A Plant-based Diet For The Prevention And Treatment Of Type 2 Diabetes
Go to: Abstract The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is rising worldwide, especially in older adults. Diet and lifestyle, particularly plant-based diets, are effective tools for type 2 diabetes prevention and management. Plant-based diets are eating patterns that emphasize legumes, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds and discourage most or all animal products. Cohort studies strongly support the role of plant-based diets, and food and nutrient components of plant-based diets, in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Evidence from observational and interventional studies demonstrates the benefits of plant-based diets in treating type 2 diabetes and reducing key diabetes-related macrovascular and microvascular complications. Optimal macronutrient ratios for preventing and treating type 2 diabetes are controversial; the focus should instead be on eating patterns and actual foods. However, the evidence does suggest that the type and source of carbohydrate (unrefined versus refined), fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated versus saturated and trans), and protein (plant versus animal) play a major role in the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes. Multiple potential mechanisms underlie the benefits of a plant-based diet in ameliorating insulin resistance, including promotion of a healthy body weight, increases in fiber and phytonutrients, food-microbiome interactions, and decreases in saturated fat, advanced glycation endproducts, nitrosamines, and heme iron. Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, Insulin resistance, Vegan, Vegetarian Go to: 1. Introduction Type 2 diabetes is a global epidemic, with approximately 422 million cases worldwide and a rapidly rising prevalence in middle- and low-income countries.[1] In the United States in 2011–2012, 12%–14% of adul Continue reading >>
A Vegan Diet Could Prevent, Treat And Even Reverse Type 2 Diabetes, Say Leading Experts This Diabetes Week (12-18 June).
Diet and lifestyle have long been regarded as the main causes of type 2 diabetes. Now research suggests that vegans reduce their risk of diabetes by 78% compared with people who eat meat on a daily basis. “Type 2 diabetes is almost always preventable, often treatable, and sometimes reversible through diet and lifestyle changes,” wrote Dr Michael Greger, internationally-renowned physician, in his best-selling book How Not To Die. “People who eat a plant-based diet have just a small fraction of the rates of diabetes seen in those who regularly eat meat. By switching to a healthy diet, you can start improving your health within a matter of hours.” This is partly because vegans are better able to control their weight. Carrying excess body fat is the number one risk factor of type 2 diabetes, with around 90% of those who develop the disease being overweight. Vegans, however, have lower levels of obesity on average than any other dietary group. It is also because, Dr Greger explains, the saturated fats found in animal products contribute to insulin resistance – the cause of type 2 diabetes – whereas monosaturated fats found in nuts and avocados may actually protect against the detrimental effects of saturated fats. As a result, people eating plant-based diets appear to have better insulin sensitivity, better blood sugar levels and better levels of insulin, which enables blood sugar to enter your cells. Type 2 diabetes is spreading fast. Over 21 million people have been diagnosed with the disease in the United States, a number that has roughly tripled since 1990, with devastating health implications. Diabetes can lead to blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, and stroke. Sandra Hood, state registered dietitian in the UK, said: “A plant-based diet can be very h Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes And Vegan Diets
The only prospective study measuring rates of diabetes in vegans, the Adventist Health Study 2, found them to have a 60% less chance of developing the disease than non-vegetarians after two years of follow-up. Previously, a cross-sectional report from the Adventist Health Study-2 showed vegans to have a 68% lower rate of diabetes than non-vegetarians. A number of clinical trials have now shown that a vegan, or mostly vegan, diet can lower body weight, reduce blood sugar, and improve other parameters for type 2 diabetes. 2017 Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies A 2017 meta-analysis reviewed 14 studies published in 13 papers ( 17 ). Two were cohort studies and the other 12 were cross-sectional. Vegetarians had a lower incidence of diabetes in eight of the studies while there was no difference in the other five. Based on the pooled analysis of the studies, vegetarians had a 27% lower risk for diabetes compared to omnivores (OR 0.73, 95% CI: 0.61, 0.87). When the researchers looked at effects in different groups, they found that vegetarian men were less likely to have diabetes than omnivore men, but there was no difference in risk between vegetarian and omnivore women. The researchers also looked at different types of vegetarian diets and found that risk for diabetes was lowest among vegans and lacto-vegetarians. Pesco-vegetarians did not have a lower risk for diabetes compared to omnivores, although semi-vegetarians did. The main limitation of this meta-analysis is that most of the studies were cross-sectional. In addition, the studies were from diverse populations throughout the world where definitions and composition of vegetarian diets may differ. This might explain why among these studies, the findings were stronger in studies from North America, Europe, and the We Continue reading >>
Diabetes - Cause, Prevention, Treatment And Reversal With A Plant Based Diet
Summary This is a long article, so here's the summary: In the next 25 years 1 in every 3 Americans will have developed type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a serious progressive disease. Type 2 diabetes is largely a lifestyle-related disease and is preventable. Caused by diets high in saturated fat, not high in carbohydrates. Animal products and processed foods contain the vast majority of saturated fat in our diets. The excess fat inhibits insulin's effect so blood sugar levels remain dangerously high. By following a low-fat plant-based diet your risk of developing diabetes is very, very low. People with diabetes are at high risk for heart disease and stroke. Removing animal products from your diet helps lower your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. A low-fat plant-based diet has been proven to treat and reverse diabetes. Heart disease risk is also lowered by following a low-fat plant-based diet. A plant-based diet has been shown to work better than American Diabetes Association's guidelines in treating diabetes. Patients switching to a vegan diet didn't find it any harder to stick to than the ADA's recommended guidelines. Diabetes will affect 1 in every 3 of us Introduction Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition with the exact cause is currently unknown. It is partly inherited with multiple genes influencing the overall risk. Type 1 diabetes means the body doesn't produce insulin on it's own so insulin injections are required. There is currently no known way to prevent type 1 diabetes, but this form of diabetes only accounts for 5–10% of all cases of diabetes.[1] However type 2 diabetes is far more common. This form of diabetes accounts for 90-95% of all diabetes cases, and is characterised by insulin resistance. Type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle related disea Continue reading >>
Vegan Diet Endorsed By American Diabetes Association
Senior Editor, LIVEKINDLY | Featured in VegNews, The Huffington Post, MTV, Reality Sandwich, EcoSalon, and Organic Authority. Los Angeles, CA | Contactable via: [email protected] A vegan diet rich in whole foods — mainly fresh fruits, vegetables, and plant-based proteins including beans, grains, nuts, and seeds, can help to mitigate the onset and effects of type-2 diabetes, the American Diabetes Association says in its 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes. The comprehensive report cites 35 studies pointing to the benefits of a plant-based diet, and also notes that doctors and nutritionists should “always” include “education on lifestyle management.” According to the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine, “A plant-based diet can prevent, reverse, and manage diabetes.” The group recommends the elimination of animal and high-fat foods, replacing them instead with low-glycemic foods rich in healthy plant-based fiber. Another recent study also found that cutting all carbohydrates from the diet may not be the smartest choice for people wanting to decrease the risk of developing type-2 diabetes. Diets such as paleo and ketogenic that tout their weight-loss benefits avoid fiber-rich plant-based foods such as whole grains, lumping them in unfairly with highly processed and nutritionally void refined grains commonly found in baked goods. But whole grains can play an instrumental role in slowing the body’s absorption of sugars because of their high fiber content. Whole grains are also rich in necessary vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Type-2 diabetes affects more than 300 million people worldwide, and millions more are suspected of suffering from the disease without an official diagnosis. Continue reading >>
The Ultimate Anti-diabetes Diet
One of America's most common killer diseases, type 2 diabetes, jeopardizes the health, quality of life, and longevity of nearly 24 million Americans, according to the American Diabetes Association, and that number continues to rise. New cases have doubled over the past 30 years, and because the disease occurs gradually and often with no obvious symptoms, many people don't even know they have it. People who are overweight are at higher risk because fat interferes with the body's ability to use insulin, the crux of the disease. But a solution to the problem is within reach: a groundbreaking eating plan not only helps prevent this chronic disease, but actually reverses it while also promoting weight loss. Focusing on plant-based meals,the revolutionary plan was developed by Vegetarian Times former Ask the Doc columnist, Neal Barnard, MD, and is backed by the results of his long-term study. Your doctor may not tell you about this diet: dietitians generally counsel overweight diabetics to cut calories, reduce serving sizes, and avoid starchy carbohydrates that raise blood sugar levels. But Barnard's team at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and scientists at George Washington University and the University of Toronto thought this might be the wrong approach, considering that carbohydrate-rich rice, legumes, and root vegetables are staples throughout Asia and Africa, where most people are thin and diabetes rates are low. Barnard and his team studied a group of diabetics, comparing the effects of a diet based on standard recommendations versus a vegan-style diet with no limits on calories, carbs, or portions, and just three rules: eliminate meat, dairy, and eggs; minimize fat and oil; and favor low-glycemic foods (such as beans, vegetables, brown rice, and oatme Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes And The Vegetarian Diet
From the Clinical Nutrition & Risk Factor Modification Center (DJAJ, CWCK, AM, ALJ, and LSAA) and the Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism (DJAJ), St Michael's Hospital, Toronto; the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto (DJAJ, CWCK, AM, and LSAA); the Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital, Boston (DSL); the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Washington, DC (NDB); and the VA Medical Center, Graduate Center for Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington (JWA). Address reprint requests to DJA Jenkins, Clinical Nutrition & Risk Factor Modification Center, St Michael's Hospital, 61 Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5C 2T2. E-mail: [email protected] . Search for other works by this author on: From the Clinical Nutrition & Risk Factor Modification Center (DJAJ, CWCK, AM, ALJ, and LSAA) and the Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism (DJAJ), St Michael's Hospital, Toronto; the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto (DJAJ, CWCK, AM, and LSAA); the Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital, Boston (DSL); the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Washington, DC (NDB); and the VA Medical Center, Graduate Center for Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington (JWA). Search for other works by this author on: From the Clinical Nutrition & Risk Factor Modification Center (DJAJ, CWCK, AM, ALJ, and LSAA) and the Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism (DJAJ), St Michael's Hospital, Toronto; the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto (DJAJ, CWCK, AM, and LSAA); the Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital, Boston (DS Continue reading >>
How I Reversed My Diabetes And Stopped All Medications With A Plant-based Diet
I grew up at the tip of southern Texas with four brothers and three sisters. When I was eight years old, my father abandoned our family, and my mother was left to raise eight children on her own. In search of better employment, she moved us to the Chicago area in 1982. In high school, I thrived as an athlete and earned a football scholarship to the University of Michigan. In those days, I could eat whatever I wanted and did not have weight issues, because I was so physically active. At twenty-one years old I was 6’2″ and weighed 305 pounds. A Family Medical History Filled With Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Cancer As a young adult, I witnessed my beloved mother, the rock of our family, battle type 2 diabetes and the complications that come with it. She suffered from kidney failure, vision problems, and heart disease. After 33 years of fighting diabetes, she passed away in April of 2002. I miss her dearly. Just two months later, my oldest brother David passed away from pancreatic cancer. Out of eight siblings, my sister Jill is the only one who has not been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. But she, too, has felt its impact personally, since she donated one of her kidneys to our mother. My sisters Carol and Sandra, and my brothers Martin and Joe (my twin), have all struggled with the disease for years. Just two months ago, Joe also suffered a heart attack. Martin suffers terribly: he has had a pancreas and kidney transplant, is legally blind, had his right leg amputated, goes to dialysis three times a week, and takes 25 medications every day. My Own Struggle With Diabetes I have also struggled with diabetes. I was diagnosed with the disease the same year that it claimed my mom’s life. At that time, I began taking five different oral medications including Metformin and Continue reading >>
Vegan Diet
Tweet Many people instantly recoil at the idea of a vegan diet, but this attitude is gradually changing, particularly amongst people with diabetes. Can people with diabetes use a vegan diet to improve blood glucose control? Absolutely. By eating a healthy vegan diet low in cholesterol and saturated fat, but balanced enough to include fibre and protein, blood glucose levels can be made easier to control. This type of diet, particularly when combined with exercise, can help to lower blood glucose levels and better manage diabetes. What is a vegan diet for diabetes? A vegan diet effectively means cutting out meat, dairy and animal products whether you have diabetes or not. So what do you eat? Vegan diets, whether for people with diabetes or not, are usually based around plants. Particular foods eaten include vegetables, fruit, grains, legumes. Animal products such as meat and dairy are avoided, as are added fat and sugar. People on vegan diets often take vitamin B12 deficiency supplements. Isn’t a vegan diet for diabetics hard to stick to? Eating a vegan diet does require some compromise, but getting the right diabetes recipes and planning your diet well will make following a vegan diet for diabetes easy. When planning your vegan diet, you need to make sure that protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins and minerals are balanced. Vegan diets do not usually demand that portions be stuck to or calories counted, making them easier to follow than some diabetes diets. Can I lose weight using a vegan diet? Many people with diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes, have a firm goal to lose weight. Weight loss is well understood as one of the best ways of achieving diabetes control. Vegan diets with a lower glycaemic index and a higher level of fibre are an excellent way of losing wei Continue reading >>
How To Follow A Vegan Diet With Diabetes
The same day now-58-year-old Nara Schuler was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2010, her doctor told her she’d have to start medication immediately — and stay on it for the rest of her life. But Schuler refused to accept this treatment recommendation. “I have to at least try to do something for myself,” she recalls thinking. With some research, Schuler learned about the potential benefits of a vegan diet for people with type 2 diabetes, and she began cutting meat and dairy, as well as packaged, processed, and fast food from her diet. Her new eating plan consisted mainly of nonstarchy vegetables, plus some fruit, beans, nuts, and seeds. And, to her delight, her diabetes improved. Within three months, her A1C, a measure of average blood sugar levels over the past two to three months, returned to normal. “I could see that the blood sugar was lowering every single day,” Schuler says. Within seven months, she had shed 90 pounds, helping to increase her insulin sensitivity. “I felt so empowered — it was amazing,” Schuler says. “It gave me a feeling of accomplishment that’s indescribable.” The Pros of a Vegan Diet for Diabetes “There’s a lot of new evidence showing up telling us the benefits of following a plant-based diet,” says Marina Chaparro, RDN, CDE, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics who has type 1 diabetes. A review published in June 2016 in the journal PLoS Medicine suggested that following a plant-based diet rich in high-quality plant foods may decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. And a vegan diet may also provide benefits if you already have diabetes, according to a review published in May 2017 in the Journal of Geriatric Cardiology. This review cites a small randomized controlled study published in A Continue reading >>
Diabetes And A Vegan Diet
My husband has recently decided to become vegan (meaning he will no longer include any animal products in his diet). When he told me this I got mad. “I already have to deal with two picky eaters who only eat tacos or spaghetti and meatballs” I told him, “and now I have to cook special meals for you!” Ugh. I was also irritated because I love to eat meat. A blue cheese burger cooked on the grill in the summer is my favorite indulgence. Did this mean my husband wasn’t going to grill burgers anymore? I worried. And if he’s not going to eat meat, what about me? “If you stop eating meat that means you’re going to eat more carbs, and I don’t eat carbs,” I told my husband. OK, maybe there are more than two picky eaters in the house. I knew logically that just because he was changing his diet didn’t mean that I had to change my diet, but I’m the cook in the family and didn’t want to spend all night in the kitchen making different meals for every person in our house. I tend to blame a lot of my “issues” on diabetes, but I think the negative reaction to my husband’s desire to be vegan really does come from having Type 1 diabetes. It also comes from growing up with hippie, vegetarian parents in the woods of Vermont and from my high school field trip, “Mountain Classroom,” to a meat-packing factory in Texas where I emerged from the factory covered in cow’s blood and was unable to eat meat for the next ten years (long and colorful stories we don’t have time for today). Being a vegetarian and a person with diabetes was hard. I was in college and ate what my friends ate, which was bagels, pizza, and cereal. This was not a healthy diet, and my blood sugar probably ran high throughout my time in college, though I’m not sure because I rarely teste Continue reading >>
A Diabetic Vegan: An Interview With Adrian Kiger
Adrian Kiger is a writer who grew up in Morgantown, West Virginia. She’s had type 1 diabetes since she was eleven. After years of struggling with weight issues and blood sugar levels, she found a diet that works for her – vegan. Adrian, who has written a children’s book “Veronica, the Vegetarian Diabetic,” talked to ASweetLife about her path to veganism and how it’s helped her improve her health. You’ve been a type 1 diabetic for 25 years. Did you (or your parents) change your diet when you were diagnosed? My mom had always been a gourmet cook and paid a lot of attention to the quality of food in our house, even I before my diabetes came along. We, my dad and two younger brothers, ate only whole wheat bread, wholesome foods, and a big salad that accompanied supper, which we ate together as a family almost every night. Absolutely no sugary cereals or sodas were around. My mom prepared most things from scratch and always had a garden. When I came home from the hospital after being diagnosed, there was Crystal Light drink mix in the house. It was new on the market at the time. There were a lot of sugar-free products too. Other than that, there wasn’t much of a need for a big, dramatic change. My mom also began making some sugar-free desserts. The biggest change was the fact that suddenly someone in the house had diabetes, and the intensity around food was heightened. What led you to become a diabetic vegan? Were you a vegetarian first? I was not a vegetarian first. Although I have never eaten a lot of meat, I did love a good cheeseburger and a tasty piece of salmon. But I never really liked the smell of cooked meat, so I rarely made it for myself at home. My best friend from childhood was raised completely vegetarian, so I was exposed at a young age to the Continue reading >>
Vegan Diet Rapidly Improves Type 2 Diabetes Markers In Adults
Vegan Diet Rapidly Improves Type 2 Diabetes Markers in Adults In overweight adults with no history of diabetes, a low-fat, plant-based vegan diet can reduce visceral fat and significantly improve both pancreatic beta-cell function and insulin resistance, potentially decreasing the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to researchers. The 16-week randomized controlled trial in 73 adults showed that participants who ate a diet of vegetables, grains, legumes, and fruits significantly improved their overall metabolic condition, say Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD, of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington, DC, and colleagues. "Our study suggests the potential of a low-fat plant-based diet in diabetes prevention, addressing both core pathophysiologic mechanisms insulin resistance and diminished beta-cell function at the same time," they write in their article, published online February 9 in Nutrients. In a statement by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Kahleova said the study "has important implications for diabetes prevention." An estimated 30 million Americans have type 2 diabetes and it is projected that a third of the population will develop diabetes, she pointed out. "Fortunately, this study adds to the growing evidence that food really is medicine and that eating a healthful plant-based diet can go a long way in preventing diabetes." Previous studies have shown that the prevalence of diabetes is 46% to 74% lower in people who eat a plant-based diet compared with meat lovers in the general population, according to background information in the article. A vegan diet has also been shown to improve glycemic control in type 2 diabetes better than calorie-restricted, low-carbohydrate diets, the researchers note. Insulin resistance leading to im Continue reading >>
Going Vegan Could Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
Going vegan could prevent type 2 diabetes Excess weight is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Recent research, however, suggests one strategy that could help to prevent the condition in people who are overweight, and it involves giving up meat and dairy. Researchers say that a vegan diet could prevent diabetes in people who are overweight. Researchers found that overweight people who switched to a vegan diet for 16 weeks showed improvements in insulin sensitivity plus the functioning of beta cells compared with a control group. Beta cells reside in the pancreas and produce and release insulin. The vegan diet also led to improvements in blood sugar levels, both during fasting and during meals. Lead study author Dr. Hana Kahleova, of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington, D.C., says that the findings have "important implications for diabetes prevention." Dr. Kahleova and colleagues recently reported their results in the journal Nutrients. Type 2 diabetes arises when the body is no longer able to respond to insulin effectively which is a condition known as insulin resistance or the pancreatic beta cells do not produce enough insulin. Insulin is the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. As a result of this, blood sugar levels can become too high. This can lead to serious complications, including cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, diabetic eye disease, and nerve damage. It is estimated that more than 30 million people in the United States are living with diabetes, and type 2 diabetes accounts for around 9095 percent of all cases. Being overweight is one of the leading risk factors for type 2 diabetes. In fact, around 80 percent of people who have type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese. Making lifestyle changes such as adopting a he Continue reading >>
How To Manage Your Diabetes As A Vegetarian
In this article, we will take a look at the benefits of following a vegetarian diet if you have diabetes. Though we cannot recommend a drastic change in one’s diet, we will enumerate the benefits of following a vegetarian diet. Prior to making any major changes in your diet if you have diabetes, it is imperative that you check with your primary care provider, and registered dietician or Certified Diabetes Educator for their input and expertise. Types of vegetarians Vegan A vegan is the strictest type of vegetarian. The vegan diet is referred to as a “total,” or “pure” vegetarian diet. People who are vegans do not eat any meat or animal products, including eggs and dairy products. This also includes fish and seafood. They are on a plant-based diet. To get the protein needed daily on a vegan diet, a person with diabetes could eat soy based products such as tofu or soy milk, all sorts of vegetables, and a variety of beans and whole grains. This is important because proteins are the “building blocks,” and have important functions related to cell structure and function, and even to make the hormone insulin. Because a vegan diet is low in vitamin B12, a multivitamin or supplement is usually recommended for a vegan diet. Ask your doctor before going on a vegan diet plan, and inquire about your vitamin B-12 needs while on a vegan diet. Lacto-vegetarian The lacto-vegetarian doesn’t eat meat or eggs. However, they don’t mind including milk products in their diet. Lacto-ovo vegetarian This group does not eat any meat, but they do enjoy animal products such as eggs and all varieties of milk products, such as eggs or cheese. Other Variations There are some variations on the theme, such as “pescetarian,” who will eat fish. There is also a version called, “raw Continue reading >>
