HOW A VEGAN DIET IMPACTS DIABETES

More than 370 million people around the world suffer from diabetes. Being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, or prediabetes is a life-changing experience, but we have some good news.

Research shows that moving to a whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) diet can reduce the symptoms of type 1 diabetes and can help manage and even reverse type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. Cutting out fat-laden animal products and highly processed foods can also dramatically reduce your risk of developing diabetes in the first place.

A whole food plant-based diet, like a vegan diet, does not include meat, dairy, eggs, or other animal products. But whole food plant-based also means avoiding refined and processed foods, while filling up on whole fruits, veggies, grains, nuts, and legumes.

A WHOLE-FOOD, PLANT-BASED DIET CAN REDUCE TYPE 2 DIABETES RISK BY A THIRD

In 2016, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health released a study that shows the healthiest plant-based diets can lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by around a third. Just switching out animal products for delicious plant-based alternatives can lower your risk by 20 percent. A whole-food, plant-based diet is rich in beneficial dietary fiber, antioxidants, and micronutrients, and low in saturated fat. This is excellent for overall health outcomes, whether they’re related to diabetes or not.

A WHOLE-FOOD, PLANT-BASED DIET CAN HELP MANAGE OR REVERSE TYPE 2 DIABETES

A 2018 report published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care found that “plant-based diets were associated with significant improvement in emotional well-being, physical well-being, depression … general health, HbA1c levels, weight, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, compared with several diabetic associations’ official guidelines.” They also found that plant-based diets showed potential to improve diabetic neuropathic pain and triglyceride levels in type 2 diabetes patients.

WFPB diets can even reverse type 2 diabetes by resolving the root cause: insulin resistance.

Essentially, WFPB nutrition can help to manage the symptoms of type 1 diabetes and could halt or reverse prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

A WHOLE-FOOD, PLANT-BASED DIET CAN REDUCE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES

Eliminating animal products and moving to a diet rich in whole and minimally processed plant foods can significantly reduce the problems created by type 1 and type 1.5 autoimmune diabetes. Although there’s no cure for this type of diabetes, the right diet has plenty of benefits. Cyrus Khambatta, PhD, writes that following a low-fat, WFPB lifestyle can:

• Boost insulin sensitivity and reduce insulin use by more than 40 percent after six months.
• Lead to more predictable blood glucose, making it easier to manage diabetes.
• Increase blood flow to tissues in the body and reduce the likelihood of diabetes-related nerve damage.
• Reduce the burden on the kidneys, decreasing the chances of getting kidney disease.
• Additionally, a WFPB diet can increase your energy levels and help you lose weight, and you get to indulge in delicious comfort foods!

Real-life case studies support the notion that eliminating animal products and following a healthy, whole food diet can make it easier to live with diabetes.

So if you have, or are at risk of developing diabetes, a WFPB diet can be a game-changer.

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