A vegan diet consists of vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes and eliminates all animal products and by-products. However, this diet may be low in essential nutrients, including vitamin B12, and may require dietary supplementation. Previous studies suggest that vegetarians have a lower risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and obesity. Now research reports that a vegan diet can benefit individuals with type 2 diabetes.
The study, published in Diabetes Care, investigated the effects of a low-fat vegan diet and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) diet in patients with type 2 diabetes. Researchers at the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC, administered two different diets to 99 adults with type 2 diabetes, for 22 weeks. Half of the participants were randomly assigned to a low-fat vegan diet (10% of daily calories from fat, 15% protein, and 75% carbohydrates) with unrestricted daily calories or food intake, and the other half were assigned to the ADA diet (15%-20% of daily calories from protein, 60%-70% carbohydrates and monounsaturated fats, and less than 7% from saturated fats). Overweight subjects in the ADA group also reduced their caloric intake by 500-1,000 calories daily.
The researchers found that both diets lowered LDL (bad) cholesterol and improved diabetes control. However, the vegan diet reduced the need for diabetes medications by 43 percent, as compared with the ADA diet which reduced need by 26 percent. Furthermore, the vegan diet group had greater reductions in cholesterol levels and weight loss than those on the ADA diet.
"Both a low-fat vegan diet and a diet based on ADA guidelines improved glycemic and lipid control in type 2 diabetic patients," the study authors conclude. "These improvements were greater with a low-fat vegan diet."
REFERENCES:
1. Barnard ND et al. A low-fat vegan diet improves glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in a randomized clinical trial in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care 2006 Aug;29(8):1777-83.
Posted by Elaine Gavalas on October 11, 2006 02:34 PM
