The following is excerpted from an online article posted StudyFinds
More families are exploring plant-based diets for their children, but a massive analysis of nearly 50,000 kids reveals a complicated picture. Children eating lacto-ovo-vegetarian and vegan diets tend to be leaner and have better cholesterol profiles than their meat-eating peers, but the review also found higher odds of iron deficiency and anemia in lacto-ovo-vegetarian children, and a much higher risk of vitamin B12 deficiency in vegan children.
The systematic review and meta-analysis examined 59 studies involving 48,626 children under 18 years old from 18 countries.
Lacto-ovo-vegetarian children measured slightly shorter and weighed less than omnivores, with lower BMI scores, less body fat, and reduced bone mineral content. Vegan children also showed shorter stature and lower BMI scores.
Despite these differences, most measurements remained within normal pediatric ranges. Rather than indicating poor health, these patterns reflect a leaner body composition with less fat mass.
Source: StudyFinds
https://studyfinds.org/are-vegan-children-healthier/