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Vegan runners are every bit as fit as their meat-eating training partners, a new study has found. In a test to exhaustion, vegans reached a maximum power output of 4.16 watts per kilogram of body weight, omnivores 4.15 and lacto-ovo vegetarians 4.20, with no difference between the groups.
Researchers at Leibniz University Hannover in Germany, led by Josefine Nebl and Andreas Hahn, tested 76 recreational runners: 24 vegans, 26 lacto-ovo vegetarians and 26 omnivores. All trained about three times a week, covering around 30 km a week. Each completed an incremental cycling test while blood lactate and glucose were measured, and peak lactate levels were also similar. The study is published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
The authors conclude:
These results suggest that a vegan diet can be a suitable alternative for ambitious recreational runners.
So if you're lacing up for a 10K or a marathon, there's no need to worry that going vegan will slow you down.
It backs up last year's review finding plant-based diets support strength and endurance as well as meat-based diets, and the many vegan athletes setting world records.
No meat, no problem. Just keep running!