by Loki » Mon 11 Dec 2006, 06:22:07
A few minutes on Google Scholar easily refutes Seldom's arguments.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')his position paper reviews the current scientific data related to key nutrients for vegetarians, including protein, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin D, riboflavin, vitamin B-12, vitamin A, n-3 fatty acids, and iodine. A vegetarian, including vegan, diet can meet current recommendations for all of these nutrients. In some cases, use of fortified foods or supplements can be helpful in meeting recommendations for individual nutrients. 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, including lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein as well as higher levels of carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, and antioxidants such as vitamins C and E and phytochemicals. Vegetarians have been reported to have lower body mass indices than nonvegetarians, as well as lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; vegetarians also show lower blood cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer.
"Position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada: Vegetarian diets." Journal of the American Dietetic Association 103:6 (2003): 748-65.
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')* Vegetarians tend to have lower weight, total serum cholesterol levels, and blood pressures than omnivores.
* Vegetarians have lower mortality than the population at large, attributable primarily to lower death rates from ischemic heart disease and certain cancers.
* Clinical nutritional deficiencies are uncommon even among strict vegetarians, although obtaining essential nutrients requires planning and, in some cases, vitamin supplementation.
* At present, vegetarians appear to make up less than 2% of the population, but substantial public health and environmental benefits would likely result from a more widespread adoption of vegetarianism.
Randall White and Erica Frank. "Health Effects and Prevalence of Vegetarianism."
Western Journal of Medicine 160:5 (1994): 465-71.
')The effect on children's growth of vegetarianism and food expenditure were tested in a sample of 627 children from three fishing communities in Madras, South India. A number of variables known to affect health and nutritional status were controlled in analyses using a two-stage general linear model technique. Using weight- and height-for-age variables as outcome, vegetarianism was a significant determinant (p = 0.02 and p = 0.05, respectively) for children > 3 yr of age, after controlling for per capita food expenditure which was insignificant at all ages.
[The statistically significant difference was that vegetarian children were taller, weighed more, and had less morbidity than non-vegetarian children]
James R. Hebert. "Relationship of vegetarianism to child growth in South India."
42 (1985): 1246-54.