WASHINGTON, April 2 (UPI) -- Obesity is rising in the Untied
States, but researchers say vegetarian populations tend to be
slimmer than meat eaters. The vegetarian diet as also linked to
lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and
other life-threatening conditions linked to overweight and
obesity, said study authors Susan E. Berkow and Dr. Neal D.
Barnard of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
The authors found that the body weight of both male and female
vegetarians is, on average, 3 percent to 20 percent lower than
that of meat eaters. The scientific review of 87 previous
studies, published in Nutrition Reviews, found the best of the
clinical studies isolated the effects of diet by keeping
exercise constant. The researchers found that a low-fat vegan
diet leads to weight loss of about 1 pound per week, even
without additional exercise or limits on portion sizes, calories
or carbohydrates. "Our research reveals that people can enjoy
unlimited portions of high-fiber foods su