Vegan Diet and Type 2 Diabetes: A Comprehensive Review

This is a summary of recent research on the benefits of following a vegan diet, which is a diet that contains no animal products at all. The research included both observational studies that looked at health outcomes in vegans compared to non-vegans, as well as controlled studies testing vegan diets in people with type 2 diabetes.

Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Several large observational studies found that people following a vegan diet had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to non-vegans. One study of over 40,000 people found the risk was 2.6 times higher in non-vegans. The research suggested that even when vegans have similar body mass index (BMI) as non-vegans, they still show less risk.

Better Blood Sugar Control

In people who already have type 2 diabetes, switching to a vegan diet also had benefits. Multiple studies found that a vegan diet lowered hemoglobin A1c levels, which is a marker of blood sugar control over the past 3 months. People following vegan diets also tended to lose more weight and show improved cholesterol levels.

Potential Reasons for the Benefits

Researchers think the benefits of vegan diets can be explained by their high fiber content, low fat content, and absence of heme iron from meat. The fiber may slow digestion and absorption of sugars. The lower fat, particularly saturated fat, may prevent insulin resistance. And the lack of heme iron could improve insulin sensitivity.

Importance of Nutrient Planning

One potential downside of vegan diets is they could lead to deficiencies in certain nutrients like proteins, vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, iron and omega-3 fatty acids if they aren’t planned appropriately. So people interested in switching to a vegan diet should work with a nutritionist or dietitian to ensure they are meeting all their nutritional needs, especially pregnant women, adolescents, and the elderly.

Conclusion

Based on current research, adopting a properly planned vegan diet seems to have benefits for preventing and managing type 2 diabetes. Vegan diets are comparable to other healthy eating patterns like the Mediterranean diet in terms of improving markers of metabolic health. More research is still needed, but a vegan diet may be considered an acceptable alternative therapy for many people with diabetes.

Pollakova D, Andreadi A, Pacifici F, Della-Morte D, Lauro D, Tubili C. The Impact of Vegan Diet in the Prevention and Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2021 Jun 21;13(6):2123. doi: 10.3390/nu13062123. PMID: 34205679; PMCID: PMC8235036.