Going Vegan for Weight Loss

In the perennial debate about which diet is best for weight loss, vegan is proving a winner, according to a new study from the University of South Carolina.

The study followed participants who were randomly assigned to one of five diets: vegan, which excludes all animal products; vegetarian; semi-vegetarian with occasional meat intake; pesco-vegetarian, which allows for seafood; and omnivorous, which includes all foods. After following their assigned dietary restrictions for six months, those on the vegan diet–which emphasized non-starchy plant foods—had lost the most weight at the two- and six-month check-ins, with an average of 4.3 percent more weight loss at the end of the six-month trial. The vegan dieters also showed the greatest amount of decrease in their levels of fat and saturated fat.