Vegetarian diets and weight status

The increasing global health problems of overweight and obesity are associated with coronary heart dis-ease, hypertension, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and cer-tain cancers, among other health concerns. Vegetar-ian diets are associated with reduced body weight, lower incidence of certain chronic disease, and lower medical costs compared with non-vegetarian diets. We reviewed the literature to ascertain the extent to which and by what mechanism(s) a plant-based diet may mediate body weight