(David Railton/ Medical News Today) — According to new data, a diet rich in plant-based foods and low in meat — without strictly following a vegetarian or vegan diet — may offer protection against obesity in middle-aged and older adults.
Experts already know that diets that emphasize plant-based over animal-based foods — such as vegetarian or vegan diets — can decrease the risk of obesity.
However, scientists do not yet know how strictly these diets need to be followed to reduce the risk of becoming overweight or obese later in life.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that, in the United States, obesity is highest among middle-aged and older adults. Around 40 percent of 40–59-year-olds and 37 percent of adults aged 60 and over are obese, compared with about 32 percent of those aged 20–39.
A team from Erasmus University Medical Center, based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, examined long-term health information collected as part of the Rotterdam Study. The data included 9,641 adults with an average age of 62 years who took part in this ongoing population-based study. (…)