Photo: Jeffrey Betts via StockSnap, public domain.
Vegetarian diets improve blood sugar control, cholesterol and body weight in people with diabetes, a meta-analysis of randomised trials has found. HbA1c fell by 0.29 percentage points, fasting glucose by 0.56 mmol/L, LDL cholesterol by 0.12 mmol/L and body weight by 2.15 kg.
The review was led by Effie Viguiliouk and John Sievenpiper at St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto, to update the European Association for the Study of Diabetes nutrition guidelines. It pooled nine trials with 664 participants and is published in Clinical Nutrition. Waist size also fell by almost 3 cm, and the overall certainty of the evidence was rated moderate.
Because these are randomised trials, they show what happens when people actually change their diet. The authors conclude:
Vegetarian dietary patterns improve glycemic control, LDL-C, non-HDL-C, and body weight/adiposity in individuals with diabetes, supporting their inclusion for diabetes management.
For anyone living with diabetes, building meals around beans, lentils, whole grains and vegetables could be a real help alongside medical care.
Earlier this year a Taiwanese study linked switching to a vegetarian diet to a 53% lower risk of diabetes, and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists now recommends a plant-based diet.
Plants are earning their place in diabetes care!