Researchers Hypothesized Vegan Diet Would Triumph in 2-Year Study; It Didn't.

The New SOUL Study Confirms an Old TRUTH - Trendy Diets are No Magic Bullet

For some reason, African-American folks are more likely to follow a vegetarian or vegan diet.

A 2015 National Harris Poll commissioned by the Vegetarian Resource Group found 8% of black respondents reported they “never eat meat, fish, or poultry”, compared to 3% of Hispanic respondents and 3.4% of respondents overall.

The VRG’s 2022 poll, conducted by YouGov, found 13% of black respondents reported “always” or “usually” eating vegan, compared to 7% and 10% of white and Hispanic respondents, respectively.

Also in 2022, a Gallup telephone poll with US adults found 31% of non-whites reported eating less meat in the previous 12 months, compared to 19% of white respondents (separate figures for Hispanic folks were not provided).

Interestingly, that same Gallup poll found the overwhelming reason given for reducing meat intake was “Concern about your health.” Seventy percent of respondents cited this as their primary motivation for eating less meat, compared to 49% who cited “Concern about the environment” and 41% who cited “Concern about animal welfare.”

Of those who reported eating less meat, only 10% cited health as not a concern, compared to 30% and 35% who said environmental and animal welfare concerns were not a motivation.

I mention this because, over the years, I have often encountered vegan advocates who, upon being presented with data showing veganism is not as healthy as claimed, suddenly act as if the real reason for avoiding meat is to save animals and the planet. This is curious, because alleged health improvements are by far the most heavily pushed selling point of vegan diets. The abominable Game Changers crockumentary, for example, was a slickly produced, extended promotional video that falsely claimed vegan diets would make you look better, run faster, lift stronger, ‘uncloud’ your blood (!?), and even make your dick harder. During this MTV-style farce, which was widely acclaimed within vegan circles and soundly roasted outside, animal welfare and environmental concerns barely got a look in.

The Gallup poll provides further evidence that primary motivations for reducing meat intake are far less altruistic than what many vegans would have us believe.

Oh Look, Diddy’s Friends are Telling Us to Avoid Meat

African-American actress Tabitha Brown got her own cooking show after her vegan videos blew up on Tik Tok and Instagram, while celebrities like Pedonce Beyonce Knowles-Carter, Lizzo and tennis star Venus Williams have all either gone vegan or tried veganism, with Beyonce even partnering in a "plant-based" meal delivery service.

Knowles-Carter’s other escapades include launching a highly inappropriate line of “pedo chic” clothing for young children, and appearing in a Levis ad where she undressed in front of two actors who looked like minors.

Knowles-Carter and her husband Shawn Carter (aka Jay-Z) have close links to Diddy, the recently-arrested maggot currently swirling in a sea of human trafficking and rape allegations.

The two Diddy-friendly dimwits made headlines in 2019 when they offered one of their fans free lifetime tickets to their shows if they committed to a vegan diet.

Quite possibly the worst motivation ever for going vegan.

The New SOUL Study

Noting higher rates of CVD and meatless eating among African-Americans, researchers decided to test if the latter could favorably affect the former.

The Nutritious Eating With Soul (NEW Soul) study was a 2-year behavioral nutrition intervention among African-American individuals with overweight or obesity.

The intervention compared a vegan diet and low-fat omnivorous diet, both emphasizing soul food cuisine.

Primary outcomes were change in body weight and “lipids” (yep, the cholesterol wank rides again).

The researchers hypothesized that the vegan group would have greater improvements in body weight and lipids compared with the omnivorous group.

The vegan group was asked to avoid all meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy and instead consume a diet from whole plant foods (fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds). They were asked to limit processed fats (eg, margarine) and oils in favor of whole plant fat sources, such as nuts, seeds, and avocados.

The omnivore group’s recommendations emphasized low-fat dairy, fish, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. Subjects in this group were asked to limit meat consumption to ≤140 g of lean meat per day and consume ≤2 egg yolks per week.

Based on the disclosures, no overt conflicts of interest were present in the study. The trial was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the NIH, with three of the researchers reporting grants from the NIH.

The Results

Of the 159 participants (mean age, 48.4 years; 79% female) who began the study, body weight was obtained for 147 (92%) at 3 months, 142 (89%) at 6 months, 121 (76%) at 12 months, and 100 (63%) at 24 months.

Compliance was poor during the study in both groups. The researchers posited this may have been due to the ‘pandemic’, which other researchers found to promote poor dietary choices and stress-related eating (the trial commenced prior to, and extended into, the global COVID psy-op). The researchers had scheduled regular in-person classes for participants throughout the study, but these had to be shifted to an online format during the COVID fraud.

At 3 months, 32 vegan (41%) and 20 omni (24%) participants were adherent, while at 24 months, 22 vegan (29%) and 20 omni (24%) participants were adherent.

Attrition was high, with 60% and 65% of the vegan and omnivore participants completing the 24-month assessments, respectively.

There were no differences in outcomes between groups, including 12-month changes in weight (mean –2.39 kg vs –2.03 kg in the vegan and omnivore groups, respectively).

There were also no differences in body composition, lipids, glucose, insulin, and blood pressure between groups.

Obviously, we’re limited in what we can conclude from this study, because most of the participants did not adhere to their assigned dietary recommendations. The researchers did not present results for compliant vegan versus compliant omnivore subjects - the numbers were likely too small to make any statistically meaningful comparison.

Interestingly, compliance was initally higher in the vegan group, while remaining low but stable in the omnivore group. It may be that initial enthusiasm was higher among this group due to social media buzz and ‘Game Changing’ mockumentaries. Maybe they were hoping to score free concert tickets from dodgey singers. But alas, by 24 months, compliance was similarly poor in both groups.

Also, I should point out that I think both diets in this study sucked, including the ‘omnivorous’ diet. Episloppyology and anti-meat propaganda aside, there is no sound physiological or biochemical basis for recommending people eat less than 140 grams of meat per day, and asking people to “emphasize” whole-grain cereals is a misguided step in the wrong direction, because unrefined grains offer no nutritional benefits but a host of potentially problematic anti-nutrients.

What this study shows is that, like most other highly-hyped dietary fads, vegan diets are not a magic bullet. Vegan authors and influencers, like most dietary faddists, would have you believe that everything suddenly becomes roses and silk sheets once you embrace their recommendations.

Bollocks.

Some people get a wee bit carried away after beginning a new diet.

You’ll still be faced with restrictions, temptations, reduced food variety and an increased risk of nutrient deficiencies.

Irrespective of what type of dietary pattern you follow, in order to lose weight you need to create a caloric deficit, either through a reduction in dietary energy intake, an increase in energy expenditure via physical activity, or both. It’s possible to create a caloric deficit via other dubious means (thermogenic drugs, laxatives, etc) but I don’t recommend any of them.

The chubby anti-CICO crowd hate it when I point out this simple truth, but hey, they’re fat and I’m not.

Angry militant vegans also hate it when I debunk their over-exuberant bollockery, but hey, they’re nuts and I’m not.

Anyhow, have a cannoli,

ciao,

Anthony.