Infants born into families following vegetarian or vegan diets may exhibit a slightly lower birth weight in their earliest weeks. However, evidence suggests these children tend to achieve comparable growth with their omnivorous peers by approximately two years of age.
Official health guidelines generally affirm that a carefully planned vegan diet, abundant in vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and fortified foods, can supply all necessary nutrients for robust health. Nevertheless, meeting the escalating nutritional demands of a growing child can remain challenging, with veganism sometimes linked to deficiencies in amino acids and protein.
Research exploring the advantages and disadvantages of vegan diets for young children has yielded mixed outcomes from smaller studies. To address this on a larger scale, a team led by Kerem Avital at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel analyzed data from over 1.2 million infants enrolled in national family care centers across Israel between 2014 and 2023. The longitudinal data tracked each baby’s length, weight, and head circumference from birth through their first 24 months.
The researchers then compared the growth trajectories of these infants with the dietary patterns their parents reported during the babies’ approximately six-month mark. The overwhelming majority of households identified as omnivorous, with a smaller fraction, specifically 1.2 percent, reporting vegetarian adherence and 0.3 percent identifying as vegan.
Despite these percentages, the study encompassed a substantial cohort of around 18,000 infants from vegetarian and vegan families. Tomer Avnon from Tel Aviv University, who was not part of the research, commented on the study’s scale, noting that even a low percentage represents a sufficiently large group for statistically significant and reliable evaluations.
Growth Patterns and Dietary Influences
During the initial 60 days of life, no significant differences were observed in the infants’ length, head circumference, or rates of stunting—defined as impaired growth and development—across the various dietary groups. However, babies from families restricting meat, particularly those in vegan households, showed a slightly higher propensity for being underweight. Conversely, being overweight was an infrequent occurrence overall, appearing less common among vegetarian and vegan families.
By the age of two, these initial discrepancies had largely diminished, with growth measurements converging across all three dietary groups. While stunting remained more prevalent among toddlers from vegetarian and vegan backgrounds, Avital stated that these differences were minor and lacked statistical significance. The researchers incorporated potential confounding factors into their analysis, such as income levels, maternal age, and breastfeeding practices.
Avnon expressed optimism regarding the findings, describing them as “quite heartening.” He added, “It is deeply reassuring to see large-scale data confirming that children of vegetarian and vegan mothers can expect a healthy developmental future.”
This study aligns with medical observations indicating that infants born small for gestational age typically “catch up” later in development, Avnon explained. He suggested the findings should offer reassurance that meat-free diets can support healthy early growth. However, Avnon also pointed out a limitation: the dietary information was self-reported by parents, which could impact the accuracy of the results. He specifically highlighted the study’s lack of detailed, day-to-day evaluations of a child’s actual nutritional intake during their formative years, a factor critical for long-term development.
Expert Perspectives and Limitations
Zulfiqar Bhutta, from The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, questioned whether the noted slight variations in stunting might pose long-term concerns. He suggested that “the small but appreciable differences in growth between the three groups could well be relevant long term, especially given evidence from elsewhere that vegan diets are associated with lower bone mineral density and micronutrient status.”
Consequently, Bhutta advised caution against viewing the study’s results as an endorsement that vegan and vegetarian diets are universally appropriate for early childhood, particularly in regions where malnutrition is prevalent.
While the study was conducted exclusively in Israel, Avital believes the findings likely extend to similarly developed nations with accessible healthcare systems, such as the United Kingdom. Bhutta advocates for larger studies employing more precise methods for collecting dietary data, alongside other relevant factors like parental height.