings, Journal of Nutrition, November 2003, Vol. 133 (11 Suppl 2): 3941S-3949S.
