Fwd: [BellyDancingSisters] Raw Food Vegans Thin But Healthy, Study Finds

[Guest guest]

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I thought you all would find this interesting. It is on the main

page of under news for today-3/29/05.

 

Anne

 

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Raw Food Vegans Thin But Healthy, Study Finds

 

Mon Mar 28, 5:13 PM ET Health - Reuters

 

 

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People who adhere strictly to raw food

vegetarian diets are thin but have surprisingly robust bones, U.S.

researchers reported on Monday.

 

 

Although nutritionists and the food industry have warned that a diet

without dairy foods can lead to the bone-thinning disease

osteoporosis, the team at Washington University School of Medicine in

St. Louis found the vegans they studied had many of the signs of

strong bones.

 

 

" We think it's possible these people don't have increased risk of

fracture but that their low bone mass is related to the fact that

they are lighter because they take in fewer calories, " Dr. Luigi

Fontana, who led the study, said in a statement.

 

 

" Raw food vegetarians believe in eating only plant-derived foods that

have not been cooked, processed, or otherwise altered from their

natural state, " Fontana's team wrote in this week's issue of the

Archives of Internal medicine.

 

 

" Because of their low calorie and low protein intake, raw food

vegetarians have a low body mass index (BMI) and a low total body fat

content. It is well documented that a low BMI and weight loss are

strongly associated with low bone mass and increased fracture risk,

while obesity protects against osteoporosis. "

 

 

Fontana's team studied 18 strict raw food vegans aged 33 to 85. All

ate a diet that included unprepared foods such vegetables, fruits,

nuts, and sprouted grains. They had been on this diet for an average

of 3.6 years.

 

 

The team compared them to 18 more average Americans. The raw food

group had an average body mass index of 20.5, while the average group

were slightly overweight with a BMI of 25.

 

 

BMI is an internationally accepted measurement of height to weight,

and a BMI of 18.5 to 24 is considered the healthy range.

 

 

Fontana expected the vegans to have low vitamin D levels because they

avoid all animal products including dairy. But in fact their vitamin

D levels were " markedly higher " than average.

 

 

Vitamin D is made by the skin when the body is exposed to sunlight

and is key to keeping strong bones. It is added to milk and other

foods because it is so important.

 

 

" These people are clever enough to expose themselves to sunlight to

increase their concentrations of vitamin D, " Fontana said.

 

 

And the vegans had low levels of C-reactive protein, an inflammatory

molecule that is becoming linked with the risk of heart disease,

diabetes and other chronic disease.

 

 

Furthermore, they had lower levels of IGF-1, a growth factor linked

to risk of breast and prostate cancer.

 

 

Fontana does not advocate a raw food diet. But he said that to lower

the risk of cancer and heart disease people should eat more fruits,

vegetables and whole grains.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for this article,I'll need it in talking to some friends, it's

always good to have the scientific community on your side in these

arguments, again thanks.