Forwarded post from Earth News October 2011

A Wholesome, Plant-Based Diet May Cut Risks and Complications of
Diabetes

By Caitlin Rose

If the cost of treating a chronic health condition is weighing you
down, you’re not alone. Last month, the World Economic Forum
estimated that by the year 2030, the global cost of treating chronic
health conditions will total $47 trillion dollars.1 According to the
National Institute of Health, diabetes alone affects almost 26
million people in the United States and national treatment costs for
diabetes total $174 billion dollars per year. Furthermore,
individuals diagnosed with diabetes have an average of twice as many
medical expenses as non-diabetics.2

Fortunately, leading health experts agree that by switching to a low-
fat, plant-based diet, you may be able to alleviate certain risk
factors and complications resulting from diabetes. Numerous
scientific studies have concluded that a low-fat, plant-based diet
may help you lose weight, increase insulin sensitivity and improve
blood sugar levels. If you have a family history of diabetes, or are
worried that you may be at risk, adopting a wholesome vegetarian diet
may help prevent the development of diabetes as well.

Weight loss is a consistent feature of a wholesome plant-based diet.
According to a 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines report, vegetarian diets
are often lower in calories, and vegetarians tend to have a lower
body mass index than non-vegetarians.3 As a bonus, a low-fat, plant-
based diet may also be easier to adopt than the standard diet put out
by the American Diabetes Association (ADA). In 2004, researchers
affiliated with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
(PCRM) compared a low-fat, plant-based diet with the diet designed by
the ADA. The study published in the peer-reviewed journal, Diabetes
Care, found that those on a plant-based diet not only lost more
weight, but also had an easier time sticking with the diet.4 This was
possibly due to the fact that while participants in the ADA diet were
required to restrict calories and count carbs, those following a low-
fat, plant-based diet were able to eat as much as they wanted within
the parameters of the diet.

A healthy vegetarian diet may improve blood sugar control and insulin
sensitivity, leading to a decreased need for medication. During the
same comparison study, researchers found that after 22 weeks, 43% of
participants in the plant-based diet were able to decrease their
medication, compared to 26% of those following the standard ADA
diet.5 In another study published in the American Journal of
Medicine, researchers compared a low-fat, plant-based diet to a diet
recommended by the National Cholesterol Education Program. The study
participants consisted of post-menopausal women whose weight put them
at risk for diabetes. They found that after 14 weeks, those on a low-
fat, plant-based diet experienced lower blood sugar levels and
increased insulin sensitivity. Those on the NCEP diet did not
experience these changes.6 Experts at the Mayo Clinic confirm that a
vegetarian diet consisting primarily of whole grains, fruits,
vegetables, legumes and nuts can improve blood sugar control and make
your body more responsive to insulin.

Complications of diabetes may respond well to a wholesome vegetarian
diet as well. Because a plant-based diet is usually low in saturated
fat and cholesterol and high in soluble fiber, it may reduce your
risk of heart disease, which is a common complication of diabetes.
The American Dietetic Association states that vegetarians have “lower
rates of death from ischemic heart disease; ... lower blood
cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of
hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer.”7 In
fact, among participants in the first PCRM comparison study who ate a
plant-based diet, those suffering from hypertension were able to
discontinue their prescriptions after 12 weeks.

From these and numerous other studies, doctors, medical researchers
and other health experts have concluded that a low-fat, plant-based
diet is safe and appropriate for diabetics. The benefits of a
wholesome vegetarian diet are significant for those diagnosed with or
at risk for diabetes. The cost of treating diabetes and its
associated complications is immense. If we put just a fraction of the
projected cost towards buying healthy, whole, plant-based food, we
could save millions of hospital hours and billions of treatment
dollars. When it comes to your health, it’s never too late or too
early to start eating well.

Source:
Earth News October 2011

Related Content

Diabetes and Diet: A Crucial Combination for Health

http://www.downtoearth.org/health/ge...ination-health

Americans with diabetes to double to 44 million

http://www.downtoearth.org/blogs/200...-to-44-million

Footnotes

1
Bloom DE, Cafiero ET, Jané-Llopis E, Abrahams-Gessel S, Bloom LR,
Fathima S, Feigl AB, Gaziano T, Mowafi M, Pandya A, Prettner K,
Rosenberg L, Seligman B, Stein A, & Weinstein C. The Global Economic
Burden of Non-communicable Diseases. Geneva: World Economic Forum.
2011 Oct.

2
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Fact
Sheet: national estimates and general information on diabetes and
prediabetes in the United States, 2011. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2011

3
Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans,2010. USDA, 2010. Web, September 5 2011

http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/DGAs2010-DGACReport.htm

4
Barnard ND, Cohen J, Jenkins DJ, Turner-McGrievy G, Gloede L, Jaster
B, Seidl K, Green AA, Talpers S. A low-fat vegan diet improves
glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in a randomized
clinical trial in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care.
2006 Aug;29(8):1777-83. PubMed PMID: 16873779

5
ibid

6
Barnard ND, Scialli AR, Turner-McGrievy G, Lanou AJ, Glass J. The
effects of a low-fat, plant-based dietary intervention on body
weight, metabolism, and insulin sensitivity. Am J Med. 2005
Sep;118(9):991-7

7
Mangels,A, Messina, and Vesanto Melina. Position of the American
Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada: Vegetarian Diets.
Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Jun. 2003, pp. 748-65

End of forwarded post from Earth News October 2011

Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti

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