A new study shows that a low-fat, vegan diet controls diabetes
more effectively than a more standard “diabetes diet.” The
study was conducted by PCRM researchers working with the George
Washington University and the University of Toronto, with funding
from the National Institutes of Health. The results were published
in Diabetes Care, a publication of the American Diabetes
Association.
Prior research had suggested that vegetarians
are at considerably less risk of developing diabetes, compared
with the general population. The new study shows that, in people
with diabetes, a low-fat vegan diet reduces blood sugar to a greater
degree than even common oral diabetes medications. It also effectively
trims body weight and cholesterol.
A large body of research suggests that vegetarian
and vegan diets are what the human body was designed for. In 1990,
Dean Ornish showed that a vegetarian diet, along with other lifestyle
changes, actually reverses heart disease. At the Cleveland Clinic,
Caldwell Esselstyn showed that when a low-fat vegan diet is paired
with judicious use of medications, even patients with a long history
of heart disease become nearly heart-attack-proof. More recently,
Dr. Ornish showed that a vegan diet works wonders for individuals
with prostate cancer. In a study of 84 patients, the disease gradually
worsened in the control group that made no diet changes, but improved
overall for those who began a vegan diet. Studies show that vegetarians
have about a 40 percent lower cancer risk, compared with omnivores.
PCRM’s
weight-loss study, published in the American Journal of Medicine in
2005, showed that a low-fat vegan diet is more effective at trimming
waistlines than a more moderate low-fat diet. On average, the diet
knocks off about one pound per week—week after week after week.
There are other benefits, too. Arthritis symptoms improve in
roughly half of individuals who make the diet change. Migraines
often improve or go away. Digestive problems get better. Of all
the potential dietary contributors to acne, only one panned out
in Harvard’s
Nurses’ Health Study: cow’s milk.
The nice thing is, we don’t need one diet for one health
problem and an entirely different diet prescription for the next
problem. Getting away from animal fat, cholesterol, and animal
protein helps the whole body.
Imagine a driver bringing his car
to a mechanic. He complains that his car runs badly, stalls easily,
gets terrible mileage, and puts out ugly-looking exhaust. After
a few questions, the mechanic discovers that there is nothing wrong
with the engine, transmission, or exhaust system. The problem is
that the driver has been using diesel fuel, instead of the unleaded
the car is designed for. After a tank or two of the right fuel,
the car runs perfectly fine. Our bodies need the fuel they were
designed for: vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains.
Needless
to say, people adopt vegetarian and vegan diets for many different
reasons, from compassion to environmental concerns. The same diet
that addresses these important issues is also the healthiest diet
for the human body.
Neal D. Barnard, M.D.
President of PCRM
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