FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
29/10/2009
Vegans dispute pro-dairy findings
The organising committee for World Vegan Day Melbourne has disputed the findings of
a recent study on dairy products and weight loss from the Curtin University of
Technology.
Event Coordinator Mark Doneddu said the significance of the research has been blown
out of proportion. "This study only included 40 subjects, and yet it made headlines in
several major newspapers in Australia" Mr Doneddu said.
"We never hear anything about much more significant studies with the opposite
conclusion. Take the China Study, which covered 2400 Chinese counties and 880 million
people and found that the healthiest diet for weight-loss is a wholefood, plant-based
diet."
Mr Doneddu also said that weight loss on high-protein diets is temporary and poses
major health risks. "The weight lost is not fat but water, flushing out the toxins from the
food - which leads to the dangerous condition of ketosis.
If this study had lasted a year or two instead of 12 weeks, the subjects eating the most
dairy would probably end up heavier than when they began, with health complications
like osteoporosis."
The China Study, widely cited as the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever
conducted, found that the single biggest predictor for the growth of virtually all Western
degenerative diseases was the amount of animal protein consumed. These results have
been supported by statements from the British Medical Association, the World Health
Organisation and the American Dietetic Association.
A view from a volunteer…
World Vegan Day volunteer Meghan Street says that going vegan is much easier than it
first seems. "There is such a huge variety of plant-based food and recipes out there," Ms
Street said.
"I eat a lot more fresh fruit and vegetables than I used to. Meat and dairy have an
overpowering and dulling effect on your taste buds, and when you're not eating them
any more you can really appreciate the more natural, wholesome flavours in plant-
based foods. It feels like second nature now: I have so much more energy and I hardly
ever get sick. I think everyone should attend World Vegan Day so they can see for
themselves how easy and pleasurable it is."
World Vegan Day will be held at the Abbotsford Convent on Sunday November 1st from
10am to 5pm.
Contacts:
Mark Doneddu (Event Coordinator) – 0448 712 063
Meghan Street (Event Volunteer) – 0419 353 954
media.enquiries@vnv.org.au
ENDS
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