Can a vegan diet help with type-2 diabetes?
HEALTH
Short answer
Yes. WFPB vegan diets have produced diabetes remission in multiple randomised trials (Barnard, Ornish).
HEALTH
The detail
The 22-week Barnard trial (Diabetes Care 2006) showed a low-fat vegan diet outperformed the standard ADA diet on A1c, weight and cholesterol.
Mechanism: reduced saturated fat, high fibre, high antioxidant intake, weight loss and improved insulin sensitivity.
Transitioning to a diet rich in high-fiber beans and intact whole grains can improve insulin sensitivity in as little as two weeks. A 2022 study in the journal Nutrients found that plant-based diets were associated with a 23% reduction in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. By eliminating animal fats, which can interfere with insulin function, a vegan diet addresses one of the underlying causes of blood sugar mismanagement.
Source: Barnard et al., Diabetes Care 2006;29(8):1777-1783.
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More questions like this
- Is veganism actually healthy?
Yes. Major dietetic associations endorse well-planned vegan diets for all life stages, and they lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.
- Will I lose weight going vegan?
Most people do — the average vegan has a lower BMI than the general population — but a vegan diet is not automatically slimming.
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