"Flexible Vegetarianism" reduces the risk of obesity by almost half

A diet that relies heavily on the consumption of plant products seems to help maintain body weight within normal limits, thereby reducing the risk of obesity and, by extension, its serious health complications.

This is the main conclusion of a new scientific study presented at the recent European Obesity Conference in Porto, Portugal.
"Flexible Vegetarianism," better known as Flexitarian Diet (from the words flexible and vegetarian), is a vegetarian diet that contains only a small amount of meat, fish and other products of animal origin.

The benefits of "flexible vegetarianism" came from a study in Spain involving 16,000 people, monitored since 1999 for 10 years. At the beginning of the study, participants completed detailed questionnaires on their dietary habits to see how close they were to vegetarianism. Each participant gathered points for each plant nutrition group (vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, olive oil, legumes and potatoes) and then scored for each animal food group (animal fats, dairy, eggs, fish & seafood , Meat). The final score of each participant indicated to the researchers how close their nutrition was to the model of vegetarianism.

In a second phase, the researchers compared 20% of the participants who consumed most animal products with 20% who consumed less and found that in the second group the odds of obesity were 43% less, said the British Guardian.

The fish did not appear to have had any significant effect on the results, as consumption was almost identical for all groups of participants, but significant variations in the quantity of meat and fruit / vegetable consumption were observed. In particular, the fanatical meat-eaters consumed about 200 grams. Meat per day, while those who followed "flexible vegetarianism" consumed 142 grams. The "blade" was even greater in consumption of vegetables and fruits, with meatbags consuming 348 grams. And 191 g. And "flexible vegetarians" respectively 731 grams. And 531 g. respectively.
"Our recommendation is that you consume less meat," says Professor Mira Beze-Rastrogio, one of the researchers who conducted the study. "Do not increase the consumption of animal products and prefer plant instead of animal products".

"Flexible Vegetarianism" is very similar to the classic Mediterranean diet, which is also extremely balanced and healthy and also associated with lower body weight and less risk of obesity.