Vegan diet, insulin resistance

“Resistance is futile,” declared the Borg on “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” But it’s not, at least when it comes to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is an active assault on your health — and you can resist it, to great benefit.

Insulin resistance means that your muscle, liver and fat cells don’t respond sufficiently to the message that insulin is trying to deliver to them: “Take glucose from the blood and use it to fuel your work.” In reaction, beta cells in the pancreas crank out more and more insulin, trying to force your cells to take in sufficient glucose. Eventually this doesn’t work. Excess glucose then remains in your blood and you end up with pre- or fullblown diabetes.

But a low-fat vegan diet offers you a powerful way to restore insulin sensitivity, according to a new study in JAMA Open Network. Over 16 weeks, researchers found that overweight participants on a vegan diet lost 13 pounds, dramatically improved insulin sensitivity and decreased the amount of excess fat in liver cells by 34.4% and excess fat stored in muscle cells by 10%.

The beneficial diet delivered 75% of calories from carbohydrates (vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes), 15% from non-animal protein and 10% from fat, and a daily 500 microgram vitamin B12 supplement. So if you want to resist — and defeat — insulin resistance, try a low-fat, vegan diet.

Tip: To protect bone health, eat plenty of calcium-rich veggies and make sure you have healthy blood levels of vitamins D and B12.

Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare. com.