Vegetarians have reason to feel smug today, after a new study was published showing that eating less meat could be the key to losing weight.
The study, of almost 400,000 adults living in Europe, linked weight gain to eating meat, though the participants were all consuming the same amount of calories. This was particularly noticeable when the participants consumed processed meats such as hams and sausages.
Participants came from 10 different European countries, including the UK. They were weighed and measured at the start of the 5-year study and then filled in a detailed questionnaire on their food habits. They then reported their weight at the end of the study.
Overall, even when calorie intake, physical activity and other factors for weight were taken into account, meat still seemed strongly associated with weight gain. The researchers say that those eating an extra 250g of meat a day, or a small steak, gained an extra 5lb over the course of the study.
The leader of the study, Dr Anne-Claire Vergnaud, said that she would recommend people to ‘control their consumption of meat’ in order to stay a healthy weight, though she did also warn that cutting out meat alone would not on its own be an adequate weight-loss program.
The study seems to debunk the popular Atkins diet, which recommends eating a meat-heavy diet but cutting out carbohydrates.
The scientists have theorised that as meat is high in energy, it alters how the body regulates appetite control, causing the extra weight gain.