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Height, age at menarche, body weight and body mass index in life-long vegetarians

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

Magdalena Rosell ,
Paul Appleby  and
Tim Key
Magdalena Rosell*
Affiliation:
Cancer Research UK Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Gibson Building, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford OX2 6HE, UK
Paul Appleby
Affiliation:
Cancer Research UK Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Gibson Building, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford OX2 6HE, UK
Tim Key
Affiliation:
Cancer Research UK Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Gibson Building, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford OX2 6HE, UK
*
*Corresponding author: Email [email protected]
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Abstract

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Objective

We investigated whether life-long adherence to a vegetarian diet is associated with adult height, age at menarche, adult body weight and body mass index (BMI), used as indicators of growth, development and obesity, in a large sample of adults.

Design

This was a cross-sectional study. Anthropometric data and information on age, ethnicity, education, age at menarche and age at becoming a vegetarian were obtained through a questionnaire. Self-reported height and weight were calibrated using predictive equations derived from a previous validation study.

Setting

United Kingdom.

Subjects

The study includes 45 962 British men and women aged ≥ 20 years of whom 16 083 were vegetarians (not eating fish or meat).

Results

In men and women, there were no significant differences in height, weight or BMI between life-long vegetarians (n = 125 (men) and n = 265 (women)) and people who became vegetarian at age ≥ 20 years (n = 3122 (men) and n = 8137 (women)). Nor was there a significant difference in age at menarche between life-long vegetarian women and women who became vegetarian at age ≥ 20 years.

Conclusion

This study suggests that, compared with people who become vegetarian when adult, life-long vegetarians do not differ in adult height, weight, BMI or age at menarche in women.

Keywords

VegetariansGrowthDevelopment
Type
Research Article
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 8 , Issue 7 , October 2005 , pp. 870 - 875
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2005

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