- Vegetarian children don’t seem to have growth or nutrient deficiencies compared to their peers, per a new study.
- Children on a vegetarian diet had similar levels of nutrients like iron and vitamin D, researchers found.
- However, vegetarians were more likely to be underweight, and diet quality may be an important factor.
Vegetarian children have similar levels of nutrition and growth as their meat-eating peers, but may have nearly double the risk of being underweight, suggests a study published May 2 in the journal Pediatrics.
Researchers led by a team from St. Michael’s Hospital of Unity Health Toronto looked at data from nearly 9,000 Canadian children between six months and eight years old, comparing their diets to their height, weight, and nutrition.
