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Going plant-based doesn't make you weaker. A new meta-analysis of randomised trials found no significant differences between plant-based and omnivorous diets in upper-body, lower-body or overall muscular strength.
Researchers at the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria in Madrid, led by Dr. Miguel López-Moreno, pooled eight randomised controlled trials with 188 adults aged 20 to 65, 46% of them women, publishing in Sports Medicine - Open. The trials compared plant-based and omnivorous diets and measured strength with standard tests. The team searched four major research databases up to September 2024. The authors call for longer studies that look closely at key nutrients.
The authors conclude in the full paper:
This meta-analysis suggests that PBDs do not compromise muscular strength compared to omnivorous diets.
PBDs are plant-based diets. Lift heavy, eat your beans.
In April a University of Illinois trial found a vegan diet builds muscle just as well as meat after resistance training, and an earlier meta-analysis showed plant-based diets boost endurance without costing strength. As we said back in 2015, you don't need meat to be strong.
No meat, no problem.