Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Type 2 diabetes? A vegan diet could help
The latest fashionable dietary trend is veganism – in its purest form forgoing all foods of animal origin. But is a vegan diet all that good for you?
Well, if you have Type 2 diabetes it certainly appears to be. Not only that, a plant-based diet is linked to improved psychological health, a reduction in some of the known risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, and possibly some of those for cardiovascular disease, according to new research published in the BMJ.
While a plant-based diet that’s rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and seeds, with no or few animal products, appears to confer a significantly lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, it hasn’t been proven to be linked to improved mood.
To try and find out, the researchers trawled through the available evidence and found 11 clinical trials comparing plant-based diets with other types. The studies involved a total of 433 people in their mid-50s. Eight of the trials assessed the impact of a vegan diet and six included patients being given information on good nutrition to help them better understand the benefits of a plant-based diet. The trials lasted an average of 23 weeks.
An analysis of the results showed that quality of life, both physical and emotional, improved only in those patients on a plant-based diet. Similarly, depressive symptoms improved only in this group.
The nerve pain found in diabetes and foot temperature control, so important to prevent gangrene, may have also been benefited by eating predominantly plant-based foods.
While the researchers point out the small sample sizes of the studies they examined and the reliance on participant recall, this review is the first to try to look at the psychological impact of a plant-based diet in people with Type 2 diabetes, and it draws on research from five different countries.
Overall, the results indicate that even though the plant-based diets are more difficult to follow, at least to begin with, participants stuck to them better than those in the other groups.
The researchers wrote: “Based on the evidence of the research analysis by this systematic review, it can be concluded that plantbased diets accompanied by educational interventions can significantly improve psychological health, quality of life, Hba1c levels (blood sugar levels) and weight, and therefore the management of diabetes.
“Plant-based diets could potentially improve diabetic neuropathic (nerve) pain and the levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in Type 2 diabetes.”