Vegan Children and Growth: LIFE Child

Published: 10 October 2026

Parents who raise their children vegan often hear one question: will they grow properly? A study published in August by researchers in Leipzig, Germany, adds new data to that question. Its headline finding is that vegan children were shorter and had a lower BMI. The details matter more than the headline, because the vegan group was very small and was compared with vegetarians, not with children who eat meat.

The study

The paper was published online on 29 August 2026 in the European Journal of Nutrition by a team from LIFE Child, a research programme at Leipzig University. LIFE Child is a population-based cohort study that has followed children in Leipzig since 2011.

The researchers used 7,344 blood samples from 2,508 healthy participants aged 3 months to 19 years. At each visit, children (and, for younger children, their parents) reported their usual diet, which was classed as omnivorous, vegetarian or vegan. Height and body mass index (BMI) were converted into standard deviation scores (SDS), which compare each child with others of the same age and sex. The blood tests measured IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1), a hormone involved in growth, and IGFBP-3, the main protein that carries it in the blood.

Because there were very few vegetarian and vegan children at younger ages, the main analyses were limited to participants aged 10 and over. Each vegetarian sample was matched with three omnivore samples, and each vegan sample with three vegetarian samples.

How many vegan children were there?

Very few. Only 21 of the 7,344 blood samples came from children on a vegan diet. After the age limit, 17 samples from 12 participants were left for analysis. The vegetarian group was larger: 215 samples from 128 participants aged 10 and over.

The study made two separate comparisons: vegetarians against omnivores (215 against 645 samples), and vegans against vegetarians (17 against 51 samples). Vegans were not compared directly with omnivores.

What they found

Height: Vegetarian children were not shorter than omnivores; if anything they were slightly taller, though the difference was not statistically significant. Vegan children had a height score of −0.24, against 0.35 in vegetarians, once the analysis took account of pubertal stage (β = −0.59, p = 0.006). When the comparison was based on age instead, the difference was not significant.
BMI: Omnivores had the highest BMI score (0.32 SDS). Vegetarians were 0.14 lower, which was not significant (p = 0.114). Vegans had clearly lower BMI scores than vegetarians, most of all in the model that took account of pubertal stage (β = −1.01, p = 0.009).
IGF-1: Vegetarians had lower IGF-1 than omnivores (β = −0.33, p < 0.001, adjusted for pubertal stage). Vegans had 0.52 SDS lower IGF-1 than vegetarians, but only in the age-based model (p = 0.031).
IGFBP-3: The carrier protein followed a similar pattern: lower in vegetarians than omnivores, and lower in vegans than vegetarians.

The authors suggest the lower IGF-1 may be related to differences in diet, including lower intake of animal protein. Citing earlier research, they note that milk protein in particular is strongly associated with higher IGF-1; this study did not measure what the children ate. The study measured hormone levels; it did not test whether these levels affected the children’s health.

What the study cannot show

The authors list the limits themselves, and they are substantial:

The vegan group was tiny. With 17 samples, the authors write that the size of the vegan group “reduces the robustness and generalizability of our conclusions, especially for vegans”. They add that borderline findings such as the IGF-1 result “should be interpreted with caution”.
Diet was self-reported, with no detail. The study did not record how long children had followed their diet, how strictly, or what nutrients they actually took in. The paper does not report whether the vegan children took B12 or other supplements.
Other factors were not accounted for. The small groups did not allow the researchers to include physical activity, socioeconomic status or other lifestyle factors.
No cause and effect. The authors describe the study as cross-sectional, so it shows associations, not causes.
One population. 98% of participants were of Caucasian ethnicity, so the results apply mainly to White European children.

The abstract’s conclusion states that vegan children “are significantly smaller and have a lower BMI than their peers”. In the analysis itself, however, vegans were compared only with vegetarians. The paper’s own conclusion is that “no specific dietary recommendations can be derived from these observational findings”.

What other research shows

An important earlier study comes from Poland. Desmond and colleagues (2021) examined 52 vegan, 63 vegetarian and 72 omnivorous children aged 5 to 10. Vegan children were on average 3.15 cm shorter than omnivores and had lower bone mineral content. They also had more vitamin B12 deficiency and iron-deficiency anaemia. Their LDL cholesterol was 24 mg/dL lower, though their HDL (“good”) cholesterol was also lower. Supplementation resolved low B12 and vitamin D levels.

In 2025 the Nutrition Committee of ESPGHAN, the European society for paediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition, published a position paper based on a systematic search. It included 10 studies with about 1,500 vegan children. Its conclusion was that current evidence is “inconclusive” on whether a strictly vegan diet supports normal growth, although no significant differences in height or BMI scores compared with omnivores were seen.

What this means for parents

The LIFE Child results do not show that a vegan diet causes poor growth. They are a reason not to leave growth to chance. ESPGHAN’s recommendations are:

Regular check-ups. Growth and nutritional status should be monitored regularly by a paediatrician.
Professional advice. Children on a vegan diet should receive regular counselling from a qualified dietitian.
B12 and other supplements. ESPGHAN calls supplementation with specific micronutrients, including vitamin B12, essential. See our B12 guide.
Key nutrients. ESPGHAN highlights protein, omega-3, calcium and iron. Our guides to protein quality and bone health cover these.

For teenagers, our article on where young vegans get their B12 and vitamin D is also relevant.

This article is for general information. For your own child’s diet and growth, talk to your paediatrician or a dietitian.

Sources

Allner IE, Kiess W, Kratzsch J, Vogel M. Growth parameters and IGF-1 axis biomarkers differ among omnivorous, vegetarian, and vegan children. Eur J Nutr 2026;65(6):245.
Desmond MA, et al. Growth, body composition, and cardiovascular and nutritional risk of 5- to 10-y-old children consuming vegetarian, vegan, or omnivore diets. Am J Clin Nutr 2021;113(6):1565–1577.
Verduci E, et al. Vegan diet and nutritional status in infants, children and adolescents: A position paper based on a systematic search by the ESPGHAN Nutrition Committee. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2025;81:1318–1345.

Editor: Anıl Güler, Pharmacist
Last reviewed: 10 October 2026