|
 Researchers examined data from nine previously published studies
with a total of 307,099 participants, including 23,544 people who
developed type 2 diabetes. The length of the studies ranged from 2
to 28 years. All of the studies used food frequency questionnaires
to assess participants' diets.
Overall, people who most closely adhered to a vegan, vegetarian or
other type of plant-based diet were 23% less likely to develop type
2 diabetes than people who consumed the least amount of plant-based
meals, researchers report in JAMA Internal Medicine.
"Plant-based diets can promote metabolic health and reduce diabetes
risk through many pathways, including preventing excess weight gain,
improving insulin sensitivity, reducing inflammation, and other
mechanisms," said Dr. Qi Sun, senior author of the study and a
researcher at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and
Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
People who eat a healthy variety of plant-based meals can lower
their diabetes risk even when they're not strict vegetarians -
avoiding meat, poultry and fish - or vegans - also avoiding animal
products like milk and eggs.
But they may not benefit as much if their plant-based diet is full
of foods like French fries, white bread, and white rice, Sun said by
email.
"It does matter what veggies people eat and how the veggies are
processed," Sun said. "Therefore, consuming healthy plant foods that
are not or minimally processed, such as fresh fruits and vegetables,
legumes, nuts, and whole grains, should be emphasized."
People in the study who followed this advice - with the healthiest
mix of fruits, vegetables and whole grains in their plant-based
diets, were 30% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than
participants who tended to ignore this idea.
[to top of second column] |
Type 2 diabetes, the most common form, is linked to obesity and
aging and happens when the body can't properly use or make enough of
the hormone insulin to convert blood sugar into energy. Left
unchecked, diabetes can lead to serious complications like nerve
damage, blindness, amputations, kidney damage and heart problems.
Doctors typically advise patients with type 2 diabetes to follow a
low-calorie, low-fat and low-carbohydrate diet that includes lots of
fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains as well as lean poultry
and fish. Fatty, sugary foods are discouraged along with consuming
too much red or processed meat.
None of the smaller studies in the current analysis were controlled
experiments designed to prove whether a plant-based diet helps
prevent diabetes or serious complications from the disease.
Still, the results offer fresh evidence of the potential for good
eating habits to help prevent and manage diabetes, said Samantha
Heller, a nutritionist at New York University Langone Medical Center
in New York City.
"Adding more whole plants such as broccoli, edamame, quinoa, extra
virgin olive oil, almonds, and berries, to our diet is a great way
to help manage type 2 diabetes and weight," Heller, who wasn't
involved in the study, said by email.
"Higher fiber foods are healthy for the gut microbiome, improve
gastrointestinal function, improve insulin sensitivity, and help
manage blood sugar," Heller added. "However, it is important to
remember that even (portion sizes) of healthy foods matter."
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/30NStrN JAMA Internal Medicine, online July
22, 2019.
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
