In article >,
Robert Miles > posted:
>
> Dr. Jai Maharaj posted:
>
> > 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
>
>
> Does that mean that the plant-based diet often used in India
> isn't wholesome? That country has a rather high rate of diabetes
> compared to the rest of the world.

Excerpts:

Doctors say a perverse twist of science makes Indians susceptible to
diabetes and complications such as heart disease and stroke as soon
as their living conditions improve. As a decade of 7 percent average
annual growth lifts 400 million people into the middle class, bodies
primed over generations for poverty, malnutrition and manual labor
are leaving Indians ill- prepared for calorie-loaded food or the
cars, TVs and computers that sap physical activity.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-1...dle-class.html

In India, Vegetarianism Is Usually Synonymous With Lacto
Vegetarianism. . . . According To The 2006 Hindu-Cnn-Ibn State Of The
Nation Survey,[11] 31% Of Indians Are Vegetarians, While Another 9%
Consumes Eggs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism_by_country

Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti